Free nursery art

Of course... this project was free 'cause I had all the supplies, but it wouldn't be expensive anyway.

 

 

Take small wooden plaques and Mod Podge your paper on. I did a layer of cute brown paper and then a layer of a plain paper because I wanted my letters to stand out. I then Mod Podged over the paper again to make sure it was all sealed up.  I had to paint my chipboard letters white (they were blue) before I could glue them on. To make sure they stayed well I used E-6000 to glue on my letters.

Pick some ribbon.

Cut one end of your ribbon (it will hang down so make it cute!)

Again, I used E-6000, but you could use hot glue. 

I then glued the ribbon straight down the backs of my little plaques. I also took the top bit of ribbon and glued it into a loop for hanging.

Hang on your wall and voila: cute, cheap (or free) nursery wall art. I used the letter Q,R,S because I wanted to do something a little different than your typical A,B,C.

Makeover Monday

So. It's been a while. I do apologize!
But I believe that I have a really exciting project/ concept for you today.
If any of you have furniture you hate or are bored with, but can't or don't want to have to buy something else, seriously consider giving it a face lift. This can be very simple and as basic as just painting it a different color. And can be as complex as re-upholstering, stripping, re-staining, accessorizing, etc.

For me I painted and then added embellishments I got from the hardware store.
The embellishments came because I was unhappy with the color the paint dried to, but didn't want to repaint and also because I looked at the mission/contemporary vibe the table was giving off and wanted something softer, fancier, and more 'French Provincial'.

I bought eight squares that one normally uses for window trim and about 13 feet of Trim. For the look I was going for I bought the 'egg and dart' style trim.

I cut my moulding to size and sanded any excess so they fit somewhat snugly.

I painted all of my trim pieces white. (I had a picture of my table in the blue I painted it but is lost so if you are curious to see the table before any trim check the previous post!)

Using a foam brush I painted 'provincial' stain by Minwax all over my pieces being particularly diligent about getting it into the grooves which is the main place you want to 'dirty it up' when trying to age something. One could do this with glaze but stain was far less expensive.

I wiped the excess off with a rag (wear gloves!) but found I needed to repeat this process a number of times to make sure I got it just how I wanted it. I also found I had to let it dry for about two days. Be wary of this. You might destroy your project on the next step if the stain isn't dry.

(see how great and antique it looks?)

Using liquid nals and clamps I glued my pieces into place and let sit. The liquid nails take about 30 minutes to dry and 24 hours to cure. Make sure you keep your clamps in place for 30 minutes at least.

I need to decide what to do with the chairs, but for now... I am loving my table. Eventually I will have a chandelier (made y me, of course!) hanging over the center of the table. Or perhaps I may just ave something decorative hanging. Only time will tell.

I hope that tis inspires you to take that piece of furniture that you hate, or that you wish really made a statement and do something with it! The weather is perfect for outdoor projects like stripping, sanding, painting, etc.  So get on it!

Thanks for reading!

-B