~quote sign diy~

Today I am going to show you how to make these super cute signs.

You can pick any quote you like, something that means something to you.

Start out with 1x4 pieces of pine. 

I cut mine to 30" long each.

Paint the sides, the front, and the back with white paint. I like nothing shinier than satin.

While the paint is drying,  type up your quote on a word document.

I used the font Times New Roman and the size is 100.

Print out.

I like to use a paper cutter to cut each section out.

Flip the papers over and scribble with a pencil over the backside of the lettering.

When the paint is dry, use a tape measure to place the lettering on each piece of wood.

My quote took 3 pieces of wood.

Tape down to secure after you make sure it is all straight.

While the paper is taped down, use a ballpoint pen to trace the outline of each letter.

Remove the paper and the pencil will have transferred onto the wood like below.

The wording is so small on this so I used the skinniest paintbrush I could find.

If you don't have a steady hand, try using a paint pen, or even a sharpie.

When the black paint was dry I gently sanded down the edges and wiped clean.

I used sawtooth hangers on the back and hung them up in the kitchen!

If you follow me on instagram you can see the others I made for my daughters room.

Super easy! They cost around $3.00 each to make, give or take.

Happy painting!

xoxo

~a painted fabric chair diy~

Check out this chair.

It is one of two that I picked up at a yard sale.

But this is how they looked before.

Yellow, cute, but not really my style.

Without having money in the budget to reupholster right now, I decided to try my hand at painting the fabric. I did a little research online and came up with this product.

 The reason I chose this product over others is that all the tutorials by people who had used it, gave it a good rating. Also, I liked that I could mix it with my paint of choice, meaning

 I had control over the color.

So I bought 4 bottles because it took 2 per chair.

You basically just follow the instructions on the bottle, mixing 2 parts paint to one part textile medium.

After taping off the wood legs and arms, I used a good brush and started painting.

This is after 1 coat. It's hard to see, but you can see how it still looks uneven and a little blotchy.

I let this coat dry for 5 long hours and then added a second final coat and let that dry overnight.

When I peeled off the blue tape in the morning it took a little finish off the wood, so I touched it up with Annie Sloan dark wax. I actually like the look with the wax better.

You can see by the photos the fabric still has it's nubby texture to it so it looks beautiful.

However, the fabric felt really stiff to me.

I got back online and did a little more reading and found out if you take a sander to it with fine sandpaper, it will help soften it.

And guess what, it did!

My opinion on fabric paint, if you are going to try it.

Go for it, it's an inexpensive solution to an expensive re-upholstering project.

Am I happy with the results?

Yes and no.

I do love the look, I think they are gorgeous.

I do think they are still a bit stiff. To best describe it, I'd say it feels like a canvas material.

Not horrible, but not super cozy soft.

Don't do it on a family heirloom, but it's definitely worth trying!

xoxo

~faux zinc dresser tutorial~

I was going through some of my top posts and this one came up.

I thought I'd share it again in case some of you didn't see it.

You can read the full post here.

xoxo

~painting interior doors black~

A few years ago I painted 90% of our interior doors black.

I love them. 

They do require more upkeep as they show more dust and 

when you have pets they show every little mark.

These are a few of my favorites from my Pinterest board called black and white.

When the sun comes up I will take a picture of my latest doors I painted black and post on 

my instagram.

Make sure to look there later today!

xoxo

~DIY ombre watercolor Valentine's banner~

Here is an easy little project for you for the upcoming holiday.

It's a watercolor banner and it can be made in under 30 minutes, start to finish.

 Start with 4 pieces of watercolor paper cut into a triangular shape.

You can make them any size you want.

I used a paper cutter for a more precise cut, but if you don't have one, scissors work just fine.

Next you will need letter stickers from the office supply store. These are vinyl stickers and are different from regular ones. They are reposition able and will not stick to the paper or tear it.

Pick a word. 

I chose love, and set your letters aside.

You will also need watercolor paints and watercolor pens.

{Pens optional}

Place one letter on each piece of paper, centering it.

I varied the fonts with mine.

Using a colored watercolor pencil that matches your paint choice, outline each letter.

Starting at the bottom, work your way up with the paint.

To get the ombre effect, put the paint on heavy at the bottom, 

mixing with more water as you work your way up.

Blot dry with paper towels if you are impatient like me. 

Then peel off your letter.

When they are dry, stack them up and punch holes in each corner.

Run twine or ribbon through and hang.

xoxo

~$15 DIY faux zebra rug~{thrifty thursday}

If you want a zebra hide rug but don't want to spend $2,000.00, read on.

This version will set you back about $15.00.

You will need:

1 drop cloth {you an make 2 out of this $30.00 one}

White paint and black paint

and

a pencil.

Let's start with an after picture:

Alright, get out that drop cloth and lay it {folded in 2} on a flat surface.

When you paint it, the paint will seep through so make sure you have a tarp down, or garbage bags taped together like I did.

To get the correct shape I traced my real zebra rug onto the fabric using a pencil.

This is something you could totally eyeball, or if you have a cowhide, that would work too.

Iron the whole thing.

Next,  using a roller, roll on a thick coat of white paint. 

Any white will do.

I had White Dove left over from my kitchen cabinets so I used that.

Wait for it to dry and paint one more coat.

Let dry overnight.

Painting on the stripes might seem intimidating, but it's really quite simple if you have something to reference too.

I would suggest printing out a picture off the Internet of a real zebra hide.

If you don't feel comfortable painting it on freehand, you can always pencil it in first.

I put the black paint on pretty thick as well.

After you are done, let dry for a few hours and then seal it with a polyurethane in a matte finish.

{unless you would like it to be shiny}

That's it!

 Stand back and admire your art and pat yourself on the back because you just saved a little under $2,000.00.

Now, I am off to paint the other one.

xoxo

~thrifty thursday~{painted canoe paddles}

If you are like me, you have piles and piles of file folders filled with magazine pages and lots of design inspiration.

Well, I was cleaning out those file folders the other day and came across a photo of painted canoe paddles.

I got inspired because I just so happened to have recently picked up 3 wooden canoe paddles.

The picture I had were left plain wood and then painted in patterns. 

I decided to paint over the wood because I thought it was a bit orange.

So, I painted all 3 paddles with Annie Sloan Old White paint, then went to town with varying widths of painters tape.

I uses paint colors that I have used in my house as well as a few bright colors for fun.

{paint colors will be listed at bottom of this post}

After they were all painted, I sealed them with a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax.

These are a bit time consuming because of all the measuring and taping, 

but I think they are worth the time!

I cannot wait to display these in my home somewhere!

Paint colors used:

body: Annie Sloan Old White

Orange: Annie Sloan Barcelona Orange

Raspberry Red: custom mix

Black: Disney Mouse Ears

Blue: Behr Marine Magic

Dark Grey: Seal Martha Stewart

Grey Green: custom mix I used in our kitchen

xoxo