A Recipe for Pretty Home Decoration

So, quite a few years ago my parents went on one of their fantastic vacations to Italy, and one of the souvenirs they brought back for me has yet to be used. It's just been folded up, in a pantry or drawer or closet or up on a shelf with the dishrags and towels.

Recently, I got the souvenir out of storage, ironed it, and began planning out a pretty new home decoration. Whatever you want to call this thing: fabric recipe-book, or fabric poster, or dishtowel... anything you wanna call it, I love its vibrant lemon-yellow, apple-green, and touch of scarlet red.

I picked up two packages from Target for $9.99, each of which contained four black 8x10 picture frames. ("$9.99 for four whole entire picture frames!?!?!??" I hear you say. "Sure, I was okay with that price!" I might answer. "Even though the frame is plastic, the window is actually glass so they don't look very cheap just hanging there on the wall." Woohoo for cheap plastic frames from Target!) I measured the window of the frame and cut down my cloth to fit inside the frame. Then, before I put the cut-to-fit-perfectly fabric into the frame, I rolled each piece individually to be sure there was no residual lint or fuzzies on it. Because this has been in storage for so many years, it had quite a bit of yuk on it.

Then I put each piece into a frame. I mentioned above that each piece was cut-to-fit-perfectly behind the glass because I didn't want any of the artwork or words to be chopped off or hidden by part of the frame itself. You'll see why in a minute.

Here are all six framed pieces, ready to go in their respective frames. See why I didn't want any of the pictures or words--especially down the middle--covered by the frame? I wanted to still be able to read this, if I ever go crazy and decide to make my own limoncello. I doubt it, but I still wouldn't put it past me either.

Next, I flipped each frame over and pried off the little cardboard stand-prop-thing. Because these are going to hang on the wall, I didn't want the stand-prop-thing to make any of them hang sideways or lopsided.

Eww, look at that naked wall and that pitiful little half of our Mason cabinet. (We're calling it the Mason cabinet because my sister's fiance's mom, Marsha Mason, sold it to me for just $40!!! The top part, including a built-in flour sifter, is currently in our carport amidst paint remover and rags, undergoing some Botox.)

Annnnnnd, voila! Instant pretty on my dining room wall. And a recipe to boot! Now I need to find some whimsical and eye-catching little dishes or saucers or plates or platters to hang on the wall on either side of the frames. What do you think?