Things I've Learned in My 20's

 I am halfway through my twenties. I've learned some pretty important things in these five years that I feel the rest of the twenty something population might agree with.

Buy the Things that Make You Happy.

 Even if this means you have to save up for months, do it. Save the money. Buy the things. If you can't stop thinking about it get it. Your happiness is important.

Sometimes People Don't Know that They are Hurting You Unless You Tell Them.

 This one was actually shocking to me when I first found out. How could people not know that they are causing you pain!?! 

Well...it's a thing. Not everyone is raised exactly the same way you were. They haven't been with you for every bruised knee, hurtful joke, or broken heart. Let people know they're hurting you. If they continue to do it, punch them in the face.

Let Go of Relationships that are One-Sided.

If you are the one putting in all the effort let them go. It's not worth it. If they were truly "In it to win it." they will feel the need to fill the void and start doing their part.

Dating is Hard.

Period. End of Statement. 

Find a T.V. Show You Love and Buy the DVDs.

 Despite what you may think internet will not always be available. It goes out sometimes. Having DVDs of your favorite show is like having a security blanket. It's nice to hear a familiar voice when you're home alone.

Spend Time with Your Family.

The older you get, the older they get. Think about it. 

Do Things that Scare You.

 I can't name one life changing experience I've had that didn't scare me first. As long as it doesn't kill you go do it. Meet new people. Go to exciting events. Get that haircut. 

It's Okay to Love Your Job AND Want a Completely Different Career.

 I LOVE my job, and I don't use that word lightly. I enjoy it even on my bad days. This doesn't mean that I don't constantly fantasize about becoming a helicopter pilot. Having dreams pushes you to do your best and gives you hope on bad days.

Hold On to Friends Who Ask for Nothing but Time.

 Your time is more valuable than any material possession you could ever own. If you have friends that know this and cherish your time accordingly. Hold on to them.

Couch Surf as Often as Possible.

 It's a rite of passage. Just do it.

Panicking is Totally Normal.

 ABSOLUTELY no one knows exactly what they are doing. Panic attacks are the brain's reminder that you're still learning.

And most importantly...

 

You can Absolutely Fix Anything.

 Forget what anyone else says. Anything is fixable.

 

See the World from the Woods

My summers are always jam packed with adventures. This summer I've spent a grand total of ten days at home. 

This was a big year for me. I finished my first year at my big girl job and I got a house. What all this means is that my budget was MUCH smaller than usual. So in an effort to be adaptable I decided to stay in North America and see the world like I never have before....by hiking it. The trip plan was to start in Vancouver then hike all the national parks along our route. We started in Garibaldi Provincial Park, then Deception Pass State Park, Seattle (to be touristy), Olympic National Park, and finished off with Mount Rainier. 

After 10 days of miles, mountains, and ocean shores I've learned a few things.

1. Take a chance and go off the beaten path. My favorite part of the entire trip wasn't even supposed to happen. We got into town a little early on that day so we did some exploring and stumbled upon some of the most beautiful bays I've ever seen.

2. Dont under estimate what you can accomplish. Climbing mountains is something I thought I'd never do. With the help of my companions and lots of bribery I made it up two mountains!

This is what it felt like.

3. You need to "wing-it" at least once in your life. Except for our first two nights, hotels came when and where we could find them. There was panic definitely more than once, but it all worked out.

4. Stop and look at the trees. You can take this metaphorically or literally. Either way, I promise you won't be disappointed.

5. Always appreciate the little things. They're what you remember the most.

P.s. Excuse all the different picture sizes. This post is brought to you from my iPad.

Dear World: I've Been Busy

I know, I know. I've been slacking. This isn't the first time and we both know it. Whenever my life gets hectic the blog takes a bit of a back seat, and that's okay.

