~ 15 reclaimed wood projects you can make!~

Almost a year ago now I made these two planter boxes to flank our french doors.

They are still one of my favorites.

To see the original blog post, go here.

They were also featured on Restyle Source here.

They are looking pretty sad right now.

I think I need to go get some pretty flowers today and spruce them up this weekend.

Some other reclaimed wood projects I have made include this garden wall clock:

This reclaimed wood heart sign:

This giant "farm" sign made:

See what this be achy whale towel rack started out life as right here.

Check out this barn wood and burlap frame:

I love making frames out of chippy wood:

This Mr and Mrs sign I made was featured on TLC's Four Weddings!

This photo holder uses some interesting pieces:

This simple hand painted sign started out as a old cupboard door:

A couple other things I've made out of reclaimed wood.

This hand painted patchwork of recycled wood sign:

A whimsical Christmas tree using old moulding pieces: 

We used 2 old doors that were $25 each in our master and hung them on sliders.

One of my favorite things in our home!

Another holiday piece, this Halloween sign:

And finally, how to make picture frames out of FREE pallet boards!

I hope I have inspired you to get out your saw and make something special for your home!

xoxo

~a gorgeous wedding~{& some signs I made}

I get so excited when I see things I have made put to use in peoples home or at their events.

I made these rustic barn wood signs and shipped them off to one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen.

The bride Kayla is STUNNING.

To see more of this beautiful wedding, head over here.

All photos by Niki Marie.

xoxo

~thrifty thursday~{on friday}

If you follow me on instagram you know that we had a small fire in our kitchen on Wednesday, which is why this post is coming a day late.

Thank goodness we were home and I was able to put the fire out fairly quickly with a fire extinguisher.

We had an electrician out yesterday and they said our new Bosch dishwasher was faulty, which is what started the fire. Our house still smells like smoke, but we are all ok and that is what matters.

Thank you for all your concerns and comments. 

My friend stopped by last night with these gorgeous flowers. They somehow brighten up our stinky damaged kitchen.

Because I have been so busy with this kitchen mess, I didn't go through and edit all the "how to" photos for this thrifty Thursday project.

Basically I went through my studio and found anything I could, wood, metal, etc. that resembled a letter, painted them white and aged them, and used liquid nails to attach them to a painted board or cupboard door.

I cut down dated but ornate picture frames, used floral appliqués, and door knobs, as well as other misc. goodies.

It was fun coming up with new uses for these objects that I've been collecting over the years.

If I couldn't find materials to make up a letter, I painted wooden letters that I already had.

I will be selling these, along with a ton of more, at the Haley's Cottage French Flea Market on August 2nd, in Kirkland Washington.

I hope to see all you locals there!

xoxo

~hand painted custom wedding signs~

I recently made a few signs for an upcoming wedding and thought I'd share them here.

I can create any signs to suit your style, colors, etc.

Please email me at

lakeliving4@yahoo.com 

for details.

xoxo

~EAT signs are back~

It has been forever since I made these, but I have had so many emails about them that I thought I'd bring them back one last time. 

Click here to take you to my etsy store!

xoxo

~a new sign~

I think maybe I have 6 or 7 of Tara's signs now.

I think that qualifies as a collection

{or possibly a disease}

At any rate, I had her make me another………

and of course, I love it.

xoxo

~a new sign~{& a discount!}

My blog friend Tara and her husband Andy make the coolest signs.

You can visit their etsy shop here.

What you might not know, is that they can create custom pieces for you!

And that is exactly what I had them do for over our bed.

If you remember, over the holidays I had this sign hanging there. 

I liked the shape and size so much, but the "Oh holy night" wasn't going to do year round.

So, I thought long and hard and came up with the lyrics to the song by George Straight,

 "I cross my heart" 

The lyrics are perfect for Chris and I and I couldn't be happier with it! 

How about 10% your order at Between You And Me?

Just use the coupon code 

SAVANNAH 

at checkout!

ps~please go here and LIKE this room, it would mean a lot to a blog friend, and well, what's not to like about it? It's gorgeous, one of my all time favorites!

xoxo

~thrifty thursday~

I almost walked right by these signs in the thrift store.
But something stopped me in my tracks. No, it wasn't the electric pink, but
it was the "bones" of these signs. Something that reminded me
of Sugarboo Designs, the way they were trimmed out.
So, I swiped them up and walked proudly out of the store!

Here they are in all their bright glory:

Here is what I did to make them a little more me.
First I painted the frame with Annie Sloan COCOA. Then I dry brushed on some grey stain.
Then I painted the inside with Annie Sloans pure white.

Ah, better already!
With Valentines day coming up I thought I'd make these all lovey dovey.

For the first one, I painted on a black X and O and then the word forever in deep red. Sanded the
whole piece down when it was dry to age it, and added a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax to finish it off!

The next one I added a favorite quote. I did this with my handy dandy rubber alphabet
stamps. It's not perfect, but I like the way the letters are a little wonky. What do you think?

And a little side by side action:

Much better wouldn't you say?
Lesson here is, don't pass things like this up, even if the color is burning your eyeballs!

On a personal note, my daughter Savannah is raising money for her relay for life team that she participates in every year. If anyone
would like to donate, even a dollar, pls. click here.

Here is her story:

My Reason to Relay
I relay for everyone who is going through cancer, everyone thats battling cancer at this very moment, and all the survivors out there. Everyday thousands of people loose there life and dont get to celebrate there next birthday. They dont get to see there kids grow up and experience everything amazing as we grow up. My goal is to raise $1,500. My aunt is a survivor and I know many other close family friends who have cancer. Lets end cancer and show it whos in charge. Please donate to my page and help save someones birthday and memories to come.

Thank you!

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