DIY Vintage Style Wood Valentine's Day Heart Decoration Tutorial

Today, I'm doing my first DIY project in a very long time. It's a DIY vintage style wood Valentine's day heart decoration for the front porch of the farmhouse. Even though I'm using it against a wall this year, I made it two sided so that I can use it in a window (where it will be seen from both sides) in the future.

Vintage French Carved Wood Chair Preservation and Mini Makeover

As much as I love painting furniture, there are times when I think that pieces are better off left alone.  Such is the case with this sweet little vintage French carved wood side chair that found me a few weeks ago. Sometimes, I'm lucky enough to find a chair that needs very little work. This is one of those chairs. To me, this chair was perfect when we found each other in every way...except for one.

How to Make Easy Wooden Christmas Stocking Holders

Today, I'm delighted to be a part of a group of 30 incredible bloggers who are sharing ideas for creating a hand made holiday in your home.  Yesterday I finally decided to finish decorating our mantel for the holidays.
Yes, I realize that Christmas is only two and a half weeks away...but my sons don't get home from college for another week so if you don't say anything, I won't.

Reclaimed Wood Easter Bunny Art {Tutorial}

You've probably guessed after seeing my Stenciled Burlap Bunny Table Runner and Upcycled Baby Food Jar Bunny Candy Holders that I have a bunny "thing" going on at our home this spring.

Iron Wheels and Pallet Wood: Building A Harvest Cart

Do you have friends who give you really cool gifts?

The kind that you didn't really even that know you needed?

Like these "wheels"  that recently found their way to me via my friend, Paulie, the scrap metal dealer,

Pallet Wood Fence Board American Flag DIY

I always love a project that combines the use of loads of tools with math. Yep, I'm a geek...I do math for a living and I'm the daughter of an engineer. Need I say more?! So when I realized that I could use pallet wood or fence boards to make my own DIY American flag for the 4th of July, I knew that I had to do it!  It all started with THIS adorable mantel. Note the cute "beachy" flag?! 

 

The original post, by Kevin and Layla at The Lettered Cottage  is from 2009.  Of course, it looks familiar, it's all over Pinterest.

Then I saw the cute flag wall decor from Pottery Barn.

What's a girl to do? I don't want to have to choose just one!   So I did what any girl with her own power tools and a week of vacation would do, I made both.  I took a quick trip to The Home Depot to purchase ten,  four foot cedar fence boards ($1.08 each). These are the same boards that I used for the nursery signs that I made a few days ago. 

Then, on Monday morning, I bought these:


I assembled two flags using the same basic design and five boards each. I cut the "fence top" ends off of the boards,  ripped them in half lengthwise,and ripped one of the half-sections in half again (stay with me here, that's a board that's 4 feet long and 1/4 the width of the original board).  Then, I cut that board in half lengthwise (this yields 2 pieces, 23 1/2 inches long which I used to make the bracing strips that go on the back to hold it together). I screwed the flags together with 1 1/4 inch screws, being careful to make sure that they wouldn't go all the way through the front.

 Then came the math. Height divided by 13 stripes = 1.88 inches for each stripe. Comeon, really!? 

After realizing that I had 1 1/2 and 2 inch blue tape and neither of them would work,  I went to the hardware store to buy Frog Tape which is exactly .90 inches wide. I used two pieces side-by-side and it worked perfectly.  Next came the paint. I used an old trick that I learned in art school: I applied several different colors of red using a plastic spatula. This gave the piece an aged look even before I sanded it.

I did the same thing for the blue ground for the stars. Then, it was on to the math for the stars. You don't really want to go into that, do you!?  Let's just say that it wasn't easy and admit that I just eyeballed the placement...and yes, there really are 50 of them, trust me, I counted.

The piece was sanded and glazed. Then, I added a little Serendipity

 

Next, I moved on to the "beachy" flag. I used the same basic design but this time, I did fewer, wider, stripes and made them a single color (ASCP Old White mixed 1:2 with Duck Egg). The star ground was two shades of blue, put on with a spatula.

 I was trying to figure out a more "nautical" feel for the "America" that I put in the lower right corner. I thought about rope, considered dipping it in Elmer's Glue, then, in what was either a moment of brilliance or a rush that was likely induced by the three Diet Coke's that I had before eleven  this morning, I figured out that I could "write" on a nylon cutting board with hot glue and stick the rope to the glue. Then, when I allowed it to cool, I simply peeled it from the board and, viola!, the letters held their shape!!!!!