Because my blog is a form of relaxation and a way to keep anxiety at bay, it does exactly what I need when I need it. So between finishing up school for the year, moving into my house, throwing a house warming party, hosting a week's worth of house guests, and traveling all over the United States I think it's forgiven if I take a short break.

I'm coming back though...

My house is almost ready for the world to take an inside tour with me. I mean...I HAVE A SOFA! I almost celebrated an entire day over this until my air conditioning judiciously died on me.

So while my house and I mentally psych up for a home tour I hope you will accept this peace offering of a life update and know that I am completely okay. Just a little busy living my life in the two months of off time I get.

Can't wait to get back into the swing of things. Feel free to tell me about your wonderful lives!

My Tattoo Story

I'll be honest. This post has always been a scary thought for me. I've mentioned before that I live in a very politically correct world. I have a politically correct job where I dress within a certain standard and act a certain way. Tattoos have become more socially acceptable since their invention, but they are still frowned upon in my everyday life. I like to rebel here and there where I can get away with it. My biggest rebellions to date are dying my hair florescent pink, and today's story. This is my tattoo story.

I'd always known from a young age that I wanted a tattoo. Whenever I want something really bad especially something as big as a permanent mark on my body, I will wait for it. So from the time I was 18 until the time I was 23 I planned, I researched, and I waited. Five years is a long time, but when it comes to commitment I can wait. 

I always thought I'd end up with a small music note, or an epically long quote that meant something to me. What I ended up with was so much better. If there is one thing I know it's that I will love traveling and the world until the end of my life.

Luckily for me when I decided I was making the right decision my best friend was also making the decision to get a tattoo of her own (not her first.) On the day of our appointment I was accompanied by my very best friend, and her always honest husband.

I knew the exact moment that I had made the right decision. My tattoo artist had just put my stencil on to check the placement. I walked over to the mirror, checked it out and thought it was a good placement. When I  asked my two escorts my best friend who had just finished with her tattoo (I don't remember why I thought it was a good idea for her to go first) said it looked great. Her husband said it was "adorable." I had never heard him use the word adorable before so I took it as a sign and I said. Let's Do It!

I chose my tattoo for many reasons. A few of which I told to my tattoo artist while he was drawing it.

1. I've been traveling and flying since I was three years old. It's the love of my life.

2. I have terrible wanderlust and one day I will travel the world. "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer."

3. My dad is one of the smartest people I know. He prides himself on his knowledge of geography, so it's kind of a throw back to him.

4. It's brown because I wanted something that would age well. The more it fades the better it will look, like an aged map.

5. It's on my shoulder so I can easily hide it at work and show it off when I want to without being indecent. 

6. It doesn't have edges so any time only parts of it are showing it looks like a birth mark.

Here it is...

Post tattoo I have discovered a few things about myself. 

• The pain I went through for this tattoo is a lot less than I had originally imagined. Although Africa nearly sent me off the table.

• I am a one tattoo woman. I crave organization and matching. I've realized that tattoos unless done all in one sitting are insanely difficult to make look like one fluid piece of art.

• I enjoy the mystery having a hidden tattoo gives me. It's my own personal rebellion and I love it.

Travel Tip: Change Your Seat

So you've planned a trip. You've booked the hotel, the transportation, and you got those very important tickets to that special thing you wanted to see. You may have even already booked your plane tickets. Then you find out they aren't the seats you wanted. Now your trip is ruined. Here's a helpful tip.... Change your seats at the gate. 

Once you've gone through airport security and hit every checkpoint imaginable you'll have to sit there for several tedious hours waiting to board anyway. Why not make the most of it?

Usually everyone has checked in an hour before the flight, so this is an optimal time to change. Luckily most flights do not book up completely so there is usually some wiggle room for finding open seats. All you have to do is walk up to the desk, tell them your seat number, show them your boarding pass, and ask if there are any other open seats.

The best part is that if the only other open seats are in fact worse than your previously purchased seats you can politely tell them "that's okay" and walk away no worse for wear.

