Pinterest craft #2 - Wall Hanging Hanger

My original Pinterest project for this week got postponed due to rain, so I did something else.  Yay productivity!  And it wasn't even a direct Pinterest descendant...it's Pinterest-once-removed.  Let me 'splain you.

Here's the original pin.

My sister made an amazing "Grandkids" display for my parents and her in-laws for Christmas, and made me this adorable display of my own baby (and her cuties) as a surprise.

Surprise cuteness!

It was too cute to just hang on a plain old nail.  Even a painted nail.

Andy has discovered the "funness" of browsing through second hand building materials shops, and he's got me on a kick too.  There are several around Seattle, and our favorite so far is Second Use.  We picked out a drawer pull ($1) and an old brass escutcheon (the plate that goes around a door knob or a keyhole...they used to be fancy) ($12).

I cleaned it, and primed it with Martha Stewart's Metal Primer. I used a sponge brush and painted it all over with Black DecoArt Americana Gloss Enamel paint.

I might have used a USPS box as a painting platform.

I followed that up with a coat of Shimmer Silver DecoArt Dazzing Metallic paint.

Blackish-silvery. New-old.

Finally, I gently sponged White DecoArt Americana Gloss Enamel paint on the raised filigree on the escutcheon. (Don't you want to just write it again and again and again?  Escutcheon!  Escutcheon!)

I mounted the painted escutcheon (last time, I promise) on a small piece of craft plywood, painted with a lovely desert turquoise DecoArt Americana acrylic paint and "distressed" with white.

Not too shabby, but definitely shabby chic.

I screwed the drawer pull on where the doorknob would have belonged.  And...voila!  A picture hanger cute enough to hang my sister's gift upon!

Adorable, if I do say so myself.

What do you think?  Etsy worthy?

UPDATE:  Here's the whole thing a-hangin' on the wall!

Two great crafts that taste great together.

Pinterest Craft #1 - Meal Planner

So I joined Pinterest, and immediately pinned about a thousand things I wanted to create or bake or eat or read. And DID NOTHING.

My 2012 resolution - do something.

I roasted beets and parsnips based on this pin.  And I baked the most delicious figgy peppery bacony scones based on this pin.  Then, it was time for crafting.  Clearly, crafting based on eating was going to be important.

Figgy Peppery Bacony Deliciousness in scone format

Here is project #1...a menu planner.  We had signed up for a CSA box of organic vegetables to be delivered to our house...a particularly Seattle-y thing to do, we felt...but we have a nasty habit of leaving our fresh veggies in the crisper too long.  If we planned our meals in advance, we would introduce some intentionality to our eating, and use those delicious veggies up. 

Here is the original pin.

I started with a collage frame from Michael's that I'd gotten for about $5 the day after Thanksgiving.  There are actually 7 days in a week, but this frame has only 6 openings.  (It's fine...we eat out on Sundays.)  Each opening is 4"x6".

Whoever these kids are, they're adorable.

 Next, I picked out 6 pieces of patterned scrapbook paper.  TO THE STASH!  I decided on colors/patterns that I thought black dry erase pen would show up on easily.  Also, we have an orange wall nearby where I wanted to hang the menu planner, so I coordinated with it.

Finally a use for all these delightful papers!

I wanted to put day-of-the-week markers on the paper itself, under the glass, so I was free to write over the entirety of the opening.  TO THE STASH!  I had these wonderful metal letters that were self-adhesive...and they matched my color scheme!

Read down, L-R. I know the order.

Put those papers in the frames, and voila...one menu planner!

All we need is some groceries!