I am a wife, a mother, an auntie and a friend. I love thrifting, garage sales, re-purposing, creating, painting, anything that makes our little rental home more welcoming, comfortable and cozy. I have discovered the "art" of amateur photography & I love the idea of capturing the beauty in the ordinary everyday things that surround us. Blogging is a wonderful way to make new friends and share with people who have the same interests. My personal taste in decorating leans towards "casual cottage/coastal decor". I now have a small shop on etsy, called "SandySeashore" where you'll find some of my vintage finds, my photography and some handmade things. I hope you take the time to check it out! Thanks for droppin' in!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Treasure gifts from the sea - craft project

I spent most of the day yesterday checking out some gorgeous cottage decorating blogs! I just love browsing them with a cup of coffee and my little buddy Molly curled up next to me! My back has been sore for over a week, so no major projects, but after browsing through so many inspiring creations, I had to do something!!!

I've had this old Ikea picture/frame stashed away under the bed for quite a while, waiting for inspiration.
It's a lovely collection of serene winter shots......not exactly beachy now, is it? Which is why it was collecting dust bunnies under the bed! LOL!

Anyway, I took it apart, darned thing had like a hundred staples in the back, oh, and note to self: "don't take on such finicky craft projects the day after you have your nails done!" Oh, well....
When I took it apart, I realized the pictures and "matting" are one. Hmmm. I went on a search for some taupe muslin I knew was somewhere in the house.......I ripped it in squares to cover the existing images. Ripped as opposed to cut, because I wanted the tattered edges (more organic looking).
Hmmm. Where's the iron? 
                     I glued (I love a trusty glue gun :), the muslin to the back with four little dabs of hot glue.
                          Then started to experiment on different arrangements of sand dollars and shells.
                                                    I added a little Lepage white glue as well.
                I found the pretty little sand dollars at the thrift store and paid a whopping 1$ for a bag of 50!
                           The larger ones are from a friend who collected them in White Rock, B.C.

                                  I found the perfect letters to use in my suitcase of miscellaneous paper goodies!

The Mussel shell and pearl just had to be added. They are a reminder to me of a very special gift my son gave me for my birthday a few weeks ago...The shell is part of my gift . When I opened it, it contained a single pearl (hidden in some goooooey stuff) which was then washed and placed in a pretty rose shaped silver necklace. My 24 year old son has grown into a sensitive sweet man. He said: " Mom, I know how much you love the ocean and everything from it, and I know you love your garden and all your flowers, so, I thought this was the perfect gift for you! I love you Mom."  Followed by: "DO YOU LIKE IT?" with the excitement of an 8 year old boy in his voice!!!! He is indeed my most precious treasure.


                                          Isn't it pretty?! I just LOVE it! And the thought he put into it!
                                                                Thank you my sweet boy young man!
 

                                            Anyway, enough of that, back to the task at hand
 I added some "turtle shell finish" tacks in the corners both because I liked the look and because they cover the hot glue bumps. :)

                                            So into the frame they go.....                              
                                              ...and on the wall in the hallway.....
                                                                  I love the finished product!
                                                                            Pretty!

8 comments:

  1. Could you be any more resourceful!? Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is beautiful and you did a wonderful job! I love your blog, so glad that I found you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Sandra, thanks for finding my blog and following. Your timing is immpeccable! I have an almost identical frame from Ikea, and was thinking of doing much the same. You have know idea how helpful your post is on knowing what to expect when I take it apart. A pleasure to follow you.

    Hugs,
    Lisa x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you ladies for your comments! It's so encouraging when you start to blog and people take the time to comment....I'm loving blogging!
    Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It looks great Sandra! Nice to find you! Keep up the great work:)
    Debbi @ the beach

    ReplyDelete
  6. Super cute idea! Just popped over from Emerald Cove. The blog world is so inspiring!
    Kelle
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi there - thanks for following. And I am a new follower back! This is really beautiful. And I love those little sea cookies!!!

    ReplyDelete