instagram art (and how to print your instagrams for cheap!)

Hi, my name is Erin, and I'm addicted to Instagram. It's a fact. And a few weeks ago I found myself lost in my Instagram archives, reminiscing and smiling at some sweet pictures and even sweeter memories. Then I started thinking about a frame I bought at IKEA a few months ago that had been sitting empty next to the kitchen table while I found the perfect tea towel to put in it. So I started thinking about that frame and all of the pictures and how who the heck knows how long it's going to take me to find that perfect tea towel to frame, so I decided to fill that frame with Instagrams (I kept picturing this picture that I've loved forever, only on a much smaller scale). Yay for one less empty frame! And yay to you for making it through my crazy long thought process!

I've looked into several options for printing Instagrams, but let's face it, when you want to do a project you don't want to wait for them to get mailed to you, and the app that sends them to Walgreens was not working right and it was bugging the heck out of me, so I decided to just straight up print them old school.

Here's two ways that you can print them at any photo center (I use Costco), the finished photos will be 4x4 inches:

Photoshop Elements:

Import your Instagrams into PE, then click on File --> New --> Blank File.

That will open this screen. Under the "Preset" drop-menu, choose "Photo". Under the "Size" drop-down menu choose "Landscape 4x6". Make sure the color mode is RGB Color and the background is white. Hit OK. 

That will open up a blank 4x6 canvas. Drag your Instagram into the blank canvas. 

Size it so it fills the canvas from top to bottom, and then save. This will be the finished photo that you send to the photo center just as you would a normal picture. Again, these Instagram's will be 4x4 inches when done. 

If you don't have Elements you can download Picasa for free and do it there, here's how:

In Picasa:

Open your Instagram in Picasa, go to "Create" along the top left, and choose "Picture Collage." 

Once that opens up, under "Settings" choose "Picture Pile." Make sure that under "Page Format" the size is 4x6. Then straighten and size your photo to fill the white canvas. There will be space on the sides, as shown in the picture above. 

Then save your photo, and send it to your photo center just as you would any other picture. 

I sent mine to Costco, so these were $.13 each. 

This is how the printed photos will look. (Sorry for the crappy phone pictures!)

Trim off the white edges.

Then arrange them in your frame. I arranged them and then taped them down, it worked like a charm.  

I'm pretty much I love with it. I think it makes the space a little more fun and I love being able to enjoy the pictures I take on my phone. Because seriously, I capture some of the best photos on that thing!

I also like that I can switch a few out when I get the urge for an update. 

So have you ever printed Instagrams? What did you do with them? I'm kind of thinking of printing some more and sticking them  on my refrigerator. I think it's so fun when refrigerators are covered in pictures!

for your mother: buy, make, pen, bake

With Mother's Day getting so close I thought it would be fun to put together a few little gift ideas. There's something to buy, something to make, something to pen, and something to bake. I can't wait to try out that cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread, looks like heaven, doesn't it?

to buy: Abstract half-circle scarf, from Kate Spade Saturday
to make: handmade clay pots, from Say Yes to Hoboken
to pen: this pretty card would brighten up a mom's day, from the Mother's Day card line at treat.com
to bake: cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread, from Joy The Baker

paper flowers

I'm kind of obsessed with paper flowers lately. I think it's partly thanks to West Elm's gorgeous line and partly because they are easy to make but look so good. There's just something fun and whimsical about a paper flower. I can't get enough!

A few weeks ago I spent a few hours doing some research and making some flowers of my own. It was like therapy, I tell you! I wired some to my homemade boxwood wreath, 

and stuck a few others in little bud vases around the house. They are so fun, and several friends have been surprised when they get up close and see they aren't real. I'm dying for an excuse to make some huge ones, and I think the smaller flowers would be lovely strung together to make a garland. And wouldn't they look lovely atop a cake? I'm telling you, I'm obsessed!

