"Dream" Sign

Here is a project I would like to share with you.  I needed something to hang over the bed in one of the spare bedrooms...something to fill in the blank wall.  My husband is eventually going to build a farmhouse bed frame for the room, but since I had company for the Easter weekend, I needed something ASAP and my husband just didn't have time to get all my "requested" projects finished.  Anyway, this is what I came up with to fill in the naked wall...

The sign measures approximately 32" wide x 24" tall and I was able to use lumber that I already had in the shop.  Here's what you need:

Four (4) - 1x3 (8 feet)
Scrap pine (for birds and "Dream" letters)
Danish Oil (medium walnut)
White latex paint
Weathered board mixture
Wood glue and nailer
Jute
Staple Gun
 
How to make "Weathered board mixture":
Use a jar with a tight fitting lid (I used a canning jar) and add a piece of "fine" steel wool to the jar.  Rip the steel wool into small pieces.  Pour "Allen's Double Strength Cleaning Vinegar" into the jar, covering the steel wool.  I filled my jar almost to the top.  Seal the jar and leave for a couple of days until the steel wool dissolves.   Now its ready to use.

This is what the "mixture" looks like once the steel wool has dissolved in the vinegar.

1. Cut 9 pieces of 1x3 - 24" long.
2. Cut 2 pieces of 1x3 - 32" long.
3. Cut 1 piece of 1x3 - 18 1/2" long.  (this is used to make the crown for the top of the sign)
4. Place all the 24" pieces together in a row, making sure to keep the ends even.  Attach the two 32" lengths to the top and bottom of the boards using wood glue and a nail gun.  Make sure to nail into each board as this secures the entire sign. 
5.  Make a half moon shape for the crown/top of the sign using the full length of the 18 1/2" piece of wood.
6.  Attach to the top of the sign with wood glue.
7.  Draw your letters onto paper and then transfer onto a scrap piece of pine.  My letters measure approximately 4"x5" and I used my computer to create the word "Dream".  I drew my birds and also transfered them to a scrap piece of wood.  I then used my scrollsaw to cut them out.

8.  Sand all the wood pieces using 150 grit and then 220 grit sandpaper.  Remove any dust.
9.  Using an old brush, slap on the weathered board mixture to all the wood pieces.  You don't have to be perfect with this process, as I found the more "sloppy" it goes on, the more weathered the wood will look.  The wood will not change color until it drys completely.  I put mine out in the sun to quicken the process.  Here is what it looks like when dry:

10.  I liked the color, but wanted it a bit darker to I applied a medium walnut stain over top. 



I like the look of the "richer" color.



Just to give you an idea of the difference between the "before" and "after" of the wood color.

Once dry, I used white paint and "drybrushed" the boards, applying the paint with the wood grain.  This will give the wood a "painted" weathered look.

11.  Paint the birds blue (or whatever color you choose), let dry, and then sand the edges to expose the stained wood underneath.  I left the "letters" alone as I liked them simply stained.

12.  I attached the letters to a piece of jute using a staple gun.  I then stapled each end of the jute to the back of my sign board.   (Simply cut a piece of jute to the width (plus a bit extra) of the sign board and space your letters evenly on the jute.)
13.  Attach the birds to the sign using wood glue. 

Here are a few more pictures of the completed sign:

 Thank you for stopping by...

Lesa

Console Table Finished

I finished the console table on time, actually two hours prior to my family arriving for the weekend.  Even thought I rushed to finish it, I am happy with the results and so was my husband. 

Here is the before...

And, here is the after...

I painted the bottom half with a paint color called "Twine".  I then used a glaze to antique it and give the color more depth.  The top was stained with a mixture of two colors... walnut and black stain and then finished off with a satin varnish.  Again, I am happy with how it turned out...love to hear what you think!  Thank you for stopping by and have a Happy Easter!

Lesa

Chair Toppers

A few posts ago I shared my slipcovered bargain chairs. 

I had a bit of fabric leftover so I decided to sew "toppers" for each of the chairs at either end of the table to give the whole thing a more "unified" look.

  I found my "stash" of buttons and chose the wood ones because they matched the table and chair legs, again, "tieing" the whole look together. 

