Yep, I said free! Check out Craigslist in your area. I picked up about a dozen scrap pieces of wood in various sizes at no cost. The paint and wood stain that I used was just what I had on hand from other projects. I would encourage you to just use what you have.

My first step was to brush the entire board with Minwax bombay mahogany wood stain. I used two coats and let dry for 24 hours.

Next, I used some painters tape to map out my letters, etc. Then, using a whitewash solution of Annie Sloan chalk paint in pure white, I used a rag to rub the paint into the remaining portion of the board and was careful not to let the solution bleed underneath the taped portion.

The artwork was finished with AS clear wax and polished smooth. The wax really helped smooth the rough edges of the board and provided a nice finished product. I'm very pleased with the results and can't wait to make more with my remaining scraps!


Lots of love,
Mary

You've seen these before right? The first time I saw them was in staging photos at Perfectly Imperfect. Which, by the way, happens to be one of my favorite blogs of all time! I've learned so much from Shaunna. So what was a girl to do? The next time I found myself in a thrift store, which was probably the next day since I can't stay away for too long, I went for the oldest looking books I could find. Also taking into consideration which ones were 50% off that particular day. 

If your looking for a starter project, this one is it! Probably about the easiest project that you could possibly do and takes all but a few minutes. After you've found four or five old books of various sizes, rip off the outer cover.

Then, cut a couple strips of either twine or muslin fabric and tie a knot at the top, just like a present. I had this fabric on hand but you could really use anything. Burlap would also look nice.

And you're done! It's beautiful, it's easy, and it hardly costs anything at all. What more could you ask for?

If you haven't made one of these yet, I encourage you to do so. Maybe this could be a handmade Christmas gift for someone special. Just tie a special note tag to the top and it becomes such a memorable gift.


Lots of love,
Mary



Linked up here:

Do you remember the chevron wall panel that was used to stage "Chloe - A vintage drexel heritage desk"? I received a lot of feedback and questions on the chevron panel, so I thought I would share how and why that project came to be.

I actually painted two panels. They are large 8' x 4' sheets of plywood from the hardware store. I paid about $8 a piece for them. Honestly, the decorative accent panel was an afterthought. The original use was to create a make-shift table for our church's college group Thanksgiving party last year. We needed a table that would seat about 18 people and rather than rent, we decided to make something up.

After the party was over, I had two large sheets of plywood and was determined to do something with them. As I looked at my living room wall where the television is, it just didn't look complete. Our plans are to one day have a media built-in and stone fireplace installed on that wall. But for now, I needed some sort of visual interest in that space. Something to fill up the 9' ceilings but not look too cluttered (because the TV is on that wall).

I started by painting both boards white as a backdrop. Before deciding on the chevron print, I actually starting a damask print using a homemade stencil. I got about half of one board done and decided it looked way too busy for that space...so I started over.

I used a ruler and pencil to measure and trace out my design, then taped and painted the wall color to create the chevron stripes. I'm happy with it (for now), and hopefully it can tide me over until we can focus on the ultimate goal.


Lots of love,
Mary



Linked up here:
>