An Old Pallet Finds A New Purpose

I love pallets...

They make wonderful canvases!

A very dear, sweet friend of mine had a precious baby girl.  She and I go way back, I'm talking in diapers way back...and that sweet little angel of hers deserved a gift from straight from my heart.

After talking with her sister, I learned that she was going with a bohemian theme and that she was kinda sweet on elephants.  I had the perfect plan in mind...

A Distressed Painted Pallet!

I have to be honest with you... Tearing apart an old pallet, or a new one for that matter...well, it ain't for sissies!  Thats for sure! Several blisters, some scratches, and a few outbursts later, I had seven purdy boards, ready for washing and dressing!

Old Frame + (New Paint) Stain + Wire = LOVE at first sight

I am currently in LOVE with some old frames. I know, I use LOVE way too much, but it's just the best word I've got! and the best description. The hubby would tell me to branch out and use expand my vocabulary, but I believe love is universal...when I say love you know exactly how I feel. I guess I could say, "I am currently overly passionate about some old frames." There, I didn't use love...that's all the branching out I'm gonna do tonight.

ANYWAYS....back to my appreciation for aged frames. Each visit to the Habitat or the Christian Ministries has yielded several of these treasures and I'm finally getting to put them to good use!

Here's my before picture. I found this beauty and I spent a fortune on it...$1.00. I had every intention of making these to sell on Etsy and at shows but I think I need one...or four. We'll see what happens. Ok, back to the before picture. This frame caught my eye because of the decorative edging and I knew how great it would hold a stain. I love am crazy about the look of an antique white frame with a brown stain over it, dipping into all the nooks and crannies...BEE-U-TIFUL!

I spray painted the frame white. I just used the cheapest, most plain white I could find. Since it was gonna be stained, the color of white didn't realy matter to me. Once the paint was dry, I used sand paper and rubbed it on the edges and on the ridges of the frame. Then, I used a brown stain, dipped a paper towel into it, and rubbed it all over the frame. I let the stain sit for a couple of seconds, and then wiped it off with another paper towel. I repeated this step about 3 times, until I achieved the look I was going for.

Almost there! Oh, this is so exciting! Isn't it great! I was really tempted to do something different with this once I got to this point. Maybe frame some old plates or a wreath or just look at it like this, I don't know. But I knew the end result would be well worth it!

I wanted you to be able to see the detail. "Isn't she lovely....Isn't she wooondeerrrrful..." Sorry!

Next, I took some galvanized steel cage wire and cut it to the size of the frame. Turning the frame over, I stapled the wire to the back of the frames. I then cut out a piece of burlap to cover the back of the frame and stapled it to the back of the frame, over the cage wire. Then, I turned it over and... L-O-V-E!

See what I was talking about? Muy fantastico!

Busy bee...

The past 3 days, I have been a busy little bee. I have had several orders come in, all at the same time. Tonight, they are complete...yes! I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I don't know why but special orders make me nervous. It's like, I can't work on anything else until they're complete. I think it's all in my head but a completed project makes me a happy girl! Thought I would show you what I have been working on!




Mailboxes...
Aren't these great?! There is a dear lady I work with and she LOVES a painted mailbox. I love fall and I love pumpkins, so when I see these, it just makes me smile!!! They are painted the same on both sides and I spray them with a clear coat to seal them once they are dry...too bad I don't have a mailbox. Maybe that's something I should look into.

Scrap Wood and Barn Wood Signs...
I am in amore with some barn wood. I honestly don't believe you can mess the stuff up. I mean, you can take a piece and do nothing to it, hang it over a window or use it as molding, the stuff is just beautiful! And this laundry signed turned out to be a favorite of mine. You will be seeing a lot more of these, I PROMISE.

I am digging the colors in the "All Because..." sign, the background color is called Bread Basket. How lovely! It's actually the color of my living room...and doesn't everyone need a "Gathering Room?"

I am happy the girls are picking up there creations tomorrow, or I might have a hard time parting with them!