A Pretty Free Project - Paper Medallion Wall Hanging

"If you really wanted to, we could go and purchase some of the furniture brand new, you know", said my husband, as he sees me pick up yet another project.

It's true. My husband brings in over 90% of the household income, and we have learned how to make do with this arrangement. We've learned to save on somethings, and splurge on others. If we really wanted to, we could put aside money for furniture, home decorations and the "frivolous". I could annoy myself and everyone else, by saying that I'd rather spend that money on my kid's piano and martial arts lessons, but deep down I know that it's a LIE.

The truth is, that when I put time and effort into something that I make, the joy (and pride?) I get when I happen to pass the object cannot compared to a purchased item. This coffee filter light fixture,

makes me smile each time I look at it.

This made-over bench too.

I would have been happy to buy something like that. However, knowing that I've had a hand making it pretty like that, seems to extend my joy. You guys know about my little projects because I blog about it, but for the most part, people who visit my home don't know how much of myself goes into these things. It's like a delicious little secret I hug close to my chest. It is a trippy sensation. Why do you think that is? There is probably something negative about this, but I'm not looking too deep into that for now. :)

So, you know that High and Low comparisons that you sometimes see in magazines. For example, a picture of a room with "really expensive stuff", and on the opposite page, a similar picture but with more "reasonably priced stuff"? Some times, I think if you traipse through my house, you may be able to add another page to the comparison: the "really, really cheap stuff".

I was browsing through images on google when I came across a picture of a beautiful bedroom with fur-like medallions on the wall. It reminded me a little of the paper wreaths I've seen in diy blogland. Add them together....

Image on the left: from LilianRitz.com
Image on the right: from livingwithlindsay.com. Tutorial here.

The result:

Bwahaha! Not even close, I know. But it still makes me happy.

The project was free, if you don't count the glue gun and the electricity.

The base was a 10" in diameter circle cut out of a cardboard box.

I glued white poster board on it just in case the board peeks through.

Then I rolled lots of paper and glued it as such:

And then glue, and glue and glue! Glue in a circle spiralling inward

I thought of using old sheet music, but that saddened me. I even nearly used my old calculus book, but that too depressed me. Who doesn't like flipping through old calculus books? Oh...... er, forget I said anything.

Anyway, I ended up using this out of date book:

(It is nothing against Mr. Firesmith who writes a mean textbook, I'm sure. We just can't use this book anymore and we are pretty sure it is obsolete to most people. )

I used half of each page for a roll, since the whole page was a little too big.

Software engineering never looked so pretty:

Edit: Decided to party at