“Vintage” Sign Tutorial

Do you love the look of old metal signs?

I do.

Do you love the price of old metal signs?

I do not.

Plus, what are the odds that it’ll be just the right size and color?  Not good, friends…not good.

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So, when I had the idea to put one on Macy’s pallet headboard, I knew I’d have to DIY it.

My first stop was the ducting section at Lowe’s.

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They sell metal sheets elsewhere in the store (near the plexi glass), but they’re about 2-3 times as much.  Is it “nicer” metal?  Probably, but we don’t need nice for this project. Open-mouthed smile

The sheet measured 24” X 36”, but I wanted a slightly different size.  I cut about 2.5” off one of the long sides so my piece was 21.5” X 36”. You can score with a razor blade/utility knife and then snap the metal along the line, but it takes some SERIOUS patience and massive amounts of scoring.  I went the quick route and used tin snips (WEAR GLOVES) and then used a file to smooth the edge (WEAR GLOVES).

I liked the look of a metal border, so I taped off the edges and then I applied some yellow paint.  I used Jonquil from the new Martha Stewart Crafts by Plaid line.  That paint works on pretty much any surface, including metal.  You don’t need a great coat, because you’re going to sand it and beat it up.  Make sure it’s mostly covered, though.  Peel off the tape and sand.  I used an electric sander with 220 grit.  If you’re doing it by hand, you could use rougher paper (lower grit #).  Here’s a shot after I had sanded:

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I put the tape back on and applied some vinyl, cut with my Silhouette CAMEO™, in the center in the shape of a vintage Chevrolet logo.

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I traced the center part manually in the Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition software and then used the font “Hood Ornament” to add the lettering.  It’s not quite the same font that Chevy actually used, but only true car dorks would know that.

Once the vinyl was applied, I put on a coat of Martha Stewart Crafts by Plaid paint in carrot.

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After I peeled off the tape and vinyl:

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And then I sanded some more.  Once I was happy with it, I mounted it to the headboard with a screw in each corner.

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I will probably go back and put a clear coat on it, but it’s cold today and I’m a wuss.  Open-mouthed smile

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Mother’s Day Sign with Martha

So, you realize there are only 16 days left until Mother’s Day, right?

Coming off the awesome insanity that was SNAP! = Mother’s Day totally sneaking up on me

Fortunately, I had all this Martha (yes, THAT Martha) goodness to inspire me:

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Available at Michael’s and now also at JoAnn’s

If you haven’t already, you MUST check out the Martha Stewart Crafts by Plaid paints.  You can use them on virtually any surface (glass, metal, wood, terracotta, etc) and the colors/finishes are FAB.  And don’t even get me started on the tools!  The tops that screw directly onto the paint bottles make me WAY happier than they should.

So, what’d I make?  A sophisticated beachy sign/piece of art with my favorite mom saying:

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I started out with a board from the hardware store (cheap…$7 or so) that I had BC cut down a bit and 3 colors of paint.

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The one on the left is called Sea Lavender (I don’t know).  The one in the middle is Beach Glass.  And, the one on the right is Sterling.

I did a very thin coat (watered it down…is that called a wash?) of the Sea Lavender over the whole board.

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Then I picked out one of the stencils, a damask-y pattern from the Flourish set

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and used some stencil adhesive spray and the foam pouncer tops

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and I did some stenciling.

I applied the Sterling first

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and then layered on the Sea Glass.

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Once it was dry, I gave it a light sanding.  I wanted it to look old and faded.

The last step was to add the lettering.  I cut the phrase out of vinyl and removed where I wanted the paint to be and then applied it to my board.

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I used the Sea Glass with the foam pouncer top to fill in the vinyl stencil as well.

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Are you making a Mother’s Day gift for someone that has mothered you?

Will you tell me what it is?  (This isn’t actually for my mom…she reads my blog!)

 

Find my post disclosure here.

 

· Twitter: http://twitter.com/plaidcrafts (@plaidcrafts)

· Facebook: http://facebook.com/InspiredByPlaid

· Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/plaidcrafts

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World’s Easiest Pallet Headboard

If you’ve ever asked me what BC does for a living, you probably remember me saying “I don’t know.”  It’s true…I don’t.  Here’s what I do know:

There’s a crate shop involved.

This crate shop is the source of LOTS of scrap lumber.  And pallets.

So, when I couldn’t figure out a way to make my initial dreams of a corrugated metal headboard be non-tetanus inducing, I decided to go the free route and use some pallet wood.  I thought the rustic wood would be a nice contrast to the white board and batten and that it would go well with the vintage car vibe we’re going for, too.

