If you want to see how I made the art in the DIY Blogger House nursery, you’re in the right place.

Lara of Less Cake {more frosting} and I collaborated on this nursery.  When you get a couple of Sound of Music dorks together working on a room, you’re just asking for some sort of movie reference.  And, since clothes made out of curtains don’t make sense in a room that’s not for an actual baby (or ever), artwork it was. 

Lara showed me Copeland’s Colorful Nursery from Project Nursery and we knew we HAD to use that phrase.  And, we knew we wanted BIG.  We looked at canvases, but my signature project budget was running low.  We thought about painting it on the wall, but I was worried about a) screwing up and b) having to spend that much time in the house that last week.  So, inspired by the amazing artwork in Mandi’s entryway, we went with plywood.

I picked up this piece (4’ X 4’, thin…maybe 1/4”, pre-cut) at Lowe’s for about $14.  I went through the entire stack before settling.  I liked the movement of the grain.

Then, I took Lara a Diet Coke and she came up with a sketch/design.

I separated the design in my Silhouette Studio software, and cut the script-y font out of vinyl using my CAMEO.  I applied the vinyl to the board and painted 2 coats using regular old cheap acrylic craft paint.  Then I peeled off the vinyl.

You’ll notice that I jacked up the colors.  Oops.  It still turned out awesome, right?

Once that was dry, I cut the print font out of vinyl with my CAMEO and applied that to the board.  The white paint needed 3 coats, but that may be due to the fact that it had been in the basement for like 5 years.

It needed just a little bit more *something*, so I went with 2 coats of a gloss poly,

sanding between coats (and taking awesome cell phone pics in my garage in the dark).

The total cost for this was right around $20.

And, because I love you, I’m sharing the Silhouette Studio file for your cutting pleasure. 

Sound of Music Art

The scale is HUGE/sized for our 4’ X 4’ board but it can all be cut on 12” vinyl in your CAMEO.

Did you do any work in the yard?

We did.  And we gave a $10 thrift store find some new life and a new home on our front porch.

My mom and I were at a thrift store a few months back, following up on a Pyrex tip (yes, really), and we saw this teak table.  It was $10 and we both NEEDED it.  She drives a tiny little 2 seater and couldn’t actually get it home, so I won.

See how you can turn that middle part over?  Fun, right?

Structurally, it was in great shape but the wood needed some love.  And by “love” I mean “child labor”.

Yes, my 4 year old is wearing a Santa shirt in May…what of it?

And then we planted the shallow tray with some succulents

and added some gravel.

And a before and after shot:

Totally worth $10, right?

To see the rest of my $100 porch makeover (and some prettier shots of the table), come back tomorrow!

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

After I peeled off the tape and vinyl:

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

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

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:

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:

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.

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.

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

and used some stencil adhesive spray and the foam pouncer tops

and I did some stenciling.

I applied the Sterling first

and then layered on the Sea Glass.

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.

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

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

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.

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:

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. 

I mounted the light to the pallet and loved it

but it needed some height.

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?

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.

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:

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

Supplies:
Two 5.5” pieces of a 2X4
1 wood screw (2” or longer)
1 screw-in hook
Drill and drill bit for making pilot holes
Whatever paint, paper, pictures, etc you want for embellishing

You may want to sand your 2X4 pieces first. Or, just cut them straighter than I did. You decide.

Embellish as desired. For the gingham looking one, I cut pieces of scrapbook paper the same size as the sides of my 2X4 and Mod Podged them on.

I just painted the red one with acrylic craft paint.

I applied a red paper C that I cut with my Silhouette to the gingham one and a silver vinyl C (also cut with my Silhouette) to the red one. You absolutely do not need a Silhouette to make these, mine’s just made me lazy. You could trace and cut by hand or print or paint or leave letters off completely. I think these have some hilariously awesome potential with family members’ faces on them.

I sanded the edges and used stain on one (gingham) and Ralph Lauren glaze on the other (red).

Using a straight edge, make lines connecting the corners of both pieces. This will give you the center/location of your pilot holes. Because my children have stolen all the rulers, I used a paint stick.

Drill all the way through the board for the bottom piece and an inch or so into the board for the top piece.

Drill another pilot hole on the center front. This picture shows the boards already assembled because I forgot to drill the hole for the hook the first time around.

Put your screw all the way through the bottom board, so it sticks out just a little.

Line up the screw with the hole in the top piece and finish driving the screw in. You’ll want to sink the head of the screw in just a little so that the boards will lay flat on your mantel, like this:

Here are what the hooks that I used looked like:

You won’t need the plastic wall anchor part, just the hooks.

Screw them in, and you’re finished!

***Only use for hanging EMPTY stockings!***

The girls over at Makia Creations sent me one of their kits to try and review.

I am NOT a wood crafter. I like fabric. I’m a sewist (sounds better than calling yourself a sewer…just go with it). So, I thought if *I* could do this, ANYONE could.

They sent me the turkey kit with the snowman upgrade.

It’s supposed to look like this:

and this:

Could I do it?

I watched the instructional videos. (Seriously…all of them. They’re short, which is good if you want to watch them repeatedly to make sure you don’t screw up. And by “you” I mean “me”.)

It was then that I realized that I’d need some supplies on account of not being a wood crafter. That would probably be the only little snag in putting together my Makia Creation: I didn’t know what else I’d need. Maybe you seasoned wood crafters have all that stuff on hand? A list of additional supplies needed would easily solve that, though. Or (and this would be the smart thing to do), you could also add a supply kit to your order.

Want to see my results?

My turkey (with some sweet Polaroids circa 1978 and a wedding picture of my parents from 1972):

And, my snowman:

How’d I do?