I finally got around last week to completing a Christmas project that I intended on making last year. Better late than never, right? It made for a good surprise and it was a lovely distraction while I procrastinated packing and purging my old apartment.
I present to you: our girly getaway!
Two summers ago, the three of us took a #girlygetaway for 36 hours. All Caitlyn said she wanted for her birthday was to escape somewhere (!!!don't we all!!!), and we were all like fine. Sign me up. It's stupid that you have to pick a date 6 weeks into the future to plan 36 hours out of the city! Our lives get a hold of our calendars and we wanted to be intentional about getting some time together and seeing the ocean that heals all! We headed to Ocean Beach on Fire Island and had quite a lot of adventures in 36 hours including: getting a flat tire in the middle of the queensboro bridge in 98 degree heat, witnessing the preparations for a beach wedding proposal, getting caught in an island blackout, running into the same newly engaged couple in a bar in that blackout... oh, and getting sunburned. In the middle of all of that somewhere, we had a freeing superhero moment on the beach; an impromptu iPhone photo shoot where we acted the only kind of crazy you can be around the best of friends. We were so free.
I took a screenshot of some of these crazy photos and put it on Instagram (see above), and these two have always said they wished they had a big version of this to walk by in their homes to make them instantly smile on a gray day. (Sign me up again!)
I knew I couldn't blow the Instagram image up, because the quality would be too low. Instead, I got each individual image and printed it. I ordered minisquares from Social Print Studio; it was $15 for a set of 48, which worked out perfectly for me, as I needed 16 for each frame! (They delivered unbelievably quick too!) I picked up some square picture frames at a Christmas Tree Shop (like a JoAnn's for us Southern folk) that had a canvas of a golfer inside. They were on clearance for about under $5 each, so I swiped up three of them, one for each of us. I couldn't make one for them and not for me too! I knew if I went to buy picture frames, I'd have to pay wayyyy more, which is silly. I'd either take Mr. Golfer out and lay him to rest or figure out something to do with him.
First, I organized the prints into the order they would appear in the frame. I may have put numbers on the back of them, because I'm a nerd and it could get confusing. I took apart the frames, weaseled my way inside, and realized I needed something to mount all these photos on. So, I removed the canvas, painted it white (Bye Mr. Golfer! It's true, I used you for your house), and stuck the photos on top! You could use heavy tape to do this or decoupage, depending on the frame you find and what you're mounting your photos on. I made sure the seal the back of the frame securely so we wouldn't lose anyone.
Voila! The girls loved them. I hope they continue to make us smile throughout the winter, that giddy sort of smile, and remember our next DIY summer getaway could be right around the corner!
What can you make the celebrate a travel memory that will also inspire you to plan your next adventure? I think what I loved about this project was that it wasn't perfect- there isn't a perfect DIY formula, lo siento. Truly do-it-yourself. I didn't even paint properly in the lines. Find a vision, and find a way to blow it up and frame it. Happy Holidays!