Summertime DIY

Alas, only one more week till I head back to school. Inservice begins a week from tomorrow, and the kids come back a week later. But it's been a good summer, full of traveling and friends and family and reading and, most importantly, relaxation. As much as I enjoy my downtime during the summer, I still crave structure. I need some semblance of a schedule in order to function. Otherwise I'll find myself on the couch at 5:00 p.m., sans makeup and still in my pajamas, with nothing to show for my day. Trust me; it's happened. Ennui seeps in if I don't set some sort of daily goal, like finishing a book, going for a run, or watching a few episodes of my summer binge TV show. (Although that's a post for another day!)

Another way I kept myself busy this summer was by becoming an amateur DIYer. (I use the term loosely; there are some hardcore design DIYers online who put my little projects to shame!) I caught the DIY bug after stalking some design blogs for ideas to redo our living room and was inspired to dip my toe in the water. I would never describe myself as crafty or artistically inclined, but I've had a blast making pretty, affordable things for my house that are all my own. This week I'll share my (very meager) achievements in hopes that it will bring a little DIY inspiration to your space, starting with...

Hallway Art Gallery

 

A narrow hallway connects our kitchen, living, and dining space with the back of the house where the bedrooms are. For a long time it was a long, beige wall of nothing. We hung some wedding pictures on one side but put off decorating the other half. There was just so much space to fill; it was kind of intimidating. Art can be expensive, even from Big Box stores, so I knew my only solution was to make something. I'd seen designers on HGTV frame fabric as affordable wall art, and one day I came across four coordinating tea towels online and decided to go for it. The assembly was pretty simple; I bought matching 16x20 frames at Target and secured the fabric across the frame's cardboard insert with tape. Voila: mini art gallery! The hardest part was getting the towels wrinkle-free, but that's nothing an iron can't fix. This was my gateway DIY project, and after seeing the final result I was hooked. The cheery colors put a smile on my face every time I walk by.

Stop by later this week for more projects! I'm off to enjoy my last week of freedom.