One example of this travel tip coming in handy is my recent trip to England. Unfortunately the only seats my travel companion and I could secure on such late notice were the very middle seats in the middle of the plane next to other passengers who were inevitably dreading seats next to us as well. (Not because we smelled or anything, but I'm not the most social on 10 hour flights.)

While waiting at our gate we went up to the desk and asked if there was any way we could change seats. Boy did we get lucky. There were two open seats at the back, next to the bathrooms in their own row.

The flight attendant warned us that these were not preferential seats because of their proximity to the bathroom but honestly that wasn't a con it was a pro.

We had our own row, we had extra room because of the awkward placement of the seats, we were some of the first people served because we were close to the attendants which means they were always nearby for help, AND we never had to wait for the bathroom. A quick glance over our shoulders always informed us if there was a line or an opening for the bathroom.

Wait a second...This turned into a post trying to convince you to love the back seats of the plane. That's not what I meant to convey. Instead I'm telling you not to stress about your seats on a flight. You can change them, and they will probably work out better than the original seats anyway.

Do you have any travel tips? We're all friends here. Go ahead and share.

How to Help Someone Who Won't Be Helped

We all have that person, right? That person in our lives who begs for help, but at the first sign of total honesty runs in the opposite direction. How do you help someone who won't be helped?

You can't.

You can love them and give them advice all day long, but if it's not what they want to hear they won't listen.

Whether it's the girl chasing after a boy who is completely wrong for her, or it's your best guy friend pursuing a potentially disastrous life path. Whatever the situation the response is always the same...

They say: "Please help me I'm lost."  

Translation: Please only tell me things I want to hear. If you're going to be completely honest about how bad this is for me, I won't listen.

Sometimes I just want to scream WHY!? WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING FOR HELP IF YOU WON'T TAKE IT! (Then slap them back into making right choices.)

I understand that everyone becomes the person their mistakes make them into. I just wish I could hand out "Go Back" cards. Playing cards that would allow people to see their mistakes and go back and fix them after.

Until the day those cards exist I will continue to love, listen, and provide advice to those who need me. I will also be mentally screaming, and visualizing shaking them all into submission.

How do you help someone who won't be helped? I'm sure we could all use some advice on this. any and all advice welcome!

Life Update

Hello everyone!

The other day I was going through my old posts and came across my New Year's Goals. To my surprise I've already accomplished a couple of things on my list. So it's definitely time I give the blog a little life update.

House

I have one! It's true, I am now a homeowner. What's even better is my house is finally finished being made liveable! I will now start the tedious process of moving my limited belongings in and trying to decorate on an almost non-existent budget. Fun things will be coming soon.

Job

I am *almost* done with my first full year of teaching in the same place. I've been teaching for a couple of years now, but mostly going where I was needed while I worked my way through my gap year. This year I accepted a big girl position that required me to make a full commitment (something I've never been good at.) I've definitely had a lot of ups and downs, but I'm glad I've stuck it out. There's about one more month until I will have officially made it and then there is the process of finding out if I'll be asked to come back next year. No matter what, this has been an amazing experience.

Pet

No pets yet. I know I said I'd be getting either a puppy or a kitten once I moved into my house, but it's been put on hold. The reason why is I will be traveling quite a bit this summer. So instead of getting a pet just in time to leave it for weeks a time, I will be putting it on hold until the beginning of the next school year when I can love and prepare for it properly.

Love

Still no updates in this area. Shocking right? I'm honestly just trying to survive day to day so this will be more of a focus during the summer. I actually downloaded the app Tinder to my old iPhone in an attempt to woman up and control my own destiny. Believe me, I know it's not the classiest of apps but I thought it was a good place to start. It turns out I'm too much of a pansy to turn it on. I'm truly terrified someone I know will find my profile and then tell everyone I work with. This area of my life is a constant work in process.

