Wood Message Board

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Ours was so special, lots of turkey and even more hugs and smiles all around.
Time with family is so very precious....and thanking our Lord for all his many blessings.

I love creating gifts for family & friends. My sweet friend (Dawn) at work is like a sister to me, we share office space and a very unique friendship. Her birthday was last week and I had been struggling to come up with a gift idea. Then I remembered seeing a cute wood message board at my daughters the last time I went to Atlanta for a visit and thought...I can make one of those!!

Please excuse hot glue strings, I snapped a picture before that was cleaned up. I knew that I wanted to try to make this message board out of materials that were on hand in the garage and my craft stash.

Mr. Darling found some board that had been saved when he removed some old shelving from the basement. Once a decision was made on the size (approx. 8 1/2" x 11") he got to work measuring for the cuts.

 

 

I have not graduated to a saw like this yet so I observed and took pictures.

 

 

Next we used 5/8" wood dowel rod that he had several of.

He cut them 5" long and they will be the stands that support the message board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We measured the back of the board to drill holes for the dowels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sanded it some but not completely, leaving several stain marks might look better since this wood is pine. 

 

 

I watered down some of my homemade chalk paint to just lightly go over the surface. My daughter is a stylist and sometimes I get her old hair color application brushes. This one did a nice job.

 

 

After the first application dried it needed something else to give it more of a weathered look. I like using acrylic paints and watering them down to use like stain. I lightly brush it on then wipe it off with a cotton cloth.

 

There was no method to this, I just kept applying the two colors and wiping off  till I was happy with the way it looked. 

 

 

There was leftover burlap wire ribbon from fall bouquets and it would make a great bow at the top of the board. 

 

 

 

 Wood glue for the dowels and let it dry overnight.

 

 

 I did buy some small wood letters to paint and attach to personalize it. A clothespin was painted and attached with hot glue just below the burlap bow to hold pictures, notes or whatever she likes.

 

 

Dawn and her husband have been building a cabin in the timber for a couple of years now. Its gonna make a great getaway for them and maybe this little message board can be a nice addition to her cabin décor. 

 

 

 

She liked it a lot... I liked seeing a big smile on my dear friends face!

 

 

 Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Have a great Day!

Karen

 

Let It Snow!

Well, it's here. The first snow of the season. Many people have been talking about how much they are dreading the impending storm. I just listen and nod my head in agreement while inside I am still like a child, fascinated and excited, especially for the first snow. After arriving home yesterday afternoon from the market not much had happened, just a few flurries.

 

There is just something about having all the errands done and settling in for the afternoon and evening waiting for the big event. It really puts me in the Holiday spirit and what a better time than a week before Thanksgiving. I guess that "spirit" prompted the purchase of a new tree yesterday for the living room (old tree is too big for the space) and plans are to set it up and start decorating after we stuff ourselves with turkey and pumpkin pie!

 

Anyway, this is what we woke to this morning.

 

 

I'm sure I was the only one outside taking pictures LOL!

I can't help it, just don't want to miss having pictures to share with all my family & buddies who still reside south of the Mason Dixon Line. They all want to know how I deal with the cold and my reply is...

just traded in my sandals for a pair of these.

 

 

They are fun and the cute fur trim gives them a little bit of a feminine flair. My little Oaks absolutely loves this time of year. He has a thick coat and enjoys the playtime in the snow with mommy.

He gives this move to the Midwest a big thumbs up!

 

 

The sun is out now so we will be back outside to enjoy some time before it turns to slush and then it's gone.

Have a Super Saturday!

Karen

French Provencial Dresser Makeover

I have this kinda love for ornate furniture...you know the curvy lines and detail. Hmmm... just minding my own business when this little lovely called my name.

She had several coats of paint and you can see on top where there is paint missing in spots. That's where I started peeling the contact paper off of it, immediately! That's right, I was so anxious I started messing with it before taking a picture.

My darling takes me out for Starbucks and shopping pretty often and he knows my preference, not the mall but any thrift store in town. There is one in particular that has the biggest selection of furniture ever. I lost a hutch one time there because of my indecisiveness. That was not gonna happen again. We checked it over to make sure it was made well and found this tag.

I googled this name to get more info about the manufacturer on the tag. This furniture company was based in Indiana and has been around since 1883. It does not tell me much about the value of the piece but it satisfied my curiosity and looks very sturdy. There is a swivel mirror that was attached (did not have my camera) and my darling had to remove it to fit in our vehicle, talk about a tight fit...but we made it work.

I decided to mix up my own chalk paint from some paint that was saved from being thrown out. You see, I work for a commercial painting company so when a job is finished and there is leftover paint it is stacked out in the shop on pallets. If anyone wants it you just put your name on it and take it home. Pretty nice perk huh. I took two 5 gallon buckets since it is a neutral beige color. Darling said, "that's way too much paint, you will never use it all" What does a DIY chick do with 10 gallons of neutral paint??

PAINT EVERYTHING!

But first comes a lot of prep. I did not want to try to cover up the 3 to 4 layers already on it so out comes the heat gun. Time to strip it down to the bare wood. And did it ever take time...

After many hours of stripping and getting a couple of burns on my fingers it was time to start sanding. I used my darlings electric sander and got all the flat surfaces. Then a sanding sponge (medium grit) was used for all those curved edges and hard to get at places. She is now sanded and prepped for painting which is the fun part...Yea!!

 My day off was saved for the actual paint application. I got everyone out the door to work and school, put on some 80s music and got to work in the garage. Here is a close-up of the painting done on the mirror attachment.

