I've Been Framed!

It's a big day here at the Lillie pad! I'm so proud of myself. I did a domestic craft project to decorate my office and I just can't get over how much I like it.

Before I show, let me tell. My mother-in-law lived with us for about 8 months and recently moved out which meant that I got my office back and my appreciation for it is way more than it was before I had to give it up. So I've been wanting to decorate it and make it special, especially since this is a real working girl office and I probably spend more time in it than any other room of the house.

But I'm operating on a miniscule (zero?) decorating budget so I have to get very inventive with things. That has never been my cup of tea and I thought I possessed absolutely no decorating skill. Then I met some new bloggy friends, Nester and Rhoda. I've read their blogs carefully and have discovered that these ladies have a real knack for taking nothing and making it into something beautiful. I've watched and learned and somewhere along the way started believing that little domestically-challenged me might be able to do some things to turn my house- that I've never liked- into a home that I do like.

Without further delay, here is my first decorating project for my office. P.S. The theme for my office is "words and life" being that I'm a writer and all.

I love these frames! They look business-like enough to remind me that I'm supposed to be working in my office, but they express a funky creative flair as well, a bit of spunk if you will.

The exclamation point is energetic and tells me to go for it with my writing. Just do it!

A question mark adds an aura of mystery. What's to come? What's it all about?

The ampersand is just plain cute, but it's also inclusive. My writing isn't just about me. It's about you (the audience) and me. And most of all, it's about God and me. I'm never alone even when I sit for long hours writing in my office.

The etc... is a reminder from my kids. They say I have a tendency to be too detail-oriented like when I list off all the things I have to do in a given day. Their advice: Don't list it all, just say "etc..." It makes life seem a whole lot more simple and stress free.

And this beauty is another little framed treasure. Not beautiful, you say? Oh, but the beauty isn't in the outward appearance, but in the story behind it. One day when my kids were very young I was overwhelmed and bemoaning all the motherly tasks I had to do for the day (would have been a good time to use my "etc..."). The kids decided to make a list for me of all the things I needed to do for them. I expected a huge list, but instead got this simple little treasure that reads: 1. Kiss the kids. 2. Help the kids. Of all the things I own, this is one of my most priceless treasures.

How did I make this project?
1. Black frames came as a set at a yard sale.
2. Background paper with words on it from Hobby Lobby and Michael's on sale for $0.15-$0.25 per peice.
3. Printed the regular old symbols off of my computer keyboard.
4. Enlarged the symbols on my copier until I got the size I wanted.
5. The symbols got lighter as they got larger so I used a black Sharpie to color in the light areas and then copied the dark version again.
6. Framed the ampersand and etc... as is.
7. Cut out the exclamation point and the question mark and glued to the background paper.
8. Put in frames.
9. Voila!