... I was tired of our bare, blank stairwell. I had originally wanted to line it with white framed pictures matted in white or aqua, but experienced severe sticker shock when I priced even the cheapest Walmart
frames in the volume I would need.
frames in the volume I would need.
Then, I remembered!
{Image courtesy of Amber Nicole Photo}
Why not use the left over picture hangings I had made for my wedding reception? As you can see in the picture above, I had used them as backdrop decorations for the Send Off Table.
So... my total cost for the stairwell? Free! I had everything on hand and hadn't even realized it until after 3 months of married life! Crazy how we can be so oblivious to the piles of things we stumble over
in our craft rooms every day.
The original project for the wedding only cost me $1.00 for each picture.
How? Glad you asked!
① Well, I am a member of Shutterfly.com and they sent me a promotional offer for 50 free prints which I gladly redeemed for all the photos you see above.
② I frequent the local Dollar Tree and had all ready purchased several of these nickel-plated platters as centerpiece bases for the wedding reception. One day, to my delight, I discovered that a magnet would stick to them! I quickly zipped back to buy some for the pictures I had recently printed from Shutterfly.
③ Then, I used hot glue and silver ribbon from After-Christmas-Sales-Past to affix the bows by which I hung the tray/frames on the wall. Cost to me? Again. Free! I all ready had this stuff on hand!
④ I stuck bits from a self-adhesive magnet role to the back of each photo and VOILA! My picture frames were complete!
Since I all ready had all the materials on hand, this project in essence cost me zero buckaroos! You cannot beat that! Even if you count the dollar I originally paid for each tray before the wedding ($14 total) and even if you had to buy a magnet role from Walmart (only an
additional $5-7), this project is still a steal!
Now, my hall is no longer sad and bare, but shining with lots of happy memories John and I have made together.
May you find the treasure of renewed uses among items you all ready possess. Happy day to you!