 So, there you have it. One flag, two ways.

xo,

S

Resource list:
Lumber and hemp rope: Home Depot
Paint: Annie Sloan Olde White (for all of the white) and Duck Egg for the beachy stripes
          Various shades of acrylic craft paint for the remainder of the painting
Starfish: Ebay
Star stencil: left from a project that I did when my now 17 year old son was two years old and going through his "spaceman" phase. Yeah, I actually hung onto it for that long...and managed to find it!

Linking to:

AKA Design 
Beyond the Picket Fence 
Coastal Charm 
Common Ground
Craftomaniac 
Craftionary 
Embracing Change 
Family and Home Life 
Home Stories A to Z 
House of Hepworth 
Itsy Bitsy Paper 
Not Just A Housewife 

Shades of Amber
Stone Gable
Stuff and Nonsense
Tatertots and Jello
The Shabby Creek Cottage
The Vintage Farmhouse
Tip Junkie
You're Talking Too Much

 Featured:

 

Signs of Affection: My First "Commissioned" Piece

I got an urgent email yesterday. It was from a friend of mine who is expecting her first Grandson in a few weeks. The note contained a link to a blog post from Corner House, (an adorable blog, by the way), and this photo:             

PHOTO CREDIT AND INSPIRATION: CORNER HOUSE

Behind the scenes - Thanksgiving Tablescape.

As promised, here are the details of the table scape posted yesterday:

Table Cloth: two 9x12 PAINTER's DROP CLOTHS (yep, that's right, folded them in half, put them on the table) - they came from our local paint store and cost $9 each.

Table Runner: Men's suiting fabric, hounds tooth wool. Closeout at Joann's $3.99 used my Merry Moolah coupon for $5 off my purchase of $25.00 so the table runner and a ball of jute were FREE
Had enough left over to make a runner for the sideboard and wrap 14 votive cups for individual centerpieces at each place.

Wood Chargers: These were a challenge at first but I found out that anyone with a steady hand and a chainsaw can make them.  Traci at Whimsy in Morris has a guy who will do it. I found a really nice man named Tim who owns a mill in Yorkville that will do it and I found out that I can actually do it as well. 

Vintage Brown and White Transfer ware Dinner Plates: Borrowed from my friend, Ann at Nellie's. They were PERFECT...and although priceless, they were FREE to borrow.

Small Bread Plates: Purchased at the Goodwill on a Tuesday during customer appreciation and got a 20% off scratch off. They cost 35 cents each. Total $4.90

Candlesticks, teapot, candles, silverware, glassware, votive holders, napkins:  From my collection.

Centerpiece: Old, wooden shipping crate gifted to me by the same friend (Ann) who loaned me the dishes.  She waxed it brown, I added 4 men's belts from Goodwill ($0.99 each), dried hydrangea and dried flowers from my yard, a couple of nests that I had on hand, some lotus pods, pine cones and dried artichokes (also on hand)  I purchased greens, tallow berries, 3 "quails" and 5 magnificent turquoise hydrangea. Total investment for an incredible centerpiece that I'm going to redo slightly for Christmas as well as the 14 individual place setting pieces: about $40.
Jute Tied Napkins with Leaves:  Punched out the leaves at Archivers. Bought 3 sheets of card stock, used their die cut machine at no charge: Cost $1.50.

Total investment? $68.50 and while that is a significant amount of money, the dropcloths, plates and table runner are all reusable and I was able to set a table that made an impression that will last a lifetime for my family and friends. 

I spent today cutting down the last of the garden and raking the last of the leaves (16 barrels and bags full...it took me all day!) Tomorrow, I'm planting tulips for next spring. Then, it's on to Christmas Decorating!

P.S. Yes, we removed the centerpiece during dinner. It's probably taller than the "ideal" would be but it is PERFECT for me!

Have a wonderful weekend.

xo,

S

Giving Thanks

It starts when we're young.  Older adults shape our lives. They teach us about love...and gratitude. In some of my very earliest memories, I was taught to say "please" and "thank-you". It's a basic concept for most of us.  Human decency, kindness, thoughtfulness. I like to think that I do a pretty good job, most of the time, remembering, to express my thanks.