Tag Archives: custom wood signs

Fresh Cut Flowers and a Mason Jar!

fresh cut 14

Well, I have been dealing with 3 sick kids and a sick hubby since Wednesday, and I am beat! My post on Thursday let you know about my son Jordan, and how we feared he had the chicken pox. It turned out it wasn’t, but Thursday night the poor guy was sick all.night.long. And I was on mama duty, sleeping on the couch next to him, doing keep-up-on-the-cleanup-duty. Then he needed a second night on the couch with me beside him, just in case.  Yesterday we figured he was good enough to take out, but alas, there we were in the parking lot of the dollar store, when Anna suddenly got sick. Yup. And who walked by but an old friend from highschool.  Of course. Luckily he is an elementary PE teacher, and was very, very kind. I went inside with the baby, to buy some ginger ale, and… the baby started vomiting. Everywhere. That was not a fun ride home. Poor hubby got it by 9:00 pm. Again, on mama duty, I have now spent 3 nights in a row on the couch, have seen (and smelled) way more than I ever needed to, and I am beat! (I am writing this post Sunday night). I hope that wasn’t too much info for you all, but I needed to get it off my chest!

So now I would like to focus on something that makes me much happier, a little project I managed to pull off last week, and I love this little darling!

custom wood signs

Fresh Cut Flowers!

What do ya think???

Here’s my “how-I-did-it”:

custom wood sign

I started out with my piece of pine, painted the outer border brown, and the inside roughly with a blue, both from my craft paint selection...

 

wood sign tutorial, with mason jar

...I used a new tip I found online: before adding the top layer of paint, apply vaseline to the areas you want to have easily distresses, as the paint won't stick to these areas. I focused the vaseline on the corners, and added a few streaks randomly on the board. Best Tip Ever! ...

(Source for the Vaseline trick:  Shanty 2 Chic - awesome blog, I’ve learned many little tricks from here!)

...I then added a top coat of white paint....

 

...distressed with sandpaper...whew, that was easy!!! I LOVE the way both the blue and brown show from underneath...

 

...I had made my template on Picnik.com, and printed it out on my computer. Cut it and decided on its placement...

 

I colored the back of the template with pencil for the transfer method... I then used my favorite Sharpie paint pen to paint the letters in...

 

...traced the template with a ball point pen, and the lettering transfers onto the board...

 

I then took one of these plumber-thingies (oh, hubby just told me it's a 6" hose clamp)... Hubby helped with pounding a nail through 2 of the slots on this, so screws could fit through... I needed hubby's help a lot with this part of the project!

 

And used the hose clamp to hold my Mason Jar in place! (in case you don't know, because I didn't have a clue, the clamp tightens and loosens with the help of a drill at that big knobby part of it. You can completely open it up too, to screw it onto the board) ...After I took this picture I realized the jar didn't sit straight on the board, so you'll see in the later pictures that I adjusted the jar so the clamp sits lower...

 

...I waxed it the sign with Annie Sloan clear Wax, added a wire hangar to the back...

 

...picked our first blooms of daffodils from our garden, with a bit of "greenery" (lavender and chives), added a wee bit of twine to the mouth of the jar, and Ta-da!

 

...this baby will be hanging on my wall until it is sold!...

custom wood signs

Fresh Cut Flowers!

I’m holding on to this sign for our school’s ladies night, but you can check out my For Sale  page for more info on how to get your own!

I hope this sign makes you smile as much as it does for me, and I hope we all have a wonderful Monday!!

Thanks so much for reading!

xo, Leanne

 


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It Is Well With My Soul

custom wood signs

Yesterday we were in a bit of a panic, when Jordan was sent home from school in the morning because he had spots… which they figured were the chicken pox.  Suddenly my coffee date with my pregnant friend, and then a playdate with another family had to be cancelled, and we were on high alert. Chicken Pox?! Weren’t our kids vaccinated for this?? But after some research, I read it is still possible of get a mild case of it, even with vaccinations. Luckily we were able to get in with our family doctor, and he came to a much more relieving and believable diagnosis – Jordan’s allergies have been a little out of control this season, and now it’s coming through in his skin. This does not surprise me, as everything shows through my skin too… as an esthetician it was a bit intimidating to receive facials, as my co-workers were often able to tell what I was going through! But strangely enough, even though we know we are all-clear, I can’t stop itching! LOL

So, now that we are at peace again in our home, the following project is appropriate!

Another hymn that makes me sing! ”when peace like a river attendeth my soul, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, It is well with my soul!”

custom wood signs

It Is Well With My Soul

My How-I-Did-It:

custom wood signs

...beginning with a scrap piece of wood, I sanded, cleaned, and then stained it with the Dark Walnut from Minwax... I love the way the personality of the wood shows up with stain. My application process is to wear gloves, use a rag to wipe on, and a rag to wipe off 5 minutes later...

 

custom wood signs

...I had created my template on Picnik.com (which is closing in a few says, sigh), and printed it out on my printer... I cut the words and decided on their placing...

 

custom wood signs

... oh, before I cut the words, I prepared for my transfer method... because of the darkness of the stain, I chose to color the back of my template with yellow crayon, instead of the pencil or newspaper transfer method that I usually use...

 

custom wood signs

...taped the words into place, and I traced them with a ballpoint pen, which allows the yellow crayon to transfer onto the board...

 

custom wood signs

I used my trusty Sharpie paint pen to paint the words on.... and realized I couldn't see them! I tested it on hubby, and he couldn't read them either.... he suggested I outline them in white paint...

 

custom wood signs

...and I didn't like it. :( Hubby liked it, the kids loved it, but it wasn't my vision... this seems to be a theme with me lately! So it sat on the mantle for a few days while I tried to decide what to do...

 

...I decided to give it a coat of antique white, and I was planning on sanding it, and re-painting the words over top of this new coat...

 

...and as I sanded it, I started to love it!...

 

...as the white sanded away, the colors underneath began showing in a new way...

 

...I was loving the way the heart was showing...

 

...and we could all read the words!...

 

...there is still a hint of white, but the beautiful stain still shows...

 

...I have since waxed it and added a twine hangar to it...very sweet!...

 

...and it will be added to my For Sale page soon!

I hope you love it!  :)   Feel free to pin away!!

Here’s to a fabulous Thursday and a chicken pox – FREE home!  Have a great day, and thank you so much for reading!  OH!  And before I forget, if you are a fan of Naartjia clothing for kids, they are having sales GALORE, and are opening a Canadian website April 19th!  Whootwhoot!  If you decide to make a purchase, I would be extremely grateful if you did it through the links below!  Thank you!!

Naartjia Kids is opening a CANADIAN online Store!!  If you are a fan, you must check out the following link!!

Grand Opening Sale!! Receive 25% Off Entire Purchase with code word: DELIGHT When You Shop Our *BRAND NEW* Canadian Webstore, April 19-25!

| ONE DAY ONLY | Summer 2 Collection Launch! Entire Stock of Essentials $8 EACH! (April 12)


xo, Leanne

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