“So what’s it gonna be, Dessert or Disaster?”

Have you all seen the cool wooden frames IKEA makes now? They aren’t really picture frames, they are just wood frames that you can stretch fabric over, and hang on your wall.

Please refer to exhibit A:

I first saw the frames in the IKEA catalog in this picture:

They are the lovelies hanging on the wall in the corner. (Side note: that couch is AMAZING! Woot!)

So I bought a bunch of fabric from IKEA a few months ago to mimic what they did here. Adam was a saint because he consulted and cut all the fabric for me. We walked through the rest of the store to find the frames. Surprise! They were all out. “We should have more in about three weeks.” Okay, I’ll make the long trek back in a little while.

So a month or more goes by, and by this time, I really want to hang this beautiful fabric on my wall! So I make another trek to IKEA specifically to get those frames. “We’re all out, check back in a few more weeks.” Argh… P.S. You can’t buy the frames online either.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. My grandpa has a woodworking shop in the basement of his garage, so this is a great time to learn how good my DIY skills are. They are just wood frames anyway right? No big deal…

Adam and I bought some long strips of wood to be cut, and we started our adventure.

My grandpa cut all the wood for me. That’s when I decided I need my own saw.

 

Long story short… We think we bought the worst wood possible (it was pine). Maybe some of you know wood, and perhaps you think it was more of a user error, but we couldn’t get the nails in our steel-like pieces of wood… Lol.

After quite a few hours spent, and lots of frustration, Adam and I gave up. We had one frame made, and it was not quite square… My grandpa though, he was a trooper. He toughed it out and made 3 more frames, to total 4 frames (we intended to make 6).

After the first few pieces were cut, I realized my measurements were off. I thought that having 12” square frames would be big enough. Later I decided that having them 19” square was the size I actually wanted them. Lol, I should stop guesstimating…

So, we had a fun time with trial and error that day. I’ll find a fun way to use my slightly not right wooden frames. =) And I’m still determined to have my large frames. If IKEA still doesn’t have the frames in stock the next time I go, then there will be a sequel to this post. Hopefully it will be a heartwarming sequel, and not a drama. Lol!

*Ha ha, looking at these pictures now, I still think that it should have worked. I’m just determined I guess. (read: stubborn)