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BC came home with a double sided 42” pallet.  Apparently both of those characteristics are rare?  (Shipping dork alert!)  I loved the look of it so much that I decided not to rip it apart.

I found this fabulous light at Lowe’s in the outdoor lighting section:

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I bought a cord kit and wired the light to work as a plug in.  I’m not going to tell you how to do this, because I’m not an electrician.  You should probably consult one before you do this.  Open-mouthed smile

I mounted the light to the pallet and loved it

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but it needed some height.

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I went for another cheap and easy solution.

BC cut me three 17” pieces of a 4X4 and a 42” long piece of 2X4.  We screwed the legs (the 4X4) to the 2X4 and then mounted it to the bottom of the pallet.

See?

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The bed frame will be bolted directly into the 4X4’s.

Whether or not I stain/paint/something that wood to make it the same color as the pallet has yet to be decided.  It’ll probably depend on how visible it is once there’s bedding on the bed…that’s how I roll.  I’m also pondering another potential addition to the headboard involving something I got in the ducting section at Lowe’s.

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In the mean time, I wanted to remind you all about the $100 Lowe’s gift card giveaway I’m running through noon tomorrow.  GO HERE to enter.

And while you’re waiting to see what else I’ve done to the room/if you’re the lucky gift card winner, head on over for your FREE Subscription to Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine:

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Disclosure:  Lowe’s provided me with a gift card for this month’s room makeover challenge.

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Oh, hey! Who wants $100 at Lowe’s?

So, I’ve been a little bit MIA as of late.  SNAP! happened this weekend.  I spent the Saturday before making decorations (cut a hole clear through my CAMEO mat), the Monday loading a trailer, the Tuesday making a sign and more decorations, the Wednesday towing a trailer for the first time, unloading the trailer, decorating, and filling swag bags.  Thursday, Friday and Saturday were all SNAP! all the time.  And that’s just the SNAP! stuff.  Wait ‘til you hear about the crazy life stuff…

Today?

Today I slept.  A LOT.

I have so, so much to say, but I have to get back in the mom zone:  orchestra concerts, tonsil follow ups, properly celebrating the kid birthday I missed on Saturday, etc.  In the mean time, I’ve got a little somethin’ somethin’ for you:

As part of this month’s Lowe’s room makeover challenge, they’re giving me a $100 gift card to give to one lucky Crap I’ve Made reader.

In addition to the cheap board and batten, the headboard for Macy’s room is done, and I’ll post about it shortly.  The drawers for the thrifted dresser and desk have been wood puttied and are strewn all over my dining area.  I didn’t make a whole lot of progress last week, though, because all my trips to Lowe’s were in the name of this:

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Not bad for a couple of girls with 4 kids running around, right?

HUGE props to the nice Lowe’s employee who cut the plexi glass for me and didn’t even laugh when I told him what it was for.

So, do you want $100 from Lowe’s to make over a room in your house?  Or, do you need to make a ridiculously awesome sign?  Winking smile

You might be in luck!

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment ON THIS POST (on the blog, not on Facebook or in response to your email subscription) saying which room in your home could use a Lowe’s makeover.

That’s it.  Quick and easy!

Giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and over only and closes Friday, April 27th at noon MST.  Winner will be chosen at random using a WordPress Plugin (And The Winner Is…) and notified by email.  Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen…I need the winner’s info before the end of the month!

And while you’re waiting to see if you won, head on over for your FREE Subscription to Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine:

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Disclosure:  Lowe’s provided me with a gift card for this month’s room makeover challenge.

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Board & Batten, On The Cheap

This month’s Lowe’s challenge is a room makeover.  In the interest of keeping posts a manageable length, I’ll be breaking it up.

I’ve been meaning to get to Macy’s room since, oh, this post.  Let me refresh your memory with where we’re headed:

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Let me also show you where we started:

Macy would like the record to show that the American Girl dolls had been moved to a bin in the garage.  She’s practically 12 now.  Geez.

As you can see at the top of the picture on the left, we already had some decorative molding about 6 feet up on the walls.  We’d also put up some flower wall decals above the molding.  They took massive amounts of the wall down with them.

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(This is after I started spackling.  I love the kind that goes on pink and changes to white when it’s dry.  I tend to get a little impatient when it’s time to sand.)

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After some massive spackling and sanding, it was time to paint.

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The bottom portion of the walls is a semi-gloss paint that I had Lowe’s tint to match the trim in my house.

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The top is a Valspar color called Icy Mint.

