Summer Projects

Author's Note:
I know we've been absent from the blogosphere for a while now, and I don't really apologize for that.  When we aren't blogging for extended periods of time, it usually means 1 of 3 things:

1) We're busy. Something time consuming is going on or our days are filled with nothing blogworthy.
2) We're sick of writing blogs.
3) A combination of the two.

This absence has been brought to you by door #3!

I (Kelsey) just finished a class where I was required to write for 3 hours every other day.  Sure, I could have filled those hours writing blog upon blog, but I decided to push myself in another direction.  I didn't really feel like blogging once my "sacred writing time" was up.

Now that class is over, and I've had a week of watching nothing but Bravo!, I'm getting the itch to take on some summer projects.

I got this cute print at Sturgis Falls a few weeks ago, and it needed a place in my kitchen.  Really the only place it could go is above our table where I already had this served-its-purpose-but-doesn't-do-a-whole-lot-for-me piece of art that I snagged at TJ Max.

It's the picture in the background - it's the only one I had of it. I forgot the "before" shot to this project.

So in true Kelsey thinking, I thought to myself,  "I can totally reuse that frame, and mat my new print myself.  Can't be that hard."

Good thinking, genius. After a quick trip to Hobby Lobby to discover my piece of matting board would only be $4 due to a half price sale, I had to give it a go.  I started with these tools.

And I flipped over the existing frame to see what I had to work with.

I used my scissors and the screwdriver to pop out the cardboard backing, and I used that to trace a stencil of the size I'd need to cut my matting.

Then I cut, very accurately as you can see, my matting with a razor blade. I had to do this in the basement because of the ungodly heat outside and to not ruin our carpet, and it was really hard to see.  There, that's my excuse.
 

Next, I measured the print to be centered on the board, and attached with scotch tape.  (I wonder how long until it falls?) Flipped it over into the frame, and secured.

I pried these little doo-hickeys to hold it all in place.  The scissors were very useful for this.

Then I discovered little bits of cardboard and tape inside the frame, tried to take a picture of it, left the flash on, and just got my own reflection. (Ashley Schrage shakes her head) Then my camera died, so you guys still get to see this picture. Hee hee.

After removing the cardboard and the tape, I redid the doo-hickeys and turn it over and -voila! Crooked art work!  (Bangs head against ottoman.)

After several attempts of little crummy crap removal, a little to the left and a little to the right, and realizing the mounts for the frame were on the side not on the top, I finally got it right!

You can officially cross off "custom framer" from the list of potential jobs I would take if I was no longer a teacher.  I was super crummy at this project, and it was not very enjoyable. I like the end result, it's a little more personal than the other print, and the total cost of the project was 14 smackers.

$10 print + $4 matting board + $0 for framed art we already had = new art on a budget