"M" is for...

Here's a quick project I'd like to share with you...

First I made an "M" pattern on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper.

I then traced it onto a scrap piece of wood and cut it out using my scroll saw.

I used a scrap piece of tin that I found out behind our wood shed.    It was similar to the weight of metal/tin flashing - thin enough to easily cut with metal shears.

I then traced my pattern onto the tin and cut it out with metal shears.    Make sure to wear gloves when doing this because the metal has very sharp edges.

I then secured the metal "M" to the top of my wood "M" by drilling holes through both the tin and the wood and then hammering rivots in place.

I used a metal file along the sides to remove the sharp metal edges.  I rounded the metal with the file to make the wood and tin look like one piece.

I applied a grey paint color to the sides of the wood to blend with the metal  and then polished the metal surface with fine steel wool using a circular motion.

It was a bit too shiny so I wet the steel wood (slightly) and applied a "dab" of black paint to the steel wool.  I repeated the polishing process.   The black helped tone down the metal and bits of color settled around the rivots.

Now I have one accessory to add to my shelving...



Thank you for stopping by...

Lesa

Shelving

I have a small wall space between the french doors and the bay window in my kitchen.  I've hung pictures, candle sconces, old window frames and wreaths, but decided it was time to change it up.  So I decided the wall needed shelves.  Shelves will allow me to "change the look" and accessorize for different seasons.  Therefore, with the help of my husband we build these:

First we had to plane rough-cut lumber.  Amazing the mess it makes to plane just two boards!

After planing the wood he used the table saw to cut the pieces to the appropriate width.  He then measured and cut lengths and angles to make four brackets:

I wanted the brackets to look heavy and bulky so he added a top and bottom plate which gave them this look:

I cut two shelving pieces...one measuring 24 inches in length and one 32 inches in length.  I thought two different sizes might be more appealing.  Once we sanded all the pieces I painted the brackets with "sandbar" and stained the shelves with dark walnut by Minwax. 

As you can see, I still need add the "wood buttons" to hide the screw holes, but once I do I will paint them to blend with the brackets. 

Now I just need to accessorize the shelves!  I have a few ideas and a few projects for the shelves and will be sharing those with you in the next few days.  I hope you'll come back and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lesa

What Is It?

I'm sure you are asking yourself...What is it?

Well...it was part of a structure that kept the snow off the roof of our camper (which we don't have anymore).  Anyway, I found it out behind our garage and I thought I could put it to good use, so I took it into the shop and gave it a good sanding. 

This is before:

This is after:

I love the color of the wood even if it's just 2 x 4's!

After I finished sanding it, I removed all the dirt and dust and hung it here...

Over our bed.  Hmmmm....does it look like an "architectural" piece or three 2 x 4's bolted together? 

What can I say...our room needs a major makeover!

So, what do you think...does it stay or does it go?  Thanks for stopping by...have a great week!
Lesa

Christmas in May

I've been wanting to paint this little table with a Christmas theme, but as the holidays approach I run out of time and never get it done, so I decided that this would be the perfect time to get the job done.

This is what I started out with...a simple round pine table...

This is what I transformed it into for the holidays...

Thank you for stopping by for a visit!  Have a great week.

Lesa

Message Board

It's nothing that hasn't been done already, but I wanted to share it with you anyway.

I had an old window frame and decided to do the "chalkboard thing" with it.  I didn't make it for myself, but for a craft show that my sister, Jill, convinced me to do.  It's not until November, but it's four days long so that means I need alot of stuff!  This is one project that I will be selling.

So, back  to the chalkboard...here's what I started with...

I sanded the window frame and then applied a couple of coats of creamy white paint.  I sanded it again to expose some of the old paint and wood and then applied a dark walnut stain to the top to give it a warm, aged appearance.  I measured the two window inserts and cut my 1/4" mdf to fit.  I gave the boards three coats of chalk paint by Decoart, letting each coat completely dry.

I secured the chalkboard inserts into the back of the window frame.

I then decided to cut the letters to spell "Messages" out of the same 1/4" mdf.

I just used my computer to print the letters and then traced them onto the board.  I cut the letters out on my scrollsaw, gave them a light sanding to remove any rough edges and then stained them with a dark walnut stain.  I used hot glue to secure them to the window frame.  I then secured a self-levelling hanger to the back for hanging.

One project finished...I have alot of work ahead of me!!  Thank you for stopping by...hope you have a great week!

Lesa

Table Centerpiece

I'm not really sure if this is worthy of posting, but I'll share it just because and, yes, it's another pallet project!!  I needed something for my kitchen table so I started with this...

I cut it down to make it look like a rustic box.  It needed handles on the sides but I wasn't about to head downtown to buy some, so I cut two blocks of wood from the leftover pallet wood, added a large screw to each block of wood and hung these hook thingys (they do have a name) on the screw to make them look like rustic handles - not functional and just for "show".

I had flowers that were given to me so I put them in the box...

I also tried using a bunch of artificial daisies...(real would be much better!)

Whatever I decide to use, I think this will be a suitable and functional kitchen table centerpiece...for now.

Thank you for stopping by and taking a look...have a great day!

Lesa

The Making of a Collage

I finally figured out what to do with one of the two large window frames I bought last year for $10.00.  I decided to make a collage of my kids and use the window as the frame.  I know, this is nothing new, but I wanted to share my "creation" with you.

I started out with this...

One side had glass and the other did not, so I took a hammer and smashed the one remaining pane out of the frame.  Once the glass and all the sharp edges were removed, I sanded the entire frame to clean it up.  I had plans to paint it, however, the green paint on the frame actually matched (almost) perfectly with the green I had painted my entryway, so I decided to leave it as is and apply a dark walnut stain to the surface to enhance the wood grain showing through the bottom.

Next, I cut two pieces of glass to fit inside each window panel.

Now the hard part...finding enough pictures of my kids to make a large collage and, I have to admit, this was the tough part.  I've never been one to take alot of pictures and I discovered that I didn't take very many as they were growing up.  (regrets!)  Anyway, I gathered what I could and started attaching them to acid-free foamcore.  I then matted each collage with a creamy white matboard.  I secured the collage behind the glass and attached picture hanging hardware to the back.

I then cut the letters "love" from 1/4" mdf board using my scrollsaw and a small heart from scrap plywood.  I covered the heart with sheet moss and stained, painted and sanded the letters.  I attached the letters with hot glue and used jute twine to attach the moss heart to the frame.  The window frame already had a hole in it so I thought I'd get some use out of it.

I'm quite happy with the way it turned out.  It measures 5 ft. x 30" so it covers a large area in my hallway.  Now I just need to figure out what to put on either side of it.

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

Lesa