Hi Friends! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! D and I went camping over in central Oregon and had a great time. Stay tuned for a little bit more about that later this week. I’m so excited to have Carrie from DreamGreenDIY here today to share a fun little project with you all. This is something I’ve been wanting to make for awhile and Carrie offers a great tutorial on how to make a Framed Catch-All. Thanks again for sharing Carrie!
Hello, Bullfrogs and Bulldogs readers! I am thrilled and honored to be here…Before I get started, I just wanted to extend a big thank you to Amanda for inviting me over for a bit!!
Today, I thought I’d tell you the story of a little framed catch-all that I created at home…I don’t know about you guys, but I have a lot of little nostalgic things that I like to keep on hand, mostly for the sweet memories. You know, things like birthday cards, photos and even recipes – Things you don’t necessarily want cluttering up the refrigerator, but things you also don’t want to toss.
To make the most of this collection of paper, I decided to treat them like art by putting them inside of a frame. But I also wanted to make sure that they were accessible and changeable at the same time. So, instead of capturing them behind glass, the idea was to clip them to chicken wire instead.
First things first, a frame…I picked this one up at our local thrift store for a song (to the tune of about $2). I liked the decorative edge, but wasn’t too into the traditional gold color. To bring it into the modern, contemporary age, I spray painted it a bold royal teal color.
After that, it was simply a matter of filling the middle with chicken wire. Using a collection of bolt and wire cutters, I carefully trimmed out a section of the wire to match the dimensions of my frame. Then I used a handful of strategically-placed push pins to keep it in place.
Why push pins and not nails? In the past, I’ve made the mistake of using a staple gun and nails to attach things to the inside of a frame, only to have the extra force damage the delicate edges of the wood. Not good. Tapping or pushing in several push pins is a much gentler way of getting the job done without damaging the frame.
A couple of pre-drilled holes in the top of the frame and in the wall, along with some flat-head black finishing screws, and we called this project “done.” Then it was just a matter of filling ‘er up with keepsake cards and memorabilia.
Enjoy and thanks again for having me, Amanda!
Carrie Waller is a freelancer, copy editor and page designer in Lynchburg, Va. She is also a contributing writer and blogger for Breathe Magazine. For a real-time rehash of her and her husband’s home renovation project and other DIY how-to’s, visit her blog at DreamGreenDIY.com. You can also find DreamGreenDIY on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
