Decorating For Dollars (Since "Decor On A Dime" Is Taken)  

Posted by Heidi in

One day, a day when you have been in denial about dusting and decide on the more pleasant task of organizing your adorable scrap booking supplies, you might be seated on the couch staring at the brown cover of the storage book you use for your multitudinous TV remotes because Angel (we miss you Andy Hallett!) is on and though you love Angel, it doesn’t really demand your constant attention as does Lost or 24 or Heroes, and it occurs to you that even though the lovely brown of your storage box (which is usually fairly empty since the TV remotes—one for the DVR, one for the VCR/Wii and one for the actual set) are hot property, it really doesn’t blend well with your chic n shabby décor.



You wonder how difficult it would be to grab a bottle of acrylic paint and just slap some on whilst watching Angel (if you’re a mom, you can always use those eyes you have in the back of your head as you walk into the craft storage area, i.e., kitchen drawer that really ought to be holding kitchen items but priorities, people, priorities!) and see how it all looks when it’s dry. You decide it wouldn’t be the least difficult and that you should go for it. If you do, you could end up with something like this.




Your inspiration for this “look” might be the now-totally-destroyed-but-once-was-a-lovely antique book made of white leather so many years ago that Brigham Young actually owned a copy of said same book.

At least it was displayed in the Beehive House when you were a kid though you could find no sign of it when you went through many years later as an adult—in fact, the whole place was so very different from your memory that you felt kind of lost and a bit betrayed but you came home and painted your bathroom the same color green as the living room and your bedroom the same color pink as one of the bedrooms in said Beehive House, anyway.

If you have lots of scrap booking materials that you dare not deign to use on your actual scrapbooks, you could use it to decorate a box like the one above. Or you could use a shoebox. Or one of those photo boxes. It doesn’t have to be chic n shabby either. It could be retro or a nursery themed box (or anything YOU like! What a concept!).


You could use your holiday scrap booking materials to make a Christmas, Halloween or Easter box. Just think, you could keep your TV remotes in holiday style ALL YEAR LONG. And all for the price of those scrapbook supplies you keep handy just in case you should ever use them in an actual scrapbook. Oh, the possibilities . . .



(My project was accomplished by using one of those faux storage book boxes that can be found on eBay or Ross or Target or TJ Maxx or Tuesday Morning, etc. for fairly cheap—about $5 for the size I made—5.5 X 8.25—I used numerous coats of “Daisy Cream” acrylic paint by DecoArt, a pretty rose themed waterslide decal left over from another project though stickers would work just as well—the Little Guy was SO impressed, he thought I hand painted the roses and that I was a great artist like Carly’s brother Spencer on I Carly—and some black rub on letters I have had in my possession for more than two decades. Literally. I bought them when I was 19. Woe is me.)

Tomorrow: the new cover art for the large print edition of Miss D out in May!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at Wednesday, April 01, 2009 and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

31 wise, witty and wonderful comments

Look at you! All crafty!

April 1, 2009 at 11:09 AM

How fun! I love tackling projects like that.

April 1, 2009 at 11:24 AM

So crafty - I'm jealous! And - how exciting - can't wait to see the cover tomorrow! Woot!

April 1, 2009 at 11:31 AM

I love a good box covering project! I used to cover jewelry boxes (the generic white ones) with my mother's wallpaper samples when I was eight. Where did that crafty gene go....? I swear, I had it 18 years ago...

April 1, 2009 at 11:37 AM

I have LOTS of crafty supplies... so many that I could probably cover every box in the house (even the garbage cans)... I'm thinking though that I'll start with the filing cabinet... it sure it ugly...

I am thinking though now that I need to get a box for all those elusive remotes

April 1, 2009 at 11:54 AM

Very cute. And I was with the little guy there for a minute: "wait, did she paint those roses? because it looks like she actually painted them . . . wow." And then you had to go and ruin the ride! I still love you anyway!

April 1, 2009 at 11:56 AM

Good work. Makes me want to get all crafty myself.

April 1, 2009 at 12:01 PM

I have a basket for my remotes, maybe I'll make a cute liner for it, since the one it came with is brown. I like being crafty, it's just my kids that get in the way of it! :) (And my laziness...)

April 1, 2009 at 12:17 PM

WOW you are one crafy mama!

April 1, 2009 at 12:17 PM

Very cute ideas! I haven't had the craft bug for a few years but it is starting to come back! Although I have to say I am also immeasurably impressed that you visited the Beehive House as a young girl and actually remembered later what it was like. I am sure I have been there several times and only remember small, crowded rooms. I'm impressed!

April 1, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Anonymous  

Way to multi-task, Heidi!

April 1, 2009 at 12:47 PM

Looks like a fun craft to try. Maybe even I could swing that... maybe.

April 1, 2009 at 1:05 PM
Anonymous  

very interresting!!!!

April 1, 2009 at 1:14 PM

One day, when I really want to make people laugh, I may post photos of some of my attempted crafts.

April 1, 2009 at 2:24 PM

Wow, where do you find the time! You are the craft queen!=)

April 1, 2009 at 3:16 PM

Wow what a compliment, Spencer Shay. I am way impressed with your skills.

April 1, 2009 at 4:26 PM

Though I would love to respond to each of your comments personally, I have been dealing with a car that insists on spouting green smelly ick from its innards. Bummer. Scarlet! You're Carolyn! Good to know!

April 1, 2009 at 4:28 PM

Seriously...how do you do it all? :)

April 1, 2009 at 5:03 PM

That's very clever of you. I would not ever have thought to do that. They look really nice.

April 1, 2009 at 6:00 PM
Anonymous  

Fun project. I have to confess that the original brown one is my favorite...(and if I had one, I'd have to attach the remotes to the box with one of those stretchy cords like they use in cheap motels, or the remotes would never be returned after the first time someone removed them).

April 1, 2009 at 6:31 PM
Anonymous  
This comment has been removed by the author.
April 1, 2009 at 6:31 PM

Heather--seriously--I don't!

April 1, 2009 at 6:37 PM

Very cute and crafty!

April 1, 2009 at 8:04 PM

Hey, I just noticed the advertisement for don/grandma's book. Thanks! (I am a little slow in noticing things lately).

April 1, 2009 at 8:05 PM

Sometimes I think I hear my scrapbooking supplies calling me in the middle of the night. Then I roll over.

April 1, 2009 at 8:09 PM

Katie--you have a new baby! Of course you feel a little slow! Kazzy--bwaaahaaaa!

April 1, 2009 at 8:21 PM

I am amazed at people who know how to do "crafty" My mother was like that ---I got none of those genes. I am NOT good at any of that. I know what I like--I just need someone else to do it for me.

April 1, 2009 at 8:36 PM

Isn't it fun to be creative and crafty?
Cute ideas Heidi!

April 2, 2009 at 6:05 AM

You totally can craft. I am beginning to think you are all that Miss Heidi girl. Love it.

April 2, 2009 at 6:16 AM

It is gorgeous. When you get a free moment could you come up here and use your magic wand on my place?

April 2, 2009 at 9:47 AM

It's been so long since I did a project like this--too much time spent on the computer, instead, I guess. I'm amazed at the number of creative outlets you are able to have. I'm happy for you, too; you clearly love it, and it beautifies everything around you (including closets! :)

April 4, 2009 at 10:47 AM

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