-- and the focus to be more on the pictures than the frames. I wasn't willing to drop over $500 for a gallery wall so this is what I came up with: the 16X20 frames are actually from Hobby Lobby and I got them when frames were 50% off, so they were only $5 each. The sale didn't show up online but it did in store when all the other frames go on sale. I also noticed Wal-mart had some almost identical ones for $7.99 so you may want to check those out. I think they look like black matte metal unless you get really close and touch them you can tell they are plastic.
The mats are my favorite though -- they are the 16X20 portrait museum mat with an 8X10 opening. They are not centered and have more white at the bottom, thus giving them the "museum" look? Anyway, I loved them. There always seem to be a sale going on with free shipping at Blick.
To hang them, we have had this hanging laser level that they don't sell anymore (here it is on Ebay) that shoots a laser across the whole wall. Here is the new version on Amazon and I think you can hang it with command strips if you don't any holes in the wall from it.
First, we calculated how wide and how tall we wanted the gallery to be. Where do you want the bottom of the bottom row of pictures to be and where to you want the top of the top row of pictures to be? Then, we measured the size of the frames and then decided how far we wanted them to be apart. Next, painter's tape was used to measure the distance from the hook on the back of one frame to the hook on the back of the next and put that on the laser and hung the nails on each end. Does that make any sense?? If you can see in the above pic, we also used painters tape to measure vertically how far from the hook at the back to where the next row started. Painter's tape is your friend when hanging a gallery wall!
Happy Wednesday!
* Hurry and buy stamps and mail anything you've been meaning to get around to! Did you see that postage rates are going up on Sunday? Stamps will now cost .55 each. More details here
* Here's Why You Won't See Sweetheart Conversation Hearts This Valentine's Day
and DEALS!! These are the prices when I hit publish, they can change or run out at anytime
* lowest price by far: Catan Merchants of Europe $20.13
* Oriental Trading has free shipping with code CE193201 through Sunday! Think buying Valentines, upcoming parties, class parties, etc.
* Wayfair is having a coffee table sale!
Cainsville Coffee Table $124.99
* Balderston 3 Piece Coffee Set $191.99
* Small Foot DVD + Blu-Ray + Digital $9.99
* grab this for Easter baskets while it's at the lowest price! Lego Easter Set $8.86
* lowest price: Little Tikes Build a House $103.54
* Get a $5 E Book Credit -- spend $20 by Jan 28 and you will get a $5 credit!
* lowest price: Smarty Pants Kindergarten Brain Building Cards -- great for the car or Easter basket! $8.99
* Minky fleece pajama set $8
* Super Bowl Shirts $12.99
* lowest price: Insignia 4 Slice Toaster Oven $19.99
* lowest price -- make a Valentine cheesecake! Hiware 7 inch non-stick springform pan $10.99
* Naked Smoky Palette $24.97
* Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics $24.97
* lowest price: Kids' Storage Bins Set of 4 Primary Colors $6.21
* Brita Monterey 10 Cup Water Pitcher $29.99
* Shark Navigator Professional Lift Away Refurbished $64.99
* Insignia Brick 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker $24.99
* Lenovo Intel Core I5 Laptop $439.99
* Amazon Prime Pantry has a great deal on Superbowl snacks and drinks -- spend $35 and get $10 off and free shipping!
* Kind Healthy Grains Vanilla Blueberry Clusters 3 pack $11.32
* Stretch Island 100% Fruit Leather $10.06
* lowest price: Clif Kid Z Bar Apple filled with Almond & Cashew Butter 12 count $6.56
* lowest price: Dove 100 calorie bars, 18 pack $8.02
* lowest price: Nivea Men Power Refresh Body Wash, 3 pack $7.62
* Captain Crunch Variety 4 pack $8.39 when you clip the coupon
Happy last weekend in January!!
January Randomness: Paper Clutter, Canvas Bags, Cereal, Strawberries, Cute Bins, Cold
23 January 2019
* I have been trying to keep my desk area clear – it just helps my mind a little bit more focused (maybe?) Top tricks: go through mail on the way back to the house from the mailbox and go right past the garage garbage and throw most of it away. If it needs to be dealt with right away, I try to do it right then (like a birthday party on Saturday – make sure I have a gift or order one on Amazon, put it on Google calendar). If I don’t have time or it isn’t urgent, I just shove it place it in a canvas bag below the desk (this was just one my husband brought home from a conference) and leave it to deal with it on Tuesday morning because that is my paper day. That is the day when I pay any paper bills, cut out coupons I want to keep and put them in the car coupon organizer (mostly for haircuts, restaurants, oil changes), categorize receipts in our budget software (my husband is a financial planner so this has always been a part of our marriage), make appointments, etc.
The bag is a game changer though because it can stay under the desk -- or anywhere you want it – and it is the place for the randomness to go until you can deal with it and the counter stays clean. Or, if it isn’t clean, you can quickly whisk everything into the bag. Kids papers (papers they need to keep like for monthly projects or book reports) go in the wood organizer but they know to look in the bag if something is mysteriously missing.
* We need to talk about this cereal. We had a bunch of family visiting over Christmas break and thought this would be fun to try. No one liked it –like NO ONE. It just sat. How would they ever think this would be a good idea? Have you tried it?
* the car my daughter drives (2001 Camry named Arnie) would not start. We thought it was the battery and changed it out. It didn’t start right away but started the next day so we didn’t take it in. Then it wouldn’t start again and we thought it was because of the cold. I was getting it ready for AAA to come tow it to the mechanic and was trying to get it to shift to neutral and I tried again and it started so we drove it straight to the mechanic. They called back and said that we could pay $300 for a new sensor or we could just jiggle the gear shift a little if it wouldn’t start. We chose to jiggle and it has worked. I love honest mechanics.
* If you are looking for a great fundraiser – Valentine’s is coming up and the chocolate covered strawberries was a great success for my daughter last year. Tip: I wouldn’t do the the pretzels. I would just stick with the strawberries. Pretzels broke easily and took double the time because you do caramel first and then chocolate and then sprinkles.
* Look at my friend Jamie’s cute, organized bins! Who knew they could be cute and organized?? She used white duck tape. I kind of want to throw all of my ugly yellow & black construction bins out! She can make anything look good. ♥
* AND if you are in the mood for a gripping story – the COLD podcast has me hooked. It’s the story of Susan Powell – she disappeared in 2009 and her body was never found. Her husband was prime suspect but never arrested and it just gets crazier from there. It’s an investigative report with a fascinating, creepy look into the mind of narcissistic sociopath. Everyone needs a good listen while scrubbing the bathroom, especially in January!
Some randomness for you on a cold January morning. Thanks for sticking with me!
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