Old Tin Ceiling Tiles Turned Stylish Chalk Memo Boards and Signage

Old ceiling tiles are not the easiest thing to find these days. You can run across them from time to time at vintage markets and shows, or even around the garage of an older building or home. And if you do, hang on to them, or at least a few of them, so that you can convert some into something fun like this….

And in 5 steps of course! Let's go!

What you will need:

• A roll of painter's tape
• A tarp
• A glossy can of spray paint of your choice (I recommend Krylon or Rustoleum Brand with a built in primer.)
• A roll of a trendy ribbon
• A small can of chalkboard paint
• 1-2 mid size foam brushes
• Measuring Tape
• Drill (OPTIONAL)
• Hot glue gun or E6000
• Scissors

Step 1:

Start by taping off your tile, covering the center with the tape and leaving the frame or outer area of it open to be painted. After you have completely covered the center and there are absolutely no spaces or holes, you are ready to paint!

Step 2:

Lay your tile on your tarp face down. Spray paint the back of the tile. After that coat dries (approximately 20 minutes), spray it once more to guarantee total and even coverage. Let it remain face down and allow the paint to completely dry for at least 30-45 minutes. Test it with your finger tip after a half hour to make sure. Then, flip it over and carefully spray paint the untaped area of the frame with your paint color. As you did on the other side, let the first coat sit 20-25 minutes, then spray it once more. (NOTE: You do not have to paint your tile if you do not desire. Some folks like the vintage look and I am definitely one of those people. It is completely and totally up to you!)

Step 3: 

After you are certain that the paint is completely dry (Like 110% sure), remove the painters tape slowly and carefully from the center of the tile. Next, get that roll of painter's tape back out and place it around the edges of the unpainted area to ensure that your lines remain perfectly straight. Next, using your foam brush and your chalkboard paint, cover the area, slowly and carefully, as you do NOT want to get any chalkboard paint on the frame that you just painted so well. Let the first coat sit 20-25 minutes. Reapply a second coat and let it sit for the same amount of time. FInally, apply one last coat of chalkboard paint and let it dry 45 minutes to an hour to ensure that all coats get sealed and dried. 

Step 4: 

Once you are certain that the chalkboard paint is completely dry (This should take no less than a full hour or so), remove the painter's tape from around the area. 

Step 5: The Display 

At this point, your entire board should be dry. Now, you have the option to drill a few holes and string your ribbon through your tile if you desire to hang your board as shown in the photo above. Or, you can make a fancy bow out of your ribbon to simply adhere to the front. But, no matter which you choose, both are super cute ideas and both are sure to be stunners.

FOR THE HANGING OPTION:

Measure the length across the top of your tile in inches and divide that number by 3. Whatever number you get, measure from the edge of the left side to that number and then mark it with a pencil or pen. Do the same thing from the edge of the right side and mark it also. Then, using a small bit drill, gently drill a single hole through each of those markings. Whatever cute little ribbon you chose, string it right on through. 

FOR A TRADITIONAL DISPLAY OPTION (display on an easel):

Make a bow with your ribbon and use your hot glue gun to adhere it to the front of the frame of the tile. Or, who said you were married to bows? Do you have another clever and unique embellishment idea to use instead? Go for it! You can use things such as antique knick knacks, old fashioned jewelry, buttons, or scrapbook flowers or accessories- the options are vast. 

After you get your embellishment or bow secured on the front of your tile, you are DONE!! Go and give that little lovely as a funky and unique gift that they will be sure to love or find the perfect little spot to hang it or post it up!

Until next time,
XOXO
#PeaceLoveAhavaDesignsTX


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5 Once Out of Date Home Decor Trends that are Back with a Bang

 
Greetings!

I sat in a creative arts conference recently and was reminded of what I am about to share, as the premier speaker continued to pose this question to us:

Why spend forever trying to create something new, when you can make better or bring back to life, something that already has been?

There is nothing new under the sun, period. Everything that we have now has been done before, we just get to indulge in new and improved versions of it. History repeats itself indeed, and while we know it does so obviously in facets such as fashion and fashion trends, the same also applies when it comes to home decor and design. From such styles as shabby chic to vintage redesigned, they are simply decor trends brought back from the past! 

While there are great trends that circle back through time and we fall in love with them all over again, there are others from the past that we would be ok with never spiraling back through time. Think 80s and 90s home decor......wicker.......wallpaper....velvet....an overabundance of atrocious pastels.....

But, I am going to let you in on a little secret- some of those very home design trends are starting to reemerge, morphed into must have staples this season! Even wallpaper! 

