Rustic Heart

I wanted something rustic looking to lean on the shelf in my entryway and this is what I put together out of, your guessed it...pallet wood.

It was a quick and easy project...I cut these pieces from pallet wood and bought four (4) hinges:

I stained the wood with a dark walnut stain and spray painted the hinges with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint.   (make sure to spray paint the screws as well!)  I then gave the heart a coat of creamy white paint.  When it dried, I sanded some of the paint off to reveal the wood underneath using 100-grit sandpaper.  I then drilled a 1/2" hole at the top of the heart...large enough to thread a piece of jute through the hole.

After gluing the frame together, I attached the hinges at each corner.  At this point, I wasn't sure how I was going to suspend the heart...but I decided to attach a piece of chicken wire to the back of the frame.  Now I can attach the heart to the wire with a piece of jute. 

Very easy and very simple...and, if I get tired of the heart, I can easily remove the wire and insert a picture!

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you have a great weekend!

Lesa

Pallet Stars

After finishing the pallet storage for my kitchen countertop, I realized I still had another storage piece to use.  I didn't want it to go to waste, however, I couldn't think of where to utilize it.  However, thanks to Holly over at "Down to Earth Style", (which is a beautiful blog by the way) I remembered that she used hers as a flower box and hung it over a doorway...looks great!  I didn't hang mine over a doorway, but chose to hang it over my window seat in the kitchen.
Anyway, it still needed something on either side of it, so I decided to make a couple of stars.  I wanted them to have the same texture as the pallet box so I made the stars from the leftover wood.  Of course, the wood wasn't wide enough to cut out a star so this is what I decided to do...cut all the star points separately and then join them together with twine.

I stained the wood with a dark walnut stain and then thread the twine through the holes I drilled into the points.  I attached a small self-leveling hanger to the back and hung them on either side of the flower box. 

Thanks for stopping by...

Lesa

Pallets and Letters

So, this idea isn't anything new...in fact, the different uses of pallets is all over blogland and the internet.  However, one idea that I love is using the pallets as storage.  I wanted to incorporate this idea somewhere in my kitchen, but I don't have alot of wall space so I decided it would work best on my counter.  It was a little "blah" so I decided to cut some letters out of 1/4" mdf board to spell "Bakery".  I painted them a creamy white color and used wood glue to secure them to the front of the pallet storage.  Now its a great place to keep my favorite and frequently used cookbooks.

Thank you for stopping by...

Lesa

A Little Hallway Love

As I mentioned in my last post, I've decided to try and make my hallway a little less boring and to spruce it up a bit.   I didn't have much for wood, but happened to find some 2x4's, 1x6, and 1x2's in the shop, so I threw together this bench.

I stained it with dark walnut and then painted it with a creamy white paint.  I wanted to give it a weathered appearance so I removed some of the paint to reveal the stained wood.

Added a canvas pillow and basket for accessories and decided it would look great along the wall with my kids pictures.

I added their initials to their picture groupings to add a bit more interest.  I simply printed off the letters in the font I wanted, traced them onto mdf board and cut them out on the scroll saw.  A quick sanding, some stain and paint and they were ready to hang on the wall. 

I think it looks much better, but I'll let you be the judge!

Thank you for stopping by...

Lesa

Burlap & 2x4's

I have a very boring hallway and I finally decided it was time to do something about it.  I figured I had enough "junk" laying around that I could put something together that would make it a bit more appealing, so this is what I came up with...

I needed a table of some kind that would fit in the tiny space, but everything I had was either too wide length-wise or width-wise, so I went out into the shop to see what type of wood I could use to make a tabletop.   I new I wanted something "heavy" looking so I used 2 x 4's.  I cut three pieces 32" long, glued and screwed them together by attaching 1 x 2 underneath.   I gave it good sanding with 100-girt and then 220-grit sandpaper.  I applied a dark walnut stain, but it wasn't quite dark enough, so I sprayed some oil rubbed bronze (by Krylon) paint onto a damp cloth and rubbed it into the surface.  (this was a bit of an experiment, but it worked!)

Once dry, I need to attach the tabletop to the wall. I found two metal shelf brackets out in the shop and even though they were ugly, I knew you weren't going to see them once I was finished.

After attaching everything to the wall, I took some measurements and made a burlap skirt.  So far, so good.  (except for the pictures I've taken!)

I wanted to hang a mirror, but I didn't have anything large enough for the wall space so I decided to refinish this window.