You

I hope this update is finding you well. How are your goals for 2015 coming along? I really want to hear how everyone is doing. We're a family here and it's definitely okay to over share.

He Rides Polar Bears, and Sometimes Brings me Flowers When it's Snowing.

We all have a list. 

A list of the qualities we want in a significant other. Lucky for you I found my list from college today! I have decided to share it here for you. Along with the list I will be adding some side notes to try and explain my self a little bit. I hope you enjoy!

1) A rather luxurious afro of glorious red hair.

(I have a small obsession with gingers. I love everything about them and find male gingers insanely attractive. There's also just something about an afro... I can't explain it.)

2) Non smoker

(I personally am allergic to smoke. I don't see a cohesive relationship happening if I can't even be in the same room as you for extended periods of time.)

3) Not an alcoholic. 

(Self explanatory)

4) Knows what music is...really. None of this I want to impress you so I'm going to pretend that everything I hear on the radio is great. 

(As someone who has dedicated their life to this fine art, it's definitely important to me that you at least understand a little about my passion.)

5) BE LITERATE! Read a book. Heck read several.

 (Knowledge is power my friend.)


6) Have a good grasp on grammar please. 

(I can't handle people who can't construct a basic sentence.)

7) A bit taller than me would be nice, anyone shorter would be worryingly short. 

8) Someone who talks to me during football games.

(To me, this is a sign of true love.)

9) Be funny, unintentionally. If you work at it you could get tired and I would get bored.

10) Hey be available. I hate being ignored when people are busy. HATE IT!

11) Be nice to everyone, especially my friends

( If they don't like you I'm taking it as a sign to run far far away.)

12) Be a safe driver, with a hot car. One of my favorite things to do is just ride in the car looking out the window.

13) Dress weather appropriate. I know it's random but there are shorts for summer and pants for winter. None of this I am a MAN I wear shorts year round then catch pneumonia, but it doesn't matter because I'm a MAN!

14) No sexism. I can do whatever you do, just sometimes I may not want to.

15) Teach me something. I like to learn unless it wasn't evident by the fact that I've spent about 99% of my life in school.

16) Make me pay attention. We all know I have attention difficulties. I'm looking for someone that can make me focus. I have big plans, you won't be in them unless I want you to.

17) Come travel with me. You and me kid....we're going to go places.

Why I Say "We" When it's Just Me

I've been reading/watching back a lot of my old posts on here. You've probably noticed by now that I say we a lot. You've also probably noticed that I'm terrifically single as well. So why do I say we? Let me introduce you to the three most important people in my life.

My Dad - 

I'll start off by saying that he hates this picture, so that's why I used it. My dad is the glue that holds us all together. If anything is broken he can and will fix it. I don't do anything without asking his advice first. Chances are if I want to do it he's already done it and knows how to do it better.

My Mom -

Our resident creative genius, and hopeless optimist. My mom can make anything beautiful. Whenever I was in school I would have her write my name on all my things because her handwriting is beautiful. (Okay...I actually still do this.) She's the reason I travel. I grew up listening to her stories of amazing far off places.

 

My Little Brother -

My little brother "the surprise." He's ten years younger than I am, almost to the day. He's more often than not confused for my son instead of my sibling. My goal in life is to make him the very best person he can be. Even though that means that I'm harder on him than anyone else. A special bonus to my life is that he's actually also a student of mine.

 

I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction and quick glimpse into my life. Now the next time I say we you'll know I'm not hiding some elicit affair from everyone.

...or am I?

NEW HOMEware Haul

Like every little girl ever born there are only two things I look forward to most in life. Decorating my own home, and the day I get to skinny dip off the shores of Greece. Wait...maybe that last one is just me.

In my new video I run you through my recent home purchases that are going to influence the rest of the house. I hope you enjoy my color and style themes!

My Home Style Inspiration

We've reached the stage of no return when it comes to the house. IT'S DECORATING TIME! 

