Monday, April 11, 2011

My What A Pretty Thermostat You Have

It's official..my priorities during nap time are all messed up..  Really..who needs a pretty thermostat?   Well this little white thing has driven me crazy for the almost 4 years that we have lived in this house.  I guess it could have been in the middle of the wall and that would have been worse(or would it?).  Not to mention that this wall is just short enough that a sofa doesn't fit on it and allow for another sofa or any reasonable seating to be on the wall next to it.. See more about the layout of this room in this post. So I have stared at this blank wall for years now..
Yes I think I could have figured out some decorative shelves and just put something in front of it but this whole..."we are going to move soon" thing has really kept me from wanting to spend the money on or put the effort into really addressing this blank space.  So we just kept it simple for staging purposes.  

Here is a side view so you get the idea of the thickness because if you have a huge chunky thermostat this may not work for you
So I was at Hobby Lobby a couple of weeks ago and came across this
It is just a little wood box with a sliding lid..that comes all the way out. 
I had often thought that I would be able to paint a canvas and hang it over the thermostat but most canvases aren't thick enough, wouldn't allow air circulation and they aren't that cheap either(in the grand scheme of things they aren't expensive but I like most of you am cheap thrifty).  So when I saw this I had a lightbulb moment.  As you can see in this post about scrapbook paper I have a thing for decorating with it.  There are so many beautiful papers that I just can't resist that isle even though I am far from a "scrapper".
You can see in the above pic that I had placed it across my wood box thing to make sure it would completely fit over all the sides.
So with a 3.99 wood box, some .59 paper and some mod podge that I had at home

I ended up with this!
Now my plan is to attempt to drill some holes through the top and maybe the bottom(although there is already a small gap on the bottom where I slid the top off) to help with circulation so it won't affect the way the thermostat monitors the temperature..(I hope!)  I guess we shall see how it affects it.  I literally just applied the mod podge to the box, folded the corners like I was wrapping a present and cut the excess paper off.  Ihad originally planned on adding a little hinge to one side so we could open it up, and then I thought I would just place a nail above the thermostat to hand it, but ended up just hanging it on the thermostat to avoid putting anymore holes in the walls.
That being said...this tiny piece of art on the wall looks uber silly all by itself so I still have some work to do to balance it all out but it is a start!  The possibilities are endless.  I have seen boxes like this that are part of an "art wall" so to speak for much more than $4.50.  Adding more to this could be fun!  I will keep ya posted! Ha! 
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25 comments:

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Very clever idea, love the color!

anna said... Best Blogger Tips

This is such a clever idea! Who knew a thermostat could be so gorgeous :)

Nicole @ Wohler's World said... Best Blogger Tips

What a great idea, it looks lovely. Visiting from Tip Junkie.

The Loops said... Best Blogger Tips

I'm pretty sure you just changed my life! I have a HUGE ugly old thermostate in the middle of a wall that is a prime location in my house. It drives me nuts! I also considered the canvas idea and had the same problem. I will be heading to hobby lobby tonight to buy this magic box! lol. I'm a new follower!

Tammy @ Type A said... Best Blogger Tips

thanks for sharing this at my party!

Brandy J. said... Best Blogger Tips

You are such a clever chica! Thanks for sharing and inspiring.

Vivienne @ the V Spot said... Best Blogger Tips

I have wanted to do this!!! I haven't because I know that my darling husband will bitch and moan about lack of access to the thermostat. Now that I have seen yours I. DO. NOT. CARE. how much he complains. I am doing it!

Jessica said... Best Blogger Tips

@The Loops
Too funny! I didn't think anyone would care about hiding their thermostat but now I know I'm not the only one frustrated by this! Good...I hate being alone with my quirks!

Jessica said... Best Blogger Tips

@Vivienne @ the V Spot
Ah yes my hubby just gave me the little "Okie Dokey" smirk! They will learn to love it...Love is probably a strong word;)

Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made said... Best Blogger Tips

Very clever of you! Isn't it funny how those 'little' things really bug us! You found a great fix!

Amanda Lee said... Best Blogger Tips

Cute idea!

Christina said... Best Blogger Tips

great idea!! Gotta love those thermostats messing everything up...but yours looks great now!!

Thanks so much for linking to "20 Below Thursday"! :)

Shan said... Best Blogger Tips

Honestly, I was just thinking I need to figure out how to cover up a thermostat. My kids keep turning it down too low. This is so cute. I'm going to try it. Maybe after a while they will think it is just decoration. ;)

Alexson said... Best Blogger Tips

Yes! I am going to do something similar to fix a really randomly placed thermostat (at eye level in the middle of a wall?! Really?) by gallery wall-ing that space and putting a frame over the thermostat :)

Ange said... Best Blogger Tips

Great idea and it looks cute too! I am in the process of redoing the dining room and we had a thermostat and some old 1950's humidity controller for the furnace next to the thermostat. It was cute. NOT. Thanks for the inspiration!!!

Kindra-At Home With K said... Best Blogger Tips

Great job for covering up the eye sore. :) Love the paper you chose, too. So pretty.

Hope you can link up to my linky party sometime on Tuesdays!

Kindra-At Home With K said... Best Blogger Tips

Great job for covering up the eye sore. :) Love the paper you chose, too. So pretty.

Hope you can link up to my linky party sometime on Tuesdays!

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

I have the same issue in my living room with our thermostat. I'm so glad I found your blog, you are a life saver. I really like the idea of creating an art wall gallery and I absolutely love incorporating scrapbooking into various projects! I already have a few ideas brewing in my head. :) Great job and thanks for sharing.

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

This is such a fantastic idea. What a way to hide those silly things on the wall :) I am a brand new follower. I found your blog through your link up on WhipperBerry.

www.theelephantstrunk42.blogspot.com

Andrea . Charcoal and Crayons said... Best Blogger Tips

Whoa, that's awesome! I never thought of hiding it like this before. Great idea!

Christina said... Best Blogger Tips

I featured this today on my blog...congrats!! Come get a "featured" button :)

http://christinasadventures2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/sunday-features-16.html

Kathie said... Best Blogger Tips

I did something similar with my doorbell chime :-)

Jessa Smith said... Best Blogger Tips

I love it! I actually work in the Heating & Air Industry and this is the first time I've heard of something cute and unique like this! I want to go home and try it on mine!

~Jessa
www.jessajill.blogspot.com

Jill said... Best Blogger Tips

This is a great idea! I'm totally copying it for another area in my home that needs this treatment. It'll show up on my blog as soon as I execute!

Jill at JunkyVagabond

nicolette {momnivores dilemma} said... Best Blogger Tips

Great Idea to cover up the eyesore that thermostats are!

Please share this with my readers @Creative Juice Thursday Hope to see yours among all the amazing projects!