Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Free Windows

This was the year of free old windows.
Word has spread that I make various 
things from the chippy old panes.
My shed rafters are busting with
the stockpile!  It's been a while since
I made some wall art windows.
Here is my latest creation:


I love this quote & think it 
speaks to a lot of other people!

My handy dandy book called 
THE INSPIRATION STATION
is loaded with phrases, quotes & titles
for scrapbookers & cardmakers.
I use it to dream up new projects 
all the time.

I used my Cricut machine to cut
the adhesive vinyl letters & 
"eyeballed" them on!

Linking up to:


Holiday DIY party


Friday, December 18, 2015

More Arrow Signs!

I'm loving all the more
natural trends right now.
They call it "woodland" style.

As an avid outdoors lover,
decorating with arrows & antlers 
comes very easily!


The "happy" signs have gone well 
at my craft booth.

Here are a few of the holiday 
signs I made...


Linking up to:



AND


Rooted In Thyme





Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Fancy Desk

Hi folks.
I'm excited to share a cool desk transformation
with you.  I forgot to get a "before" picture.
But as you can imagine, it was your typical 
dark brown wooden desk. 

Here is the updated piece...


This was a ready to paint, sturdy desk.
It had minimal varnish & since I planned on
distressing the edges, I did no sanding at all!
I chose not to prime either.
In my opinion,
skipping these steps should 
only happen if you: 
Use Annie Sloan Paint
or
Plan on a very distressed look
Clean well with TSP
Apply a super thin base layer
Give the first layer ample dry time


It had great hardware,
which can make or break 
your furniture sale.
These were intricate, 
fine & had a great patina!


The top got a fancy stencil design.
I made it using my Cricut machine & 
adhesive vinyl.


It's a messy, tedious process.  But in the 
end it is very much worth the time.
I've gotten pretty fast at it!
Sometimes choosing the design can be tricky.


For creative stencils,
the biggest trick is to
make sure your base layers of paint
are good & dry.  Otherwise, when you pull 
your tape & stencils off the paint will 
peel right off with it.
I don't apply much pressure to the
tape either.  


Now the honest breakdown...

paint brand: Valspar

desk cost: $5

selling price: $80

After cleaning,
 3 coats of paint,
stencil time,
& distress sanding:
about 3-4 hours of work

Now, I am already moving 
on to my next project!

Linking up to:
and