 Unless you can't tell I'm more than a little thrilled by this, and I'll try and give you a few insights into my plans.

 

Somewhere along the way I decided to call my new home The Lake House and a theme was born.

 

My goals for this house are:

 

1. Subtle but still noticeable beach theme.

 

2. Anything that can, will be glass.

 

3. Stick to a classic black and white color palette with blue being the accent color.

 

4. Flowers....flowers everywhere. 

I've already started buying things to decorate my home with. Although to be completely honest I've been collecting for my future home for years now. Hobby Lobby is now my new "Home Style" best friend, and glass buying enabler. 

Once everything calms down a little bit I will film a homeware haul where I'll show everyone what I've already collected to decorate with. Below are just a few of my photo inspirations that I refer to when deciding what to buy or not.

 

 

Found at suburble.com

 

Found at anthropologieway.blogspot.com

 

 Found at bobvila.com

Found at acultivatednest.com

Thank you so much for coming on this adventure with me! I look forward to giving random updates along the way and then a final home tour. If you have any new home owner suggestions or decorating suggestions in general, please feel free to share! (I can't do this all by myself)

The Cure for Everything

Painting should be the next Olympic sport. No really. I've spent two consecutive weekends painting and updating my "soon to be" kitchen. I'm exhausted, I can't lift my arm above my waist, and I clearly do not have the stamina to be a professional painter. All that aside I'm getting more and more excited everyday for this next part of my life. It's a tad overwhelming, but totally worth it.

Now that I'm home and achy all over it's time to pull out my cure-all remedy. I'm talking a hot cup of wonderfully spicy vanilla tea, and it's time I share this life changing recipe with everyone.

The Perfect Cup of Tea

Pick your favorite mug and fill it almost to the top with water. Then dump the water into a pot and set the stove on high to boil. While the water is heating add two peppercorns or if you're using a grinder, three twists of the grinder. If you're like me and you view life as The Spicier the Better three full twists...maybe four is best. Next find the best smelling cinnamon stick you can get your hands on and add it to the pot. Take out a teaspoon and measure out 1/4 Ginger and 1/4 Nutmeg into the water.

Let this amazing smelling concoction boil for five minutes. Once the torturous time has passed turn off the oven and add two bags of your favorite tea. Mine is Twinning's Earl Grey. While you're at it (to sweeten the pot...literally) add three teaspoons of brown sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla.

Once you've let the sugar and sweetness co-exist with your life changing tea for five additionally excruciating minutes, get your cup ready. Add your desired amount of milk to the bottom of the cup, and pour your tea over a strainer into the cup. Once you've fished your well used cinnamon stick from the pot add it to your cup to double as a stirring implement and aroma therapy. Now...very carefully, sit down and relax. The last part is very important.

Enjoy!

This recipe is borrowed and modified from the amazing Estée from essiebutton.com. You can see her Vanilla Chai Latte recipe here. Her recipe and tea are absolutely fantastic!

If you enjoyed this you will love my Tea Cup post. You can see it here!

 

The House

I've been a little absent on the blog lately. At first it was intentional and then completely by accident. You see...I bought a house. I'm really quite proud of it actually. It's an adorable little white house that's the perfect size and shape for me. 

If you're a home owner you know the buying process is exceptionally stressful and time consuming, so you will forgive me for my absence. 

This major step in life is usually paired with other life events like marriage, or moving across the country for "big" jobs. I have accomplished neither but this was the needed next step in my life.

What this means now is that you'll get to look forward to lots of decorating, DIY, and emotionally overwhelmed homeowner posts.

I'm very excited! I hope you enjoy some of the very first pictures of the inside. Consider these the before photos.

7 Reasons Why I'm a Catch and You Probably are Too

I personally cannot stomach online dating. I believe it's a great way to meet people, and loads of friends of mine have met the loves of their life online. I can't do it though, and meeting people in real life is challenging at best. It's almost to the point where you need a business card to advertise your availability and why you are in fact an excellent catch. Which leads me to today's post.

