DIY: Painted Wooden Letters

My parents created a super fun playroom for their grandchildren.  It is packed full of all sorts of toys.  The toy room has each grandchild's name on the wall in jumbo wooden letters.

The wooden letters were purchased at Michaels and are about twelve inches tall.  They are solid white.  Here are some ideas as to how they can be painted...

Pink with Polka Dots

 

 

My mom painted the first grandchild's letters dark pink then she traced small circles all over the letters.  She painted the circles light pink.  The light pink circles have two thin coats of paint.  The key is to avoid applying the paint too thick so that the strokes do not show.    When using this technique, the letters end up looking very nice and professional.  

The completed letters look great hanging on the wall or standing on a shelf.  We chose to hang "Myla's" name on the wall on a diagonal, as shown in he picture below.

 

Lime Green with Pink Hearts

 

When the next grandchild came along we decided to use vinyl decals instead of painting accents on the letters.  My mom painted the letters lime green.  I then cut hearts in various sizes on my Cricut machine.  I used pink vinyl for the hearts.  We peeled the hearts off of the backing and stuck them randomly on each of the letters.  It was super easy and the result looked great!  Using the Cricut machine allows you to add more detailed accents that would be very difficult to paint on the letters.

 

We staggered "Camille's" letters across one of the playroom walls, as shown below.

 

Blue with Green Dots and Swirls

 

The next grandchild's letters were created by painting the background blue.  I then cut small green vinyl dots and swirls using my Cricut machine.  I applied the dots and swirls randomly to each of the letters.

 

We then hung "Grady's" name in a straight line across one of the walls, as shown below.

DIY: Wreath For Your Front Door!

Do you need a new wreath, but don't want to pay the high prices for a pre-made wreath?  Or, maybe you don't like what you see available in stores.  Here's an idea...make your own wreath!  Anyone, crafty or not, can make a great looking wreath.  Here's how...

Step 1: Look at Samples

 

Put some time into researching wreath styles that you like.  It is easier to craft something if you have a sample to follow.  Take note of how many different blooms are on the wreath and if there are any greens (leaves, grasses, etc.).  Also, decide if you would like to include a bow or ribbon.

Step 2: Get Supplies

 

In order to make a wreath like the one shown below you will need the following supplies...

• floral wire (green or brown)
• scissors
• grapevine wreath
• 4 floral sprigs (2 lime green, 2 pink)
• 2 light pink hydrangeas
• 2 gladiolus (2 blooms on one stem)
• 24" piece of burlap (approx. 5" wide)

Step 3: Assemble the Base of the Wreath

Attach the lime green floral sprigs to the grapevine wreath.  This sprig should wrap around the top of the grapevine wreath.  Take the floral wire through the branches on the wreath and through the parts of the floral sprigs so that the wire is hidden.  Wrap around several times to catch all parts of the floral sprig.  Be sure to leave the tips flowers loose so that the wreath has a natural look.

Attach the second lime green floral sprig.  This sprig should wrap around the bottom half of the wreath, as shown in the picture below.  You may need to cut off part of the stem if it is too long.

 

Step 4: Attach Burlap

Crunch the burlap together (as shown below) or tie to create a bow.  Hold the burlap in place to make sure that you like the positioning on the wreath.  Take the floral wire through part of the branches on the grapevine wreath then through the part of the burlap that is against the wreath.  Continue threading and wrapping until the burlap is secure and looks the way that you want it to.

 

Step 5: Attach Remaining Flowers

 

Lay out the remaining flowers on the wreath to set them up the way that you want.  Start by attaching the ones on the bottom and working your way to the ones on the top.

I attached the pink floral sprigs next.  One is at the top and one is at the bottom.  Then I placed one of the gladiolus at the bottom.  I then placed a hydrangea at the bottom so that it sat slightly on top of the gladiolus.  I then attached a hydrangea at the top, and then fit the last gladiolus in just below the top hydrangea.  I had to cut the stems off of the gladiolus and hydrangea blooms.

If there are any leaves included with the stem of flowers, be sure to incorporate them into the wreath, as well.  The leaves create a nice background and give the wreath dimension.  You can see the final product in the picture below.

Step 6: Attach Hook and Hang

 

Using the floral wire create a small hook to attach to the back of the grapevine wreath at the top.  Use the hook to hand the wreath on your door.

DIY: Refinished Antique Closet Storage Unit

My grandma had this great storage unit in her walk-in closet.  My mom could see great potential in it, so my grandma gave it to her to refinish.  The pictures below will take you through the process of freshening up the tired piece of furniture!  This technique can be used to refinish any piece of wood furniture.

