Upcycling an Old Picture Frame

I among many people use Pinterest to find inspiration for Christmas gifts, around the house projects and just because projects. From all of these ideas, I came up with one on my own! (unless my subconscious saw it somewhere else- then that's a bummer!)

Basically I'm turning an old picture frame into a memo station/ coat hanger

What you'll need for this project is
A picture frame
A canvas to fit into the frame
Spray paint- be creative on what you choose! I chose navy and cream
Hanger hooks- I got three
Clothes pins - the ones with the metal
Push pins ( the ones that v out to open and close easily)

This frame would have cost an arm and a leg if I got it made (not to mention it's better to save some trees and find a used one.) So I just found one at Salvation Army. I sanded the frame, including the divets so the spray paint would take.

I spray painted the canvas and frame, hanger hooks and clothespins to make everything look cohesive.

I then glued the clothespins with heavy duty Elmer's Glue-All Max- definitely don't need a ton and it did the job quite well :)

I then measured where the hangers should go, so I used a ruled and permanent marker to make points to drill.

Obviously this is a flat piece to hang against the wall, so instead of using nails or screws I'm going to use push pins (the ones that v out) not to mention it'll adds nice accent to your piece. You could spray paint those too if you decided.

Lastly, I had canvas on my frame- so I just took some paint and hand painted it- that was the most time consuming part so I would leave it the same color if you are in this situation.

Hope this excites you as much as it did for me :)

What Does Gussy Even Mean?

I've told some of my friends about my upcycling/ refurbishing idea- the first question they ask me is, what are you going to name your business? I wanted a vintage flare nod and something that would spark interest into the name- hence The Gussy Owl.

The definition for Gussy is:

tr.v. gus·sied, gus·sy·ing, gus·sies Slang

To dress or decorate elaborately; adorn or embellish: gussied herself up in sequins and feathers.

Sorry for those who already knew that, but some don't! 

I chose the owl in homage to my sorority mascot- the owl. If it wasn't for those women in my life, I wouldn't have found inspiration to find this love of upcycling/ refurbishing and try to pursue it as more than a hobby.

I hope to fund this dream in the next few months and share my tips and tricks of my endeavors! In the meantime, I want to work on smaller projects and share my research with you :)

- Gussy

What to do with that used wrapping paper!

Tis the season to be green!
I know, we are constantly bombarded by being Eco conscious and helping the planet out at every turn (which obviously we should all be acknowledging) but I just thought today while I was wrapping Christmas presents- what can I do with that used wrapping paper post December 25th? I've come up with some creative ideas, and hopefully you'll be able to use one or two in your home for the holidays :).
- first and foremost, if you don't want to do anything with your wrapping paper- RECYCLE IT!

- if you have a big piece available, keep one from every year and put it in your picture frames for the holidays. Just measure the piece with the glass in the frame- voila! Super easy! It'll bring back memories, and you don't have to waste more paper wrapping your frames for an artsy flare!

- if you have small pieces left, buy some tiles from a hardware store and mod podge the wrapping paper on top- instant Christmas coasters! And you don't have to drop 10-20$ on store coasters (which are usually tacky looking anyway)

- use cardboard from Christmas boxes, cut out reindeer, snowmen, or whatever you like and make ornaments out of it for next year!

- Along with that ornament idea, buy some pin clasps, make your cutouts smaller and make it a brooch! You can even bedazzle it too if you want. Just make sure you mod podge over the paper so it doesn't fade! To learn which mod podge to use check this page out:
http://www.ohsoprettythediaries.com/2012/09/the-diy-book-of-spells-with-mod-podge.html

- oh! Use it as scrap paper! We all think we need these fancy stationary pages when we usually throw the paper away. We all make grocery lists, honey do lists, lists lists lists! Just cut the paper up and throw it in your junk drawer. Sooner or later it'll be used and it doesn't take up a ton of room. 

- make pennant garland! Just buy some yarn, cut your wrapping paper into diamond shapes, fold the diamond in half over the yarn and you're on your way to a beautiful Christmas garland :).

- if you're a scrapbook fiend- keep the paper for a future scrapbook! We all know how expensive it can be to scrapbook, so every penny counts!

I hope some of these ideas come handy to someone. Every little bit we do counts! Not to mention, you'll probably make some neat stuff with it. 

Happy Holidays!
-Gussy