7 Reasons Why I'm a Catch and You Probably are Too

1. I can recognize when I'm being irrational and will eventually fix it. - Note: I did not say "I'm never irrational." There will definitely be irrational moments. I'm a human being with human emotions. There will be moments where I will be angry, or sad, or so happy I literally jump up and down with joy. If any of these emotions don't fit what you find to be the socially accepted norm at the time, give it a minute. I will see the light and apologize for the irrationality.

2. I make great hot tea. - This may seem like a small thing, but what it really means is I know how to relax. There are times in life that call for Netflix, hot tea, and a pizza. I LOVE those times and will embrace them to the fullest with you. Plus I have a special Earl Grey recipe that I save for only special people. *Insert winky face*

3. I'm not high maintenance. - Do you need to leave in five minutes? Great! Give me seven... I said I wasn't high maintenance not zero maintenance. I take care of myself. I have a few nice clothes and I splurge on over priced organic beauty products. I can also get ready in less than 15 minutes if need be. I'm well maintained when I want to be and couch potato when called for.

4. I'm not afraid to get dirty (in a clean way.) - I grew up on a farm. If something requires all hands on deck, you've got me. If what you need means you might get dirty, count me in. I can fix a lot of every day things, and I have a vast knowledge of how to maintain pretty much anything. I'm actually really handy to have around.

5. I love myself. - It's hard to love someone who doesn't love themselves. No one can be expected to love someone else enough for the both of them. I'm not a Narcissist by any means but I have a healthy love for the person that I am. My self worth isn't attached to what others think of me.

6. I'm independent. - Somewhere along the way I learned that some people actually enjoy clingy significant others. I hate to disappoint you, but if that's the case I'm not the one for you. I can take care of myself and I don't need others to do it. I don't want someone in my life to take care of me, (that's what my family is for) I want to meet someone who compliments and completes my life not controls it.

7. I can pack really really fast. - This is a great skill I've picked up from years of traveling. I have a wanderlusting heart and the luggage to match. If you want to be spontaneous I won't slow you down. In fact you'd be hard pressed to beat me out the door.

You are a catch. Whether your list looks exactly like mine or 100% opposite, you are a catch too. Everyone is different for a reason, and there is someone out there for all of us. Maybe you've already found them, maybe you'll meet them tomorrow, or maybe they're just waiting for you to hand them a business card saying you're available.

Let's Talk About Passion

Do you ever look at someone and think, "I wish I loved anything as much as they love what they're doing right now."

I use to be one of those people. Well both of those people actually. When I was a music major in college I was completely absorbed in music. It was 24/7 of performing, analyzing, studying, and practicing music. I loved every minute of it, even when I hated it.

Yet I had days where I would be the other person too. I'd watch how other majors would get to spend their days and instantly get jealous. I mean have you ever seen a Computer Engineer correctly code something they've been working on for months? It's like witnessing a shooting star, rare and brillant.

I didn't always want music to be my life. Believe it or not I almost quit when I was 13. I was convinced that I was going to be an astronaut, but somewhere along the way music won me over.

They say if it's the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing you think about before you fall asleep then you're in love. That was me and music. It's all I talked about, all I learned about, and all I wanted to do (besides sleep.) I was obsessed, and it was 100% just a honey moon phase.

My decision to make music my life wasn't taken lightly by any means. In fact if I wanted to make my life infinitely easier I'd just become an astronaut like I originally planned. I had to fight to study music at every turn. It wasn't just my parents I was fighting either, it was school counselors, professors trying to make sure it was the right decision, barrier exams that were nearly impossible to pass, and so much more.