The "pink" just wasn't going to work with my color scheme so I gave the frame a quick sanding to loosen any chipping paint and then stained the bare wood areas with a dark walnut stain.  I painted the "pink" areas with a dark brown paint and I wasn't going for "perfection".

Once it completely dried, I rubbed random areas with vaseline and then applied a topcoat in a creamy white.  Again, let it dry completely.  Next, I rubbed off the areas covered in vaseline to reveal the basecoat.

I then applied a tinted wax to give the window frame more of an "aged" feel.  I make my own tinted wax with Johnson's Floor Paste Wax and Winsor & Newton Oil paint in burnt umber (this comes in a 37ml tube available at art or stationary stores).  My recipe varies depending on how dark I want the wax so you might want to experiment with this on your own, however, I usually use about 1/2 cup wax to 1-2 tsp. oil paint.  Mix it in a container and apply with a rag.  Let dry and then buff off.

I added a few accessories and now the end of the hallway isn't so boring.

Now I need to get to work on the rest of the hallway!  Thank you for stopping by...hope you'll come back for another visit!

Lesa

How to Make Decorative Lids

I have all kinds of jars and containers that I have saved over the years with plans to use them one day.  None have lids so I decided to make my own. 

*Just a couple of notes before you get started:  I used scrap pieces of pine wood and mdf board.  Depending on the thickness of the wood will determine the width of the lid's rim.  I used 2" pine for the round lid and 1" mdf for the square lid.  I used 1/4" mdf for both tops.*  Also, some of the pictures show the making of the square lid and some of the round lid.

How to make a wooden lid for any size or shape of jar or container:

1.  First thing you need to do is make a pattern.  You can make a paper pattern and then cut and trace it onto your wood or you can skip this step and work directly on the wood (this is what I did).  Trace the top of your jar or container onto the wood.  Now add 3/8"  to the outside edge of the tracing line.  Using a scroll or band saw,  cut on the outside line.

2.  Drill a starter hole, thread the scroll saw blade through the hole and cut out the center.  This piece is the rim of the lid. 

3.  Trace the rim onto a piece of 1/4" wood cut out with the scroll saw.  This piece will create the top of the lid.  

4.  Use wood glue to secure the lid to the rim.  Once completely dry, sand the top and the sides with 100-grit and then 220-grit sandpaper.

Now you can paint, decorate or embellish the lid to match any room or decor!  

I kept the round lid simple and painted the square lid a bit whimsical just to give you ideas and inspiration. 

 

Thank you for stopping by...I hope this project has inspired you!

Lesa

Denim Project Bag

Here's my latest sewing project...I call it my "Denim Project Bag".  I needed something to hold my knitting projects so I created this bag...

I started out with a pair of old blue jeans and the "printed" canvas fabric for the lining.  From both fabrics, I cut the following pieces:

Bottom - 10 3/4" x 7 3/4"
Sides (x2) - 15" x 7 3/4"
Front & Back - 15" x 10 3/4"

First, you are going to sew the denim bag. With right sides together, sew the front and the back to the bottom using 1/4" seam allowance.

Then, attached the sides to the bottom and sew in place, again using 1/4" seam allowance.  Actually, you will use a 1/4" seam allowance for all the sewing.

Now, you are going to sew up all four corners.  Trim any loose threads and turn right-side out. Fold the top over approximately 1" and press with an iron.  Now, sew the top edge in place.

Denim bag done!  Now you will do the same thing with your lining EXCEPT hemming the top edge of the bag.  Also, just leave the finished liner wrong side out.

To make the ruffled edge:

Cut a piece of the liner fabric 70" long by 6" wide.  Fold the fabric in half width-wise and press with an iron so your fabric will now be 70" long by 3" wide.

Here's the ruffling technique...you will need dental floss...yes, dental floss - waxed preferred.  Measure the floss to 70" adding about 3" to each end.  Set you machine stitch onto "zigzag", lay the dental floss onto the top edge (the unfinished edge) and zigzag over top of the floss.  Make any sense?!?  Once you are done, you can now pull the loose floss ends to gather your fabric and the wax helps it to slide easily.

Once you've gathered your ruffle, pin it to the top edge of your liner (right sides together) and sew in place.  Remove any loose threads.

Insert the liner into the denim bag and fold the ruffled top edge over the denim.  There you have it.... You could add handles and pockets, if desired, however, I just wanted something simple to keep my projects off the floor.

(Note...the bag will not stand up on it's own...I cut two pieces of cardboard the same size as the front and back and placed them in between the inside of the denim bag and the liner.)

If you have any questions with regards to my instructions, please don't hesitate to contact me.  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by...
Lesa