I was going to do a tutorial on how to make a few flowers, but really these ladies do it better than I could, so here are a few links that I found that I really liked:

Crepe paper flowers, from The Bride's Cafe

Flowers using the single petal method, from Martha Stewart Weddings

Flowers using the continuous petal method, also from Martha Stewart Weddings. 

Another tutorial using the continuous method, from Bliss! 

And a mum printable and tutorial, from The Elli Blog.

If you make some send me some links or pictures, I would love to see how you guys put paper flowers to use! 

easy earth day craft

Here's a quick craft you can make in honor of Earth Day. Just grab some old cans from the recycling bin and hop on over to thinkcrafts.com for the whole tutorial!

My little guy loved panting a little can to hold his crayons, and I loved having being able to teach him to use what we have to make something new. The colors he used kind of remind me of a sunset, and now I want him to duplicate it for me on a canvas. Gotta put my little artist to work!

a diy faux boxwood wreath

I love boxwood wreaths. There is something so classic about them and they instantly freshen up a space. I've been on the hunt for one for a while now, but I'm a little picky, and finding one that is long-lasting without being spendy has not been easy. So I decided to try and make my own. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner, it was super easy and I love the results!

Here's the scoop:

You need:

1. A wreath form. I like grapevine wreaths, so that's what I went with. They are inexpensive and have that organic look that I love. (Michaels had them for $1.49 this week!)

2. Faux boxwood garland. I found mine at Michaels but this looks like the same stuff. I like a more natural, loose look, so I used one garland per wreath, but if you want a fuller look you should use more. 

3. Wire cutters

4. Floral wire (I used 22 gauge)

Here's where I feel silly explaining the process because it's so easy, but just humor me :)

Using your wire cutters, snip off all the undesirable ends of the garland, then lay it on the wreath to decide the placement you like. Cut a 3-4 inch piece of wire and secure the garland to the wreath by sliding one of the wire end under a thick, sturdy piece of the wreath, and bringing it back up. Twist the ends together as tight as you can to hold down the garland, and then hide the wire under some leaves. Repeat that every six inches or so, until the garland is secure. So simple, right?

Now is the fun part. You can either hang it up and admire your handy-work or you can add whatever embellishments you want. I chose to leave the one on my front door plain because I really like the look of plain old boxwood. It livens up my front porch and I love it. My husband even commented that he liked it and asked where I got it, which I always love. "What, this ole thing? Oh, I made it." :)

I decided to brighten up my second wreath with some paper flowers (more on those soon), and I love how they add just the right pop of color to my entrance. It's kind of fun to have some spring right there to greet me when I walk in the door.

weekending

+ found a delicious recipe for 45-minute cinnamon rolls.

+ my little guy surprised me by dressing himself from head to toe for the first time ever. I approve. (How cute is his slouchy beanie?)

+ made a quick drive-by of our favorite little lighthouse, which always does my heart some good.

+ bought some fresh gouache and had fun doodling and painting while listening to inspiring messages from my church leaders (that also does my heart some good).

How was your weekend?

jar of sunshine

Have you seen the boxes of sunshine that have been all over Pinterest? They are super cute, and when I needed a little thank-you for some friends they were the first thing that popped into my head. A whole box of sunshine would have been a little bit of an overkill for what I needed, so I decided to give a jar of sunshine instead. It's such a fun way to say thank you or brighten someone's day!

Simply fill a jar with some gold-wrapped candy (I found my jars at Hobby Lobby, but most grocery and craft stores have them), print and cut the printable, and tape it to your jar using double-sided tape. The sunshine label doesn't go all the way around the jar, so just make sure it's centered and you are set! 

If you want to dress it up a little more you can cover the lid with some cute paper or fabric, or tie some ribbon or baker's twine around it. I used some white cardstock to cover my lid and then attached a thank you note at the top with some ribbon. It was a big hit with my friends, so I will definitely be doing it again!

Find the printable right here and spread some sunshine!