To say it was a hard road is a bit of an understatement. Where I went to school you have to know it's what you want or you won't stay. My class started off with 75 bright eyed and bushy tailed freshman. It graduated seven. You read that right seven. A typical day was three plus hours of daily practice on top of 6:00am daily quartet rehearsals, along with several hours of required ensembles, all while being a full time student. If you weren't going to succeed they were going to make sure you'd fail. 

Fast forward four years. It's my last year of music school and I no longer eat, sleep, and breathe just music, it's now music education. I sleep more than I eat and I teach more than I play. I was no longer in the honey moon phase and now into the Dear God what am I doing with my life phase. (Enter Gap Year)

Forward three more years. I'm happy to announce that we are nearly seven years from the beginning of my journey into making music the rest of my life. I'm still madly in love with what I do. I'm no longer in a honey moon phase or a panicked I made the wrong choice phase, but in a comfortable this is what I love phase. I teach music and I can't tell you how great it is to talk about what you love all day.

I guess what I'm trying to say is...it's worth it. Fight for your passion. Do what you love. The people/things that are making it a hard road are just there to help you. Think of it this way.

If this is as hard as it gets, you are going to OWN it.

My partner in crime affectionately named The Phoenix. My major instrument, the saxophone.

A Nashville Room-tine's Day

Valentine's day has so many names. Valentine's Day, Singles' Awareness Day, and Gal-entines Day just to name a few. As a career single woman I usually spend the day alone or on rare occasion with good friends celebrating in style.

This year was probably one of the best Valentine's Days I've had. Lucky for me I have beautiful single friends who (shockingly) choose to spend the day with me instead of chasing off their many admirers with clubs. This year my former roommate and I took Nashville in style.

One of my life goals was to visit the wonderfully hilarious Olan Roger's soda parlor. Cleverly named...The Soda Parlor. It's a beautiful place, and this year for Valentine's Day Olan had a special "I Vow to Like You" float for anyone who knew the secret code (it was on Instagram.)

The Soda Parlor is housed in a renovated Marathon Car factory. Along with being a hipster mecca we were lucky enough to visit on the exact day they were having a one day only gathering of local Handmade Small Business owners. Simply put, it was the right place at the right time.

We had gourmet food truck tacos for lunch and really, REALLY good floats from The Soda Parlor for dessert. Keep scrolling if you want to see my picture story from the day.

After such an awesome day it was great to come home and relax BUT THEN THIS HAPPENED!

Thanks to Emily for spending the day with me so I wouldn't be in a ball of depression on my floor lamenting my fleeting youth. It was definitely much better this way.

DIY Modern Antique Frame

I've become very fond of white and antique frames lately. I was able to purchase a few at our local Hobby Lobby. Unfortunately I wasn't able to afford anymore. As luck would have it, after patrolling Pinterest for a few hours I realized I could make my own!

If you'd like to find out how to make your own Modern Antique Frame just keep scrolling, scrolling... scrolling.

 What you will need:

• Thrift Store Frames (These beauties were found for just 25 and 50 cents each.)
• Paint Primer
• Paint colors of your choosing
• White Spray Paint
• Sponge Brushes
• Coarse Sand Paper

50 Cent Frame

 25 Cent Frame

 

Step 1:

Remove all glass and any parts that may come off. Then clean off any debris and apply a light coat of primer over the entire frame. (Yes that is a cow print drop cloth...don't judge.)

 

Step 2:

After the primer has dried paint the frames with a thick coat of paint in your choice of color. Allow to dry over night.

 

Step 3:

Once frames are dried, coat with white spray paint until the entire frame is white again. Allow frames to dry over night and paint to harden completely.

 

Step 4:

Once the paint has dried and hardened completely use very coarse sand paper to sand off the top layer of paint where you choose. You can sand as much as you like. No two frames will be the same.

 

Step 5:

It's all finished! Add some hangers to your frame put in a lovely picture and you're all set to decorate.

Or if you're feeling really adventurous go ahead and use some string and miniature clothes pins on bigger frames to give it a more homemade look. Enjoy!