The toppers were very easy to do...if you can sew a straight line then anyone can make them!  As always, thank you for stopping by and taking a look.  It's always appreciated!
Lesa

Your Help is Needed!

Okay...I have family coming for Easter and I've been scrambling trying to "tweak" a few things around the house.  I had an dresser at the front entrance that I used to store everything from keys to winter gear.  I guess I finally over-stuffed one of the drawers because it just fell apart.  Well, I have had it with crappy furniture and chucked the dresser in the dump!  Now, that was a few weeks ago and, in the meantime, I've been bugging my husband to build me a new console table to fit in the small space.  He finally gave in to my pleas a built me this beautiful table on Sunday and finished the final touches tonight. 

Here is is with the drawer pulls. 

I love it and can't wait to accessorize  it, but, before I can do that I need to paint it.  This is where I need your help...I need some suggestions and who better to ask than all of you talented decorators!  I need to get this done ASAP so I am hoping some of you will respond with your ideas.  This is where it will be placed...under the dark brown mirror against a cinnamon-colored wall. 

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!  Thank you for stopping by.
Lesa

Multi-Purpose Room is Done!

A few posts ago, I told that I was re-doing my multi-purpose room and that I would share pictures once it was done...well, it's done.  Before I share my pictures, I want to remind you that I was only using what I had on hand, therefore, I didn't buy new furniture, I didn't buy paint, I didn't buy fabric, I didn't buy new flooring, I didn't buy curtains, and I didn't buy accessories.  I could ONLY use the items I had around the house, stuff that I already had kicking around.   Again, I want to remind you it is not beautifully decorated like many of your homes and craft rooms, but it will be functional for my needs.   So, here are a few before pictures...as you can see, it is not a very large room and I have to store my exercise equipment in this room.

My husband built this cabinet back in 1992 and over the years I have painted it at least 6 times.

The dark brown shelf sitting on the table was built by me.  The leaning door belongs to the cabinet.

Here are the after pics...

Another coat of paint...seven layers now!

A ladder I made using scrap wood and my coffee filter wreath.  (had to use what I had on hand...just a reminder!)

The stars were green, so I gave them a coat of white paint finished with dark walnut stain to give them an antiqued look.

Now, here are some pictures with the exercise equipment back in the room.

Well, there you have it...my room on a zero dollar budget.  Thank you for stopping by...your visit was welcomed!  Hope you all have a good day and great weekend!
Lesa

Wood Tray and Decorative Flower Ball

Thought I'd share my two latest projects with you...

First of all, I needed some type of container to hold the remote controls and junk that collects on the coffee table, so I decided to build a wood tray.  It's nothing new design-wise, but it has functionality and I'm happy with the way it turned out. 

I simply used some scrap pine for the four sides and 1/4" plywood for the bottom.  I glued and nailed it together.  After a good sanding, I stained the tray with a dark walnut stain by Minwax.  I then basecoated the box with a paint color called Cinnamon Sizzle (this was leftover from the color on my entrance walls).  After it dried, I watered down Red Iron Oxide paint by Decoart and applied the paint as a topcoat to deepen the color.  Again, I let it dry, lightly sanded the surface and then applied a black stain by Saman to give it a more aged look.  I then used a water-based satin varnish to the tray. 

I drilled two holes in each end and made handles out of a product I found called "Wreath & Stem Cord".

 I liked the color and texture and thought it would make great handles.  That was it!

My next project, again, nothing new, is the decorative flower ball.  I needed an accent piece so I thought I'd see what I could come up with with what I had on hand. 

I used a 5" styrofoam ball as the base.  I then found some leftover fabric from my kitchen curtains and cut it into strips approximately 1 1/2" wide by 10" long.  Then I started making fabric roses.  I made 24 roses to cover the ball.  Using hot glue, I attached the roses to the styrofoam leaving gaps in between each rose.  I then hot glued spanish moss between the roses to cover the exposed styrofoam.  I trimmed the moss to remove the long ends.   Because it needed some color, I decided to hot glue some faux leaves to the ball.  It turned out just "okay" and I'll use it, but I know I can improve on it!

Thank you for stopping by...I love visitors and I love your comments too!

Lesa