Blog Parties

Sunday, August 23, 2009

It's all about family, but it started with a coupon



I originally posted this back in May for Met Monday on my family blog Manning Family Tree. But since I am moving all my blog party stuff to this blog, I thought it would be the perfect post for Its So Very Cheri's Knock off Knock Out blog party as well. And I will also be linking this to Kimba at a Soft Place to Land's DIY party on Thursday. Enjoy!!!


I went to Kohl's to use my 30% off coupon. I was excited as it was my first time that I actually got the highest percentage off coupon on my sale brochure. Now I don't normally shop at Kohl's, but the 30% off coupon kept calling my name. I had to go.

So I get to Kohl's & looked through the kitchen items. Didn't find anything I couldn't live without, so I ventured over to the frame department. Now besides having a plate addiction, I also have a frame addiction. Just ask my hubby.

While looking through the frames, I came upon this one. I liked it as you can use it vertically or horizontally. Now normally this wouldn't be a frame that I would buy, but I had a plan for some artwork & I needed a frame that would hold 6 photos.

So what do you get when you combine 1 frame,

One wall cabinet,

One Eiffel Tower garden statue, One Gothic window mirror,
One garden finial,
One french flower basket,
And one mini greenhouse.

Why you get this: Family
Have you seen letter or alphabet art like this? I've been seeing more & more of it & I love it!!! And I wanted one, had to have one. I had seen a "Family" one similar to this in Deseret Book awhile back for $90.00. $90.00 bucks!!!! Are you kidding me? Mine cost me $10.00 (cost of the frame which was 1/2 off plus my 30% additional off with coupon).

When I saw the one in the store I thought, I could make this. Don't you always tell yourself the same thing? Well I do, but I rarely ever really make the item. Oh I buy the stuff to make a certain thing, but I never actually make the item. But I was determined this time, I was going to make this a reality.

I really wanted to make mine with photos of stuff I had around my house & yard. I was really too lazy to drive all over creation looking for items to take photos of to make the letters. But using stuff around my house & yard, that made it a little harder as I had less to work with. But it's amazing when you start how you see letters in almost everything.

Here are the close ups of the "F" and the "A". For the "F" I took a photo of the left hand side of the wall cabinet in my master bedroom. I like how the 2 Paris prints show up with this. The "A" is my Eiffel Tower garden statue from my back yard.
For the "M" I used my Gothic window mirror. I originally was going to use this for the "Y", but hubby thought it made a better "M". My garden finial from WalMart was used for the "I". I had seen this finial on someone's blog (sorry but I forget exactly who it was) from the Procrastination party & I went right out & splurged on one. It was on clearance, but still more than I would usually pay. I love it! Hubby hated it.
I took lots of photos of things to use for the "L", but ended up using the "L" on my french flower basket. The basket originally had succulents that had died. I got it on clearance for $6.00 at Costco at the beginning of the year. The "Y" is part of one of the windows in my mini greenhouse. I was going to use photos of this for the "M" originally, but switched them around with the Gothic window mirror. I got the mini greenhouse from Big Lots years ago. It is getting quite shabby from being out in the weather all these years.
I put the artwork on my mantel in our family room. I put a "Families are Forever" plaque in front of it. I picked this up at Deseret Book on 50% off clearance. I paid $8.00.
And one final look on my mantel. Doesn't it look good? I am so happy with how this turned out. And it will mean so much more to me since I made it myself & used my own items for the photos.
Since this post originally ran back in May, my mantel has changed twice since then. The "family" art now sits on my white trunk in the family room.
I also made one that said "Love" for my husband's niece when she got married back in June. But dumb me, I forgot to take a photo of it. I need to find a frame with 4 openings so I can make another one to post about. See, now I have an excuse to get another frame.

Thanks for visiting & be sure to visit all the participants for this week. You can find the list here. And I also have another post today for Rhoda at Southern Hospitality's "Today's Thrifty Finds", so be sure to check it out as well. I found lots of thrifty items while vacationing in Arizona. You can find it here.

21 comments:

  1. Oh Kim that looks Amazing. I think there is a satisfaction in not only doing it yourself,but accomplishing something, and saving your family so much money.

    Cheri

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  2. Hi Kim!!!

    GREAT project!!!!!!!!! I love how your mind's eye was able to see the shape of the letters in the objects and images! You are a very conscious soul!!! This translates to an ability to see the miracles in your life and the pulse of beauty(God) in everything...

    Well done!!! Thanks for visiting me! Too!

    love, kelee

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  3. I love it. How clever of you to be able to see letters in all these object. I love all the objects by themselves, but the way you've photographed them is just fabulous. What a great project. Hugs, Marty

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  4. wow! that is fabulous! great job!

    blessings -

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  5. i've seen that done before - great frame, cool that you used pics of stuff from your own house! :D

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  6. Great job on the FAMILY frame. My son had a project like this for his photojournalism class a couple of years back. We had more fun wandering all over looking for all the letters in buildings, objects, etc. around town. For his Christmas thank you cards this past year he used his letter photos to spell out THANKS on the front of the card.
    Thanks for sharing your project.

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  7. Cute overload! I think your hubby was right about the M - its my favorite letter in the whole series :D

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  8. WOW!!! That is fabulous.

    Love your header.
    Ally

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  9. I love it! It looks great on your mantel, too. You really have talent for accessorizing!

    Good for you getting a 30% off Kohl's coupon! I've had a Kohl's charge for three years now and haven't gotten one 30% off coupon yet. Maybe that's why I don't shop there too often.

    Jane

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  10. Hi Kim,
    You did a great job pulling this together. I really like the way it turned out.
    Cathy

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  11. THis is really great, and I loved how you showed what each letter was a picture of.

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  12. That is so awesome!

    I've seen names done like that before and wanted to try it but I never got around to it. I love what you did though!!

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  13. This is good...seriously good! Way to go! You really did a great job with it!

    Nancy

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  14. Seriously?!? That just took me off guard. NICE!!
    Love the display!!
    ~Andy @ poppiesatplay.blogspot.com

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  15. I found your project through DIY Day...

    I've seen a ton of these, too, and even seen places where you can buy the photos online. I would love to do one myself, but was worried about finding the letters. Great job!

    Oh, and I'm a lot like you describe yourself...a dreamer, not a doer. :-) I sympathize.

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  16. So awesome! Love everything you showed!!!

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  17. Just popping back over! You did awesome! I have seen these on Etsy and in amagazine too and love them!

    hmmm...I love that you found them all from amongst your things!!!

    And your finish product and use are picture perfect :o)

    Blessings & Aloha!
    I noticed in the comment you left me that you''ve always wanted to go to Hawaii... I am so glad that my hubby is from there...(even though since we had been stationed there, we havent had the opportunity to get back except last year with our son on his Make A Wish trip)...it's always great that we can visit and stay with family...we hope to do more of that. & I noticed that you live in California? Beautiful beaches there too :o)

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  18. It looks amazing! I have been seeing this type of project around lately as well. I have been keeping my eyes open for letters everywhere I go the past few days! It looks great!

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