I'm such a wannabe crafter. It must come with being a mom. I remember my mom and her trusty glue gun being BFFs when I was a kid. And in the age of Pinterest, it seems like everyone is crafting. Step-by-step tutorials full of pictures and videos make it so easy, right!? Well that's usually the extent of my creativity, following someone else's bright idea and well-thought-out instructions.
Then comes marriage. When you get to that magical place of mutual collaboration, special things can happen. So when I started using this extremely talented, invaluable resource I have right next to me, my own Etsy-worthy creations started popping up around our home. It's amazing having a handy hubs, he has brought so many of my visions to life the last year since buying our first home together: a Pottery Barn-inspired organization board, a Martha Stewart-inspired book and toy shelf, pallet wall art, an over-sized ruler style growth chart and dozens of little odd projects I'm sure. (I'm glad I listed all those because now I have several ideas for craft blog posts!)
This project was a birthday gift for my mom. I picked up some pumpkin clothespins in that glorious little dollar section at Target, for no particular reason of course, other than that they were cute, rustic, seasonal. Later I thought about mom, her birthday, how much she loves fall, and unsure of what to get her since my stepdad kiiiind of spoils her. I looked at my little "pumpkins" and the idea popped, moms love homemade gifts! Well, at least they pretend to so you can't go wrong!
Nana's Pumpkins, Clothespin Photo Hanger
We started with a piece of leftover pallet wood from the aforementioned pallet wall art. This particular piece was already in a stain I liked (dark walnut) so we went with it and my husband cut it down, sanded around the edges, put a small saw tooth picture hanger on the back, and handed it off to me.
Not too much skill involved here. I took some Martha Stewart stencils and light touches of white paint to maintain a rustic feel. The light coat of paint dried quickly so I was able to line up the next stencil overlapping the previous to make sure it was even without it taking too long. Then I hot glued the clothespins across the bottom, alternating the colors and heights to give it a little dimension. That's it! I just wish I'd taken a picture with some photos hanging from it, but I'm sure my mom will send me one once she has it up. So, definitely not pro-status crafter but finally one that was completely my idea. Gotta start somewhere right?