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I picked up 2 gallons of the white, but I probably could have gotten by with one.  1 gallon of the Icy Mint was enough for the top portion of the walls and the entire ceiling (which was previously builder beige).

I looked at the selection of moldings and trims at Lowe’s, but they were all in the $3-6 per piece range.  I knew I needed at least 30, maybe more (depending on spacing) and that was going to eat up my budget FAST.  So, I needed another option.  I channeled my pal Mandi and decided to use her method for board & batten…having MDF plywood cut into strips.  When I got over to the lumber section, I discovered that the thinnest MDF was thicker than I was after.  You see, I didn’t want the B&B to stick our further than my existing molding and baseboards.  So, I went for some super cheap plywood that I believe was 5mm thick.  I had BC take it to his crate shop and cut it into 3” strips for me (the same width as my existing molding) on the big daddy panel saw.  The entire room took 2 pieces of plywood, or about $22….WAY better than $3-6 per piece of molding, right?  It WAS a little bit prickly on the edges, so I sanded the edges of the pieces with an electric sander before I got started.

For purposes of this room, I decided to center a B&B strip under the window, lined up with an outlet.  This is where your eye goes when you walk into the room and was therefore the wall I needed to have look the best.

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Once I had the strip centered under the window, I decided on spacing for the rest of the strips.  I went with 15”.  BC says he would have gone for 12”, but I was the one doing all the work, so I won.  (Yes, that means I did all the sanding, cutting, and nail gunning.  Surprised?  Open-mouthed smile)  I cut a scrap piece of wood to 15” in length and used that to space the rest of my strips.  The only time that didn’t work out was when I got to a corner.

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I just measured 15” along the baseboard and then leveled out the first strip on the new wall.

I used 3 tubes of DAP’s vinyl spackle to caulk the edges and some more of the DryDex I used to patch the wall holes to get the B&B ready to paint.  I applied 2-ish coats of paint to the strips using a Purdy brush (they’re the best).

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And I’m kind of in love.

Here’s a shot of the corner where I ended after moving out in both directions from under the window.

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Next up?

Doing something about this:

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($25 thrift store find)

and this:

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($50 thrift store find)

and a headboard involving a pallet and an outdoor light fixture.  Also getting Macy’s mattress off the floor in my room.  Winking smile

Don’t forget to pick up a FREE Subscription to Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine:

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You can also find Lowe’s Creative Ideas on Facebook.  (They’ve moved, so if you “liked” them before, you should “like” them again!)

And, now there’s a Lowe’s Creative Ideas blog.  Go have a look around.  You might recognize a face or two.

Disclosure:  Lowe’s provided me with a gift card for supplies for my room makeover.  They’re also providing me with a gift card to give away to one of you this month, so look forward to it!

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Snappity Snap SNAP!

So, SNAP! is next week.  NEXT WEEK!!!

I know what you’re thinking… “I’m not going, so why do I care?”  Hold on, because I’m about to tell you.

1) If you live in Utah and you like to shop, you WILL NOT want to miss Queen Bee Market.

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Some of my favorites are going to be there (hint: HoopLa) and I’m sure I’ll find some new favorites, too.

2) If you don’t live in Utah, but you still like awesome free stuff, some of the SNAP swag giveaways will be posted on Twitter and the SNAP blog.  These aren’t just fluff prizes either….no sir.  We’re talking a Silhouette CAMEO and a sewing machine.  AWESOME, right?

3) If you’re coming to SNAP, leave me a comment, will ya?  I need to know who to look out for!  Winking smile

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Randoms

First up, because several of you have asked, the CAMEO winner is Kelsey and the Riley Blake fat quarter bundle winner is Kristen.  They’ve both already responded to emails claiming their prizes.  Yay for them…sad for you.  Winking smile

Second, here’s your friendly reminder that today is the last day to pick up a Silhouette CAMEO™ PLUS a heat transfer starter kit for $269.99.  Go here to add the bundle to your cart and use code “CRAP” to take advantage of the savings.  If you already have a Silhouette, you can get the heat transfer starter kit for $24.99 and/or take 40% off of all other heat transfer material using the same link and code “CRAP”!

The heat transfer is good fun, especially when it comes to hilarious t-shirts.

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Third, I’m hard at work on a room makeover for this month’s Lowe’s challenge.  It’s becoming quite the project, so plan on seeing several normal sized posts about that instead of one post that takes you an hour and a half to get through.  Here’s a peek:

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And what the other side of the room looks like:

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Just keeping it real, folks!

And, lastly, I hope your Easter weekend (if you celebrate) was fabulous.  I’m including a couple of gratuitous kid pics for the benefit of my grandma.  (Yes, she really does read my blog.)

