DIY Felt Letter Board

This is one of those projects that right after I finished it I thought, that was kind of a lot of work and doesn't look that great.  After taking a step back from it, I actually kind of love it.

It all started with these little letters that I found at an antique store.  I looked for "WELCOME" or "HELLO" but unique letters were hard to find, so I ended up with "HI".  (*The pic below also shows my other finds from that day! **Check back to read about Upcycled Owls)

Then at Goodwill I found the perfect frame, one with about an inch box behind it.  (And it definitely needed a face lift!)

I pried it apart and then started cutting up skewers with a utility knife to fit inside the frame.  I inserted two tight fitting skewers vertically, then used that as a "frame" to hot glue horizontal skewers at evenly spaced intervals.

Once the skewers were all in place, I cut a piece of white felt the width of the frame and about twice the height of the frame.

I inserted it between the frame box and the bottom skewer and hot glued the edge and then pressed it down in between the skewers.  I used a knife, but later thought a credit card would have worked well.

I pressed each line, using glue at each skewer.

Upcycled Bunny Face

This weekend, I was shopping at Goodwill and they had a bunch of Easter decorations out and when I saw this, I knew it would be the perfect thing to upcycle and hang in my entryway!

I taped the wire and spray painted it, but it didn't fully cover the paint underneath, so I painted with white acrylic paint and that worked great.  I sanded the edges for a rustic feel.

I painted the tiny wooden heart pink and cut up the floral stems and played with what I liked together.

Then I hot glued everything on and I LOVED how it turned out!

Transferring a Printed Design to Wood

Last week, I posted about how I found a wooden box at Goodwill and upcycled it by removing the dated handle and painting the box with milk paint.  The other part of the project was to transfer a design onto the top of the box to make it even more Christmas/vintage looking.  My step 1 was to design what I wanted to transfer.  Taking it back to before step 1 - here is my design inspiration - the fictional Inn in one of my favorite Christmas films - White Christmas.

Back to step 1 - here is my design:

Step 2 was to reverse the image using photo editing software:

Then I did a test using a method I found online - which was to print on regular paper and brush the back with water and then rub the ink into the wood.  This method didn't transfer very well and came out kind of blurry and light.

So I searched for another method and found this tutorial on Pinterest that was very helpful: 

It directed me to print the reversed image on freezer paper, on the shiny side and then position it and rub over the back it with a credit card. The freezer paper is very important - not saran wrap, not waxed paper, not parchment paper - FREEZER PAPER.

Since I was using milk paint, which requires an oil rubbed finish, I decided to transfer the image on after I'd painted but before I applied the oil.  This is how it looked after that step.  I think I could have rubbed it harder and it would have come out darker, but I was worried it might smudge.

I gave time for the ink to dry and then I did applied the oil.  I was really concerned that the oil might smudge the ink, but it didn't!

Painting with Milk Paint

I found these two things at Goodwill last weekend - I took a picture of them together because the bracelet was the color inspiration for the box.

Here are two other "before" pictures.

Step 1 was to remove the handle.

I went to Hobby Lobby and I thought that I would get chalk paint, but right next to the chalk paint was milk paint - which I had never used and really knew nothing about.  I googled it right there in the aisle and decided I'd give it a try.  I learned it would paint flat and a little bit lighter and then you also buy milk paint oil and that will finish, smooth and darken the paint and give it a smooth luster finish.

Here are the paints I bought and if you want to try them, you can buy them here:

I did two coats of paint.  Here is the box painted with the milk paint. The darker patch in the bottom is the beginning of the finishing oil.

Here is how it looks when adding the oil - which you rub on with a soft cloth.

I really love the color and how it turned out - it is exactly what I envisioned!  I added plaid paper in the top and I'm crazy about how Christmas-y that makes it!!!  The cute gift tags in the picture below were handmade by my mom!

Next week - I'll blog about how I added the graphic to the top of the box!

Upcycled Agate Coaster

 

 

While shopping at Goodwill, I found this:

My mom was with me and assumed it was a gag gift!  I saw past the dated look and hoped I could upcycle it.

I've seen agate coasters for sale everywhere and they're pretty expensive, so I knew exactly the look I was going for.

I used a flat head screwdriver to pry up the very-securely glued dolphin.

Then I also used the screwdriver to chip away at the pinkish glue residue.

Then I cleaned it up  and used my gold leaf pen on the edges.

3 Different DIY Christmas Ornaments

1. Photo Cube Ornaments

 

I found this blank, cardboard, block ornament at Hobby Lobby and bought it to see what creative idea I could come up with to decorate it.  I decided on making it a photo cube of my niece and nephew and giving it to my mom. 

 

Step 1: I chose the photos and sized them to the cube, as well as de-saturated them.

 

Step 2: Cut out the photos.

 

Step 3: I painted the cube burgundy, to match my mom's tree theme this year.

 

Step 4: I used mod podge to paste the pictures onto the cube.

 

2. Chalkboard Ornaments - Chalkboard is part of my Christmas theme this year, so I decided to make some chalkboard ornaments.  I bought a pack of blank wooden circles from Michaels.  I spray-painted them with chalkboard paint and I designed some chalkboard looks in Word, mostly using Christmas song lyrics.  Then I printed and cut them out and laid them over the painted wooden circles. 

 

Then I traced over the design with a pen.  This is how it looked.

 

 

Then I went over the design with a chalk marker.  Some turned out good, some are a little messy, but overall - they covey the "chalkboard look" I was going for! 

 

 

3. Burlap Stamped Ornaments

 

 

I found these little burlap bags in the dollar bins at Michaels (2 bags for $1).  I really liked them and felt like they went along with my Christmas theme this year.  So I bought them without a clear idea of what I'd be doing with them.

I used the same round wooden craft circles that I used for the chalkboard ornaments.

Once I got home, I decided to cut up the burlap sacks and glue them onto the wooden circles to make ornaments.  I used hot glue to glue the back down and then added a ribbon to make them into ornaments.  Voila! 

This post is not so much a tutorial about how to make these ornaments, but more a reminder to keep your eyes open to elements that can be re-worked into what you need.  Especially things found on sale, in the dollar bins or at a thrift store. 

Which DIY ornament is your favorite?