#1)  Wallpaper is not still in 1992

When I think of wallpaper,  I still get flashbacks similar to this:

How did we do it back then? Well, wallpaper definitely doesn't have to look this atrocious anymore! One of the hottest trends this season in home decor is what we call Tempaper- or temporary wallpaper. This easy to assemble and disassemble, removable wallpaper comes is a variety of great colors and patterns and is perfect for an accent wall or those random walls that need a little livening up! If you have a room painted a color already and you don't want to repaint, yet you need to do something different, accent a wall with a little tempaper! Talk about a touch of spice!

Photos courtesy of the very trendy, Design Public at Designpublic.com.

This photo courtesy of the very awesome Etsy shop- Accent Wall Customs. Check them out and shop them at www.etsy.com/shop/AccentWallCustoms

#2) Wicker is no longer a thing of the past

Wicker is back and better than ever! 


Say farewell to tragedies like this one.....

And say hello to wicker miracles like these from my personal favorite decor gurus- Pier One. 

Wicker never looked so good! And its not just for the outdoors anymore either.

#3) Velvet never dies!

This once 60s and 70s staple has very much stepped back on the scene! Velvet sofas add a hint of trend while incorporating a beautiful vintage classic touch to that room or space. 

What once was......

Has been made new again! Check out this beautiful velvet design by Urban Outfitters- The Ana Velvet Sofa

Here is another beauty available on Hayneedle.com- The Armen Velvet Sofa

And this little lovely… 

(Photo Courtesy of Curbly.com)

#4) ATTENTION: Mint and pastel pink are in the building! 

Remember when………...

There were plush comforters and pink cabinetry…..

You had the signature mint curtain amidst the floral mint and pink couches in at least one room….

Or how could we ever forget the pastel pink walls and sofas….the Weekend at Bernie's feel….

Those were the days………NOT!


Mint and pink don't have to be this way. Mint has become one of the greatest colors to pair up with many neutrals such as navy or grey. It's not too bold, but adds the perfect touch of elegance and color to almost anything paired with it. One of my absolute favorite color buddies for mint is navy.


Check out this interior design from www.elementsofstyleblog.com.

These are beautiful designs by interior designer Cathy Green. See more of her fabulous work at cathygreeninteriors.com

Pair up your hues of rose with a few of these fun color combinations via Shelterness.com!

Photo courtesy of Orange Door Home Blogspot

And last but not least…..

#5) Mixing and matching various patterns and prints is NOT tacky!

I am so glad that this one is back in style!! There is no such thing anymore of mixing and matching prints and patterns incorrectly. I always suggest selecting a fabulous neutral or main color that will be the "canvas" of your room. Then, select the colors that you really want featured or "painted" on your room. Then, find decor and accent pieces in those colors or in similar hues, and of various prints and patterns, and mix and match them. A room where every single piece of everything in it matches is boring and out of date. Break the rules, mix and match! Live a little! You could even try being really adventurous and throwing in an unexpected hue or two, too!

Southern Living in their collector's edition style guide for 2014 displayed this concept best! Here are a few of their fabulous examples!

So, what other out of date styles can you spice up and bring back? 


Until next time,

Vintage Book Picture Frames

This particular project is one of my absolute FAVES!!! I went to an arts and crafts show almost a year and a half ago and I saw one of these and had to have it. I couldn't quite figure out how they had managed to turn this book into a frame, but I was going to figure it out. I didn't hop on google, I committed to figuring it out myself. So, after a little trial and error and a few hits and misses, it came out a little better than I even anticipated. And it was easy peasy- 5 steps to be exact!

Materials:

-A vintage or nostalgic hard back book

-Scissors

-Hair Dryer

-Ruler

-Hot glue gun

-Exacto Knife

-One sheet of card stock

-A tube of E6000 glue adhesive 

-Aleene's or Elmer's spray adhesive

-Pen or pencil

-A paper crafting flower or embellishment

-Modge Podge

-A foam brush

-Rubber bands

-A large binder clip or two
-A sheet of card stock or hearty paper

While this project requires quite a few materials, let me reassure you that it is going to be worth it! 

Before we can get started, you must first find yourself a vintage or antique hard back book. You may have some of your own lying around, or you may have to do as I did and go to your local resale, thrift, or book store that resells used books. I chose to go to Half Price Books and they actually have a nostalgic book section. Some of them were super pricey, while others, like mine, were very reasonable and in good condition. I chose a medium size book with a bright teal cover and solid pages. It is imperative that your cover is durable and in good condition, as you will need it to be strong enough to cut on. Also, make sure that the pages are sturdy, and not falling apart. You will be cutting the pages as well, and they must be strong enough to endure the cutting process and remain in tact for the most part. 

