Yesterday afternoon...

...I made a book wreath.

I've seen these all over and wanted to try one, so I found an old atlas at the thrift store and bought a wreath form at the dollar store and fired up the glue gun.  In the end, it cost about $5, and 2 hours to make.

There are a billion different ways to make these, but I used Emily's tutorial over at Jones Design Company. 

The first step was hardest for me.

Before you can start gluing your pages to the wreath form, you have to tear them out of the book.  Problem is, I love books.  Especially old books with that old book smell.  I love the yellowish hue of the paper that only can be achieved through age.  I knew that this step would be problematic for me, so I deliberatly chose a book where the information was outdated and tried to convince myself that really, I was doing a good thing by repurposing something that was headed to the landfill. 

I still almost cried {twice} while ripping the pages out.

You could use any kind of book.  It does work a little better if you choose a book with regular paper as opposed to a heavier cardstock-like paper.  Also, have A LOT of glue on hand.  I think I used around twenty glue {gun} sticks. 

I am happy with the way it turned out, though and I really like the maps mixed in.  I think the colors are fun.  I'm planning on hanging it on my big blank wall by the kitchen table.  For now.

DIY Cake Plates

There are very few dishes I love more than cake plates!  I use them for everything--rolls, pies, cookies, and, um, cakes.  They are also great for holiday displays when you want to group things at different levels.

Awile back, I saw some cake plates somewhere that had been made from vintage plates and candlesticks.  I, of course, had to try to make my own.

They are super easy.

You need a plate, {I chose some vintage state plates that I had lying around}

a candlestick or something similar,

and some glue for glass.

I picked my glue up a Wal-Mart for under $4.

{Regular super glue works fine for a little while, but they come apart if you don't use glue made especially for glass.}

Make sure you read the instructions on the glue package, because they are all a little different.  Then add glue to your base.

Turn the plate over and carefully stick the candlestick onto the center of the back of the plate.

That's it!  So easy!

Have a super weekend!

A Basket Tray and My Big, Blank, White Wall

I found this basket tray at the thrift store the other day.

I liked it, but didn't really love it.

So I painted it
{with Krylon white spray paint}

Put a little gel stain on it,

{because it was just a little TOO bright and shiny...}

and then Modge Podged some burlap in for a liner.

I thought it would be perfect for summer entertaining or for corralling kitchen table stuff.
I love it now.

Looking at the last picture, though, I see a bigger problem...

that wall. 

That wall drives me crazy.

To the right of that big, blank, white wall is this:

...so I can't really put a shelf there.

Across from the fireplace wall is another shelf with five 11x20 frames above it in a line.

I don't know what to put on that wall. 

Board and batten?

Plates? 

A mirror?

Something architectural?

Help!