Next in line was the back on the mirror. It looked just dreadful and like it had been removed many times over the years. I was fairly certain once removed again there would be nothing left to reattach so my darling set out for the hardware store and picked up some thin board. Honestly I don't know what its called or the actual thickness of it but it looked way better and cleaner than what was already on it.

I watched him get to work tracing the old backing onto the new board. Once he was happy with his lines it was time to use the jigsaw to cut...

and cut some more...

While he began attaching the new backing to the mirror...

it was time for me to check the drying process of the hardware I had spray painted earlier. I used an old box to stick nails in, each one far enough apart to hold the hardware up off the surface so they could be painted & dried all in one step. I used more of the oil rubbed bronze leftover from the lamp project.

Dry!! Looks like my dresser will make it to my room before the day is over. The hardware is really standing out now, don't you think?

I am just loving the way she looks now...
lots of character and detail.

My granny made this doily many years before she passed on. I think it looks very nice and I am sure granny would like it too.

My darling is quite happy with this makeover and I am very thankful for his assistance in getting it finished and moved in our room.

It's such a nice feeling to look at this piece and know it is gonna be with us for a long time to come.
Have a great day.

Karen

These Old Lamps

My first attempt at a dual lamp makeover didn't turn out so bad, actually I am amazed at how good they look without having any experience using the oil rubbed bronze spray. This stuff is really easy to use, even for beginners like me! There were already many elements in the living room that came original with the oil rubbed bronze look so it made sense to tie the old lamps in with that. Let me show you what I mean...

      the ceiling fan that my darling installed, I just LOVE it!

          The drapery hardware....

 

and lamps for the couch side tables.

 

I know you must be thinking you see lots of brown and tan.

Neutrals are very safe and I am trying to expand my horizons and start adding some color to this space. Getting on with it though, here are the lamps before...

 

 

                                                                                  

This one belonged to my darling, he said it has been with him since the late 80s. I don't doubt that at all.

 

 

 

            This floor lamp is another "goodie" left behind in the basement when the previous owners moved out.

 

I did alot of looking and reading on Pinterest about which paint would give the best coverage and decided to go with the Rustoleum brand.

 

 

 

There was not much prep required except to wipe the base down with a damp cloth and masking tape around the power cord and switch. I did not document my progress once I got started. There was no one here to get pictures and stopping was kinda scary so I just kept going to make the coats nice and even.

 

New lamps shades were the next order of business but "new" was becoming out of the question. Searching many of the home improvement stores left me pretty disappointed as the least expensive shades they had were around $15.00 each. I looked at Goodwill but nothing caught my eye. So it was off to a big consignment store to see what they had. I looked again, and nothing. Heading out of the store I was thinking it would be awhile till this project would be complete. Just then I saw some carts that had arrived with new items to be put on consignment and at the top of one of those carts were shades that closely fit what I had been searching for. Looking them over quickly it was apparent to me these would not last very long. I asked a cashier if they were for sale before being priced and tagged. She said yes and priced them right there, made the tags and sold to me. Yea!!

 

 





I know...tan again.

 

 

but for this price there was no way I was walking away.

I will most likely change them later once a decision is made on some color to add to the room.

 

 

 

Here is my darling's old lamp...looks way better now.

 

 





 

and the old basement floor lamp...goodbye white and brass finish.

Hmmm....now I am thinking what is next on the list for an update?

There is plenty to choose from in that unfinished basement.

Yes, unfinished basement to finished basement is a project that is currently underway and I am excited to start sharing our progress on it very soon.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

 

Karen

 



Someones Trash, My Treasure

The basement in our home had a few goodies left behind by the previous owner. When I say "goodies" that's what they are to me. Maybe someone else would have thrown them out. This chair is one of a few pieces that will be getting updated. I removed the seat but decided to leave the vinyl cover that was already on it. It would be a good moisture barrier between the new fabric and the padding. I just wiped it down really good with some all purpose cleaner to remove dust and dirt.

I have seen a lot of furniture painted with chalk paint and had been itching to try it. With the expense of it though I was looking for an alternative and learned there are recipe's that show you how to make your own. This is the recipe I used and it turned out great! The best part is it gives amazing coverage and there is no sanding prior to applying it. I doubled the following recipe.

• 1 cup of latex paint
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons cool water
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons plaster of paris  (1 box is $6.98)

Other supplies
• glue gun
• staple gun
• fine grit sandpaper
• black pom trim
• fabric $2.97 yd.

Since there was some leftover paint from our 14 year old sons bedroom painting project that was sitting on a shelf in the basement I decided to use that. It's made by Sherwin Williams and the color is called Dorian Gray. I followed the recipe and whipped some up. The chair received 2 coats then some dry time.

After drying I lightly sanded over it to give it a little bit of a distressed look.

Black, white and gray paisley fabric was used to cover the seat. I found some for $2.97 a yard and it has a nice heavy weight to it. As you can see I used more fabric than was needed (quite a bit of extra on the back to staple down) That's okay, with more practice on future pieces my measurements will get better. And Yes! I am keeping my eyes open for that next piece that says, "take me home and give me a new look"

The seat was reattached and all that was left was to add a little flair to it.

Black pom trim seemed like it would finish the edges off nicely.(Please forgive my blurry photos,

 a camera upgrade will take care of that soon) I hot glued the trim around the edges and pretty much that was it.

I am really happy with the end result and even happier that it cost me just under $10.00 to do it. The plan was to have the chair on the front porch as part of my Fall display but it turned out so nice that its still in the house and a wicker chair and small side table went out there in its place. I will share what was done to those to breathe some new life in them in a later on.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Karen