Step 1: Prep the Piece of Furniture 

Remove Knobs

Sand

Sand all parts of the piece of furniture.  Sanding is very easy if you use an orbital sander as shown in the picture below.  Some parts may need to be sanded by hand with sand paper.  In the pictures below, you can see that the piece of furniture has angled shoe shelves.  There is not enough space between the shelves to use the power sander, so those were sanded by hand.

Wipe Down

In order to remove all of the dust from sanding, wipe the piece of furniture clean using a damp cloth.  After it dries, wipe again using a dry cloth to remove any leftover dust particles. 

Step 2: Repair Damaged Areas

In the pictures below, you can see that there was some minor damage to the closet storage unit.  The damage was not extensive, only a few minor holes.  In order to repair the holes place a small amount of vinyl spackling in the hole.  Wipe over the spackling with a damp cloth to make sure that it is smooth and level. 

Before

After

Before                                                    After

Before

After

Step 3: Apply Primer & Paint Base Coat

Apply a coat of a good primer, like Kilz or Zinnser.  This will cover any spackling used to repair damaged and any knots that might be in the wood.  After the primer has completely dried, paint the storage unit with the base coat that you would like to use for the piece of furniture.

Step 4: Distress

Using an orbital sander distress the edges of the piece of furniture.  You can distress to your desired liking.  The more distressing you do, the more rustic the finished piece will look.  The most important thing to remember about distressing is that the paint must cure (fully dry) before you can use a sander on it.  If you try to distress the paint too soon, it will gum up. 

Step 5: Apply Decorative Paint & Reattach Knobs

Using painter's tape, tape off a pattern that you would like to paint on the piece of furniture.  This could be stripes, a chevron pattern, or other stylistic design.  On the piece below plain masking tape was used.  I would suggest using painter's tape, like FrogTape.  If you are concerned about the paint bleeding under the tape (which it shouldn't if you use FrogTape) then you should paint the edge of the tape with a clear paint coat.  This will seal the edge.  Remove the tape immediately after painting the decorative coat. 


The decorative effects created on the closet storage unit shown below were done using two very similar green colors (one lighter than the other).  Several widths of stripes were painted and several sizes of circles were painted using the two different colors.

How to Make an Old Window into a Picture Frame

 

For my sister-in-law's bridal shower, my mom wanted to make her a special gift containing pictures of my sister-in-law and my brother.  My mom decided to make an old window into a picture frame.  Here's how she did it...

 

Steps to Make an Old Window into a Picture Frame

 

Step 1: Get an Old Wooden Window

 

You can find old windows at flea markets, yard sales, or antique stores.  We found the one above at a flea market for five dollars!  Make sure that the window you purchase is in good condition.  Be aware of any rotting wood that might be starting to occur in the old window.

 

Step 2: Apply Painter's Tape to the Glass

 

Apply painter's tape around the edges of the glass that are touching the wood.  This will protect the glass when you are sanding, as well as painting the wooden parts of the window.

 

Step 3: Sand the Window

 

To ensure a smooth finish, sand any old paint or rough spots off of the wooden parts of the window.  Make sure that you apply painter's tape to the glass.  If the sand paper touches the glass, it will leave marks in the glass.  After sanding, wipe the window clean.

 

Step 4: Apply Primer

 

Use a primer on the wooden parts of the window to make sure that any old stain does not bleed through.  This will also help to prevent rotting of the wood.  Remove the painter's tape immediately after applying the primer. 

 

Step 5: Apply Paint



Reapply painter's tape, then paint the wood a color of your choice.  We chose to paint our window frame black.  After painting, remove the painter's tape immediately.  After the paint dried we distressed the edges of the frame to give it a more rustic look.  If you choose to distress your frame, use a fine grit sandpaper on the edges of the frame.  This will strip some of the paint away, leaving the unfinished wood to show through, thus giving it a country/antique finish.

 

Step 6: Get a Plexiglass Acrylic Sheet

 

Get a Plexiglass Acrylic Sheet from a local hardware store.  You will need to have this piece of plexiglass cut to a size that will cover the back of your window frame. 

 

Step 7: Add Pictures to the Plexiglass Acrylic Sheet

 

Using double stick tape, place the pictures onto the plexiglass.  Make sure that the pictures are positioned exactly how you would like them to look when you place the plexiglass behind the window. 

Step 8: Attach the Plexiglass Acrylic Sheet to the Window

Drill several small holes around the outside edges of the plexiglass.  Place the plexiglass on the back of the window (check to make sure that the pictures are lined up perfectly within the window panes).  Drill tiny screws into the holes that you previously made in the plexiglass.  This will secure the plexi-glass to the window.  Be careful not to insert the screw too far, or you might crack the plexiglass.

