(Another) New Project

.... soooo I'm crafty.

Not normally, but I'm becoming more-so. The fact is, we're still in a semi-new (year old) house and I still have some bare walls that are desperate for a pick-me-up.

My conundrum is this:
1) I have expensive taste.
2) Right now my discretionary spending money is tied up in Baby J. And unless I want to get the stank eye from Chad (and trust me, I get it enough already), I don't have a couple thousand to drop on wall decor.

So I'm taking it one-room, one-wall at a time.

Right now - behind our kitchen table (hard to see in this pic, since this pic was originally of the gor-geous-table that my Handy Manny husband made), is a long bare wall that is screaming for SOMETHING. I had thought about getting Chad and his dad to build in a corner cabinet/bookshelf for where the wall meets the side of my cabinets... but 1) it might be a little squished over there and 2) Chad and dad-in-law's to-do list for me is getting longer and longer.

So I had a bright idea.

I have a yearly subscription to my favorite cooking magazine, Cooks Illustrated. It is a fabulous magazine - full of great recipes and tips... and gorgeous artwork. On the back of each issue is a "theme" of a food, veggie, herb, etc., accompanied with sketches of the different varieties. They are all printed on a beautiful cardstock and I felt sad letting the little back covers sit in my kitchen cabinet to be noticed by no one.

{I mean, how beautiful is this!}

I decided, what better idea than to frame a series of the back covers (they are almost exactly 8''x12'') and hang them on this lonesome wall in my kitchen. I had several already, and purchased other back-issues from Ebay, so I could choose my favorite eight to frame... two rows of four. And, depending on the season or my mood, I could temporarily change them out. I have covers that range from goat cheeses, to heirloom corn, to Italian cookies to Indian spices.

Here's a big lot of 'em. Aren't they beautiful?

Next step: going to buy 8 frames and then getting Chaddy boy to hang 'em for me.

Some people hang covers of the New Yorker, I hang the back covers of Cooks. It's just the kinda gal I am.

Will post pictures when my project is done!