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Macy is MIA on account of being in Nebraska at the time (or “juvie”, as Campbell told people at church Confused smile).

See you soon with some SNAP-py information!

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Tonsils & Adenoids

have left the building.

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(Heavily drugged and fascinated by the monitor on his finger.  Not thrilled about the koala covered hospital gown they gave him..)

Keller had his giant streppy pus and stone infested tonsils removed yesterday.  And, once they got those suckers out of the way, they discovered that his adenoids were blocking about 50% of whatever it is that they shouldn’t be blocking (airway? throat? whatever), so they took those out too.

So far, it’s been really really really (knock on wood) really smooth sailing.  As in, “you’d have no idea the kid had just had surgery” kind of smooth sailing.

I’ve heard days 3 and 4 are where it gets ugly.  Tomorrow is day 3.  I’m bracing myself.

So, who else has been through this?  (There have got to be a lot of you!)

Any tips or secrets?

Were days 3 and 4 the worst?

******************

And just in case you haven’t been paying attention:

You can enter to win an iPad plus a bunch of other great UPrinting products here.

You can enter to win a Silhouette CAMEO™ PLUS a heat transfer starter kit here.

Or, if you’re a pessimist/realist and know you’re not going to win, you can pick up a CAMEO plus a the heat transfer starter kit for $269.99 through the 10th.  Go here to add the bundle to your cart and use code “CRAP” to take advantage of the savings.  If you already have a Silhouette, you can get the heat transfer starter kit for $24.99 and/or take 40% off of all other heat transfer material using the same link and code “CRAP”!

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Math, Lady Gaga Style + download

Little known secret:  Macy is a math nerd.

Like, (proud mom brag alert) she’s taking 8th grade honors math next year and skipping the whole 7th grade math scene completely.

And, last Thursday, she participated in the Math Olympics.

The plan was for her to wear a dorky math related t-shirt.  So, after much Google-ing and debate (“5 out of 4 people don’t understand fractions”, “No, I will not do your math”, etc.), we made one with my Silhouette CAMEO™ and a heat transfer starter kit.

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If you haven’t tried the heat transfer yet, you really should…you’ll be hooked.  The hilarious t-shirt possibilities alone make it worth your while.  (Remember when I made myself one that said “WORST MOM EVER”?  He he he.)

What did we decide on?

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The font I used is Arial.  The font size is different on each line.

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To save you some work, I’ve uploaded it for you hereDon’t forget to reverse the image before cutting it out of heat transfer!

When it came right down to it, she wussed out

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and wore something completely normal instead.

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I said the OUTFIT was completely normal.  She, obviously, is not (takes after her mother).  Winking smile

In case you forgot, I’m giving away a CAMEO and a heat transfer starter kit.  Go here to enter.

If you’re not feeling like a winner, you can pick up a Silhouette CAMEO™ PLUS a heat transfer starter kit for $269.99 through April 10th.  Go here to add the bundle to your cart and use code “CRAP” to take advantage of the savings.  Already have a Silhouette?  Pick up the heat transfer starter kit for $24.99 or take 40% off of all other heat transfer material.  Use code “CRAP” for that as well!

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Giveaway: Silhouette CAMEO™ + current promotion

OH YEAH!

Way to get the week/month started off awesome, right?

First of all, here’s the promotion if you don’t think you’re going to win:

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+

KIT-HEAT-TRANS

=

$269.99

Go here to add the bundle to your cart and use code “CRAP” to take advantage of the savings.  This promo runs through April 10th.

If you already have a Silhouette, you can get the heat transfer starter kit for $24.99 and/or take 40% off of all other heat transfer material using the same link and code “CRAP”!

WANT TO TAKE YOUR CHANCES AND TRY TO WIN ONE?  HERE’S WHAT COULD BE IN IT FOR YOU:

One lucky Crap I’ve Made reader will win her (or his) very own Silhouette CAMEO™ PLUS a heat transfer starter kit!

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

Follow the Silhouette blog.  Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST (on the blog, not on Facebook or in response to your email subscription) saying that you did.

Follow Silhouette on Pinterest.  Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST saying that you did.

***3 possible entries per person***

Giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and over only and closes Sunday, April 8th at noon MST.  Winner will be chosen at random using a WordPress Plugin (And The Winner Is…) and notified by email.  Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Want to see what I made?

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I’ll have the details for you tomorrow (plus a free download if you want to make it yourself).  I’ll also be updating this post with links to the other giveaways going on in blog land as I become aware of them, so be sure to check back!

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