Step 9: Add a Quote

 

 

At the top of the frame we added a quote that says, "All because two people fell in love."  This quote is made out of white vinyl, which was cut on a Cricut machine.

 

The Completed Window Picture Frame

Personal Gift - Wooden Silhouette Art

I saw this really cool painted sign in a FrogTape advertisement in a "This Old House" magazine.  I instantly wanted to try to recreate one for myself.  Instead of making a sign, though, I decided to create silhouette art of my children and niece for my mom for Mother's Day.  I think the artwork turned out really well and my mom loved the sentimental gift!
 

The Sign That Inspired My Silhouette Art!

 

FrogTape Ad from "This Old House"

My Completed Silhouette Art

 

How to Make Wooden Silhouette Art

 

Step 1: Cut, Sand, and Stain Wood

 

Get a piece of wood at a hardware store or use an old piece that you might have lying around. I used a piece of pine that I purchased from Home Depot. I figured out how big I wanted each silhouette to be, then I cut the piece of wood to a size that would look good with my three silhouettes.
 

After cutting the wood, I sanded the surface of the board and the edges using an orbital sander with fine sand paper. Be careful not to use a sandpaper with a large grit because it will leave scratches on the wood that will show up after applying the stain.

 

Step 2: Create the Silhouettes

 

I took profile pictures of my children and my niece.  As you can see, the quality of these pictures is not really important.  If you can have the subject in front of a solid background that makes creating the silhouette easier.  After taking the profile pictures, use Photoshop to create a silhouette.  Once the silhouette is created and sized appropriately, print it out on card stock and cut it out.  If you do not have Photoshop you could simply enlarge the picture so that each head (or whatever you are using for the silhouette) is the size that you would like it to be on the completed board.  Have the picture printed and carefully cut the profile out.

 

Originally, I also created the names on Photoshop.  But when I printed them on card stock and attempted to cut them they were really small, and I thought the letters might lose some of their smoothness as I attempted to cut them twice (you will be cutting vinyl in step 3).  I then decided to create the names by cutting vinyl letters with my Cricut machine.
 

Pictures of the Silhouettes I Created

 

 

 

After the Silhouettes Were Printed on Card stock and Cut



Step 3: Trace the Silhouette on Vinyl and Cut

 

Place the card stock silhouettes on a piece of contact paper or vinyl and trace the outline carefully.  Then cut the contact paper very precisely; the way that you cut it will be exactly how the final product will look.  At this point you will also need to cut the names and ages out of the vinyl by hand or with a cutting machine, like the Cricut.

 

Step 4: Stick the Vinyl on the Board

 

 

In this step you will need to remove the backing from the contact paper and attach the vinyl to the board.  Make sure that the stain is completely dry before completing this step.  After attaching the silhouettes, names, and ages to the board, use the edge of a ruler to smooth any bubbles and to make sure that all of the edges are stuck tightly to the board. 

In the picture above the silhouettes are cut out of contact paper and the names and ages are cut out of red vinyl that I use for my Cricut machine (in case you were wondering why the colors are different!).

Step 5: Apply Clear Coat to Seal Vinyl

**THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT!

Get a small can of a Clear Protector from a hardware store.  Using a foam brush apply a coat of the Clear Protector over all of the edges of the vinyl.  This will create a seal so that paint will not seep under the vinyl. 

Step 6: Paint the Board

 

Using a foam roller and foam brush (these will not show brush strokes) paint the entire board.  If you chose not to paint the back of the board you might want to use FrogTape so that you don't have to worry about paint from the edges running onto the back.

 

Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on top step 7.

 

Step 7: Tape the Chevron Pattern, Paint, and Remove Tape

 

After the paint has dried completely, apply FrogTape in a Chevron (zigzag) pattern.  In order to tape my board I did a lot of measuring and marking with a pencil so that I made sure my tape was applied evenly.  Immediately after taping, paint the board with a different color paint.  After the paint has been applied, carefully remove the tape.  You will then have something that looks similar to the picture below. 

 

You will notice in this picture that when I removed the tape a little bit of my white paint pulled off as well.  I had to lightly sand that area then reapply white paint.  This happened because I did not allow the white paint to cure before applying the FrogTape.

 

Step 8: Remove the Vinyl

 

This step is very tedious because you must cut around the vinyl using a Xacto knife to break the seal that was created from the Clear Protector.  Do this step very slowly and carefully so that you do not peel off any of the paint.  After removing all of the vinyl your artwork should look similar to the picture above.

 

Step 9: Distress, if Desired

 

If you like a more rustic look, you have the option to distress the edges of the board.  To distress the board, use a fine grit sandpaper and an orbital sander.  If you attempt to sand the surface of the board, be very careful around the silhouette as the paint might pull away from the board.  Good luck!