Framed keys: bad for unlocking doors, good for hanging

It's Monday again!

We hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was pretty exciting, starting on Friday when we went out for sushi! Pretty much everyone who knows us well is aware that we don't eat seafood. Of any kind, any way. I know--crazy! But it works out that both of us feel the same way. We kind of think we're allergic because we throw up whenever we try it. It might seem strange that we went out for sushi being non-fish eaters, but we discovered while in Atlanta over spring break that there are lots of great vegetarian and non-fish sushi options to explore.

Of course, we used a Scoutmob 50% off coupon for our dinner date, and we headed to a restaurant called Maki Fresh to try it out. We got a small appetizer and two different non-fish rolls all for $10.81! 

While at dinner, Thomas did lots of fiddling with his chopsticks.

The appetizer, tempura onion rings with a spicy sauce. So good!

I got the BLT, which had hickory smoked bacon, lettuce, and tomato (duh), as well as avocado. It was super tasty! Of course, ginger and wasabi on the side.

Thomas got the Vulcan, which had grilled chicken, yellow bell pepper, sun dried tomato, cream cheese, and spicy sauce. It was also great! We'll definitely go there again.

After dinner we headed to Baskin Robbins to share a kid's scoop of coffee ice cream. There was a big crowd and live music, so we sat down for some people watching. This little sign was taped to Thomas' side of the table, and it got in the way when he tried to put his arms down. So he cried.

Saturday morning after our sushi adventure, we decided to run some errands. First we went over to Bed Bath & Beyond to furnish our guest room with pillows for my mom's upcoming visit. We got to use coupons and gift cards, which always makes me happy. 

 I begged Thomas to let me buy this dog trash can (not really, but it is kind of awesome).

Next we went back to Hobby Lobby (two weekends in a row!) to get supplies for my newest DIY project, which I'll talk about in a sec. We bought three frames at 50% off, and used a gift card, so our total was only $7!

Finally, we stopped by a really cool grocery store called Super H Mart. They have lots of specialty Asian items (which is what we were there for) and they have a great produce section with low prices. I found a couple of things I thought were interesting there...

Just read the directions.

Prawn crackers!

Finally, we headed home to make a delicious tomato pie!

 We had green beans on the side (broiled with onions, olive oil, salt & pepper, the only way to eat them!)

So tasty!

Now, for the DIY project I mentioned earlier. Quite a while back (4 months ago maybe) we bought a set of 7 vintage keys from Pottery Barn with a wedding gift card. I'm embarrassed to say that they've sat on the end table in our living room gathering dust for a solid 2 months now:[ BUT, I finally got motivated and bought supplies to make them into a cool wall hanging. Check it out:

We used three frames of varying sizes, with the glass taken out. Based on the size of our keys, we chose 3 frames--one 8x10, one 7x7, and one 14x7.5ish (weird size, whatever).

You also need some sort of fabric to back the keys with. I used scrap from the bottom of our IKEA curtains (after I hemmed them, I had lots of extra and randomly saved it). You also need fabric scissors, and a hot glue gun. The stapler is optional.

First, figure out how you want to layout your keys.

To get started, remove the back of a frame and use the hot glue gun to tightly secure the fabric around it.

 First I glued the shorter sides, and after that I wrapped it like a present (folded/cut the corners and just made sure it was taught).

 I replaced the fabric covered backs in the frames, then I hot glued the keys to the fabric. I found this part a bit challenging because the keys are sort of heavy. I didn't want them all hanging the same direction, so I opted to glue them instead of pinning or wiring them. I'll let you know if they fall off...

Then, hang the frames however you like, and bam. I wanted them to have that "perfectly imperfect" vintage look, and I think they do.

Our house is kind of awkward because we have a serious lack of wall hangings/art, but we're slowly remedying that.

Here's a view of where they are in the room. I know, that chair isn't cute. It was left by the previous owners and is very functional--I have aspirations of reupholstering it at some point.

So there you have it! I love old keys, and we're happy with how the project turned out. It was really only $7, not including what we spent on gift cards, so it was budget friendly. If you didn't have gift cards, the keys were $19, the frames (50% off) were $18, and everything else, most people already have.

This was my final weekend hurrah. Yes, Jack is wearing a place mat (left over from last weekend's DIY project) and a hat (from his cowboy costume). Fake 'staches drawn by me! 

Check back later this week for info on some interesting cat training we're trying out!

Charlotte is skeptical.

-T, K, J, & C