Step 1: Decide what size picture that you are creating this frame for. Using your card stock, a pen or pencil, and a ruler, measure and create a pattern the size of your photo. The most common sizes are 4X6 and 5X7. I always print photos from my phone or camera in the 4X6 size, so that's what I selected. Once you have finished creating and have cut out your pattern, flip open the front cover of your book and trace the pattern onto the back of the cover. (You can also just trace it on the front of the cover, but it is just a bit more risky in that you can make a flaw during cutting that could be hard to patch up. Whereas on the back of the cover, you have more room for error.)

AN EXTRA STEP IF THE SPINE OF YOUR BOOK IS A LITTLE WOBBLY

(In a well ventilated area (-AKA- outdoors) and wearing a durable pair of rubber gloves, use the E6000 tube of glue to seal the binding if it happens to be detached in any way at all. Just squeeze it into the peek a boo holes if they exist on the spine, and then press it down to make sure that the glues adheres. Then, use a hair dryer on high to help better seal and dry it.)

Step 2: Carefully use your exact knife to cut the pattern out that you traced onto the cover earlier. DO NOT RUSH THROUGH THIS STEP! It is so important that you focus on safety and precision here. Once you have successfully severed the cover completely, remove the portion of the cover that you cut out. Then, take 25-30 pages behind that cover, and use a binder clip to hold them together; leaving approximately 80% of the remaining pages. Then, with the 80% portion of the pages, using your adhesive glue spray, glue the back page to the back cover, and continue, 2-4 pages at a time, spraying and gluing them together. Continue this process until you have glued all of the pages together. Secure a rubber band or binder clips on them to hold them in place as they dry. Use your hair dryer on high to seal and dry. Next, do the same thing with the remaining 20% of the pages in the binder clip. But, keep both sections of pages separate for now (We will put them all together later).

Step 3: At this point, 20% of your book is glued together, and the other 80% is glued together. Keep them separated still and put an old magazine or thin book in between them for the rest of this step. With the 20% portion of the pages that are adhered to the front cover, use your Exacto knife to sever the pages also in the shape and pattern that you have cut out in the cover. As I stated earlier during a cutting portion of the project, DO NOT RUSH THROUGH THIS STEP! It is imperative that you slowly cut through the pages, as you do not want to damage them or cause them to look rough or raggedy. Once you  have cut the pages, and both the cover and the 20% of the pages are hollow, use a hair dryer to blow out the dust that may have come from cutting the pages. Use your Exacto knife to trim rough edges and smoothen the edges of the pages and cover. Now, where the front 20% of the book and the back 80% are divided, use your E6000 and a foam brush and secure those two portions together. I highly advise E6000 for this as you do not want your book separating. And if you know anything about E6000, anything put together by it, no man can separate ha! Rubber band the book good to hold it in place and to seal it. I let mine then sit for almost one hour to dry really, really good. 

Step 4: Leave the rubber bands in place, and along the bottom edges of the pages and the side edges (NOT ALONG THE TOP OF THE BOOK JUST YET), paint on a coat or two of original Modge Podge. Let it dry for 20-30 minutes, and then repeat this step once more. 

Now, your pages at the top of your book have NOT been painted with Modge Podge just yet, and this is on purpose. Remove your rubber bands from around the book. Grab your pattern that you created earlier and manipulate it in through the top where the pages have not been Modge Podged until it comfortably slides all the way through the front and is exposed in the photo slot on the cover. If you have trouble sliding it through, I recommend using your Exacto knife along the edges of the top to slightly enlarge the slot to slide the photo through and to make an easy entrance and exit for your photos in and out of the frame. Once it slides in and out comfortably, leave your pattern in there and leave a little of it peaking through the slot at the top. Take your Modge Podge and foam brush that you used earlier and paint the edges of those pages now also (paint on a coat or two of original Modge Podge, let it dry for 20-30 minutes, and then repeat this step once more). Wrap rubber bands around your book, and leave your book for 2-3 hours to completely dry.

Step 5: Remove the pattern from the photo slot (If done correctly, this should slide out very easy). Use your Exacto knife to fine tune and smooth out things if needed on the cover or on the severed page edges. If and when all is smooth enough, Use your hot glue gun to adhere your paper craft flower or embellishment onto the spot of your choice on the cover. Then, grab that favorite photo of yours and slide it on in through the top. Exhale, smile, and pat yourself on the back, girlfriend!

You did it again in 5 easy steps!

Until next time,

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