~thrifty thursday~ {put a fork in it}

I was cleaning out our garden shed and decided we had one too many of the same thing.

So….. I decided to put this old pitchfork to use.

Before, plain old pitchfork:

After: directional sign which can be easily moved or taken down after party:

So, if you are having a get together and need to show where different activities are, get out some scrap wood, or use new, and paint the wording on.

Nail to the pitchfork and stick in the ground.

Easy peasy.

Like I said before, you can use scrap wood, but new works just as well.

You really don't even need to paint the wood first.

You can freehand arrows on each piece, or cut the ends to form a arrow using a saw set to a 45 degree angle.

For the wording I used sticker letters from the office supply store.

I have used these on numerous projects, they are a staple in my craft studio.

Simply stick them on and use a pencil to trace around.

Peel off and fill in with the color paint of your choice.

After it's dry you can rough up the lettering with sandpaper if you wish.

These do not have to be perfect, my kind of project!

I made these for when we have backyard bbq's and get togethers this summer.

When the time comes, I will get it out and stick it in the ground!

xoxo

~how to make a faux wood arrow~{thrifty thursday}

While I was hard at work on the One Room Challenge, one of the things I looked into was new flooring. Although those two things called "time" and "budget" came into play, so we ended up just touching up the floor we have. 

One thing home improvement stores are offering now is free floor samples.

I think this is genius for visual people like myself.

You can bring home samples and lay them out to see what it would look like.

Here are some samples I brought home. It's a whitewashed faux wood.

Each piece measures approx. 3x6"

After sitting around for a while I decided I'd put them to use and make a faux wood arrow, and here is how you can as well!

Gather your supplies.

You will need:

Liquid nails, or another strong glue.

Blue painters tape {optional}

MDF, I had some left over from my faux snakeskin drawer liners.

A pencil and ruler. {Or tape measure}

A jigsaw.

Lay out your pieces of flooring on a piece of MDF and glue down.

Place heavy objects on top and let dry several hours to overnight.

The following day, remove your heavy objects and using a pencil and ruler sketch out your arrow shape. There are so many different arrows to choose from.

You can make a whimsical one, or a traditional one, up to you.

{If you need a pattern you can enlarge one that you print from home at a copy center, cut out, and trace around it.}

I used blue painters tape to outline where I had drawn the pencil because it was a little hard to see.

Using your jigsaw carefully cut out along your pencil/tape lines.

I left my edges raw but you could always add a contrasting color of paint for fun.

I think it turned out so cute!

This could be hung indoors or out, or just propped on a shelf.

Happy crafting!

xoxo

~thrifty thursday~{how to hand paint a sign}

For today's thrifty Thursday post I want to show you how you can hand paint signs, no artistic skills required.
First of all, have you seen the new Pottery Barn Teen catalog? Oh my goodness.
They have a new Burton line, and my snowboarding daughter flipped when she saw it.
She ripped a page straight out of the catalog and said, "this is what I want my room to look like."
Here it is:

Now, I don't think I am going to be putting up wood walls or anything, but, a few elements of the room can be recreated.
One of the things she liked the best was the signs. These signs are not available by Pottery Barn, they are just used in the room for decoration.
However, that doesn't mean you can't make your own, and today I will show you how!
I have huge piles of scrap wood in my studio. If you don't have piles of scrap wood, you can
paint new wood and distress it.

Next select your pieces of wood. I used a variety of painted pieces and natural wood.

Cut to the lengths you need. I also cut a point on the ends of some so they look are directional, again, mimicking the Pottery
Barn Teen ones. Savannah made a list of her favorite ski runs at the pass. Using black paint for the lighter wood, and cream paint for the darker
wood, I simply painted on the wording. You honestly don't need any artistic skills. These are
meant to look hand painted.

When all your boards are painted and dry line them up on the floor in the order you like.
Then measure the height of them.

Cut another piece of thin scrap wood about 2" shorter than the length of your signs. Then using a nail gun, screw gun, or finish nails,
attach all the signs to the scrap piece.

It would be sweet to do destinations, like vacation spots you have traveled too, etc. I have also made these for weddings, pointing the directions to the reception, bar, food, etc.
When I was all done, I hung it in Savannah's room. When she came home from school she was so happy to see it. Can't wait to decorate the rest of the room in this cozy Pottery Barn Teen style!

other sources:
Fur pillow can be found here, fur bean bag chair here, lamp is from Home Goods, stump is from the yard, basket from Joss and Main, and antlers from a flea market.

xoxo