During my crafting binge last week I managed to finish up quite a few of the smaller items that had been on my List for a very long time - oh it feels so good to get things done! When I see ideas I really want to make my own they tend to linger there in the back of my mind until I get the time to get them done, which means it can get pretty cluttered in that brain of mine. One of those lingering ideas was this little project for Valentines Day (yes, 2 months later I finally get around to it! urgh). I ran across a site on Etsy months ago that was selling personalized boards with carved hearts and initals and thought it was such a fun/simple idea. I don't have easy access to old barnwood or fallen trees so in the end I decided to use some of the wood from the pallets I aquired a while ago.
I wanted it to go on the ledge in my stairway where I could use some bigger decor pieces, so I had the husband attach a couple of planks together with some scrap wood on the back. Then I did a little experimenting. They don't carve as cleanly as fresh wood, but I did manage to scratch in a workable heart and lettering. Then I went ahead and stained the wood, on top of the aged look it already had. I had experimented with both the carving and the stain on the back of the piece - see? I think it looks a lot better darker and the carving stands out more.
I wanted to add some color, so I decided to try out the Vaseline Paint Distressing technique I recently ran across online. Basically you just rub the Vaseline on the wood (over your base coat) then paint over everything and let the paint dry. Once it's dry you wipe it down and wherever the Vaseline is, the paint wipes off. The instructions I read used sandpaper but I did it with a rag and it came off really easily.
You can see where I rubbed the Vaseline - it's kinda grey and shiny
And there is the finished product! I ended up filling in the carved part with a little black paint to make it stand out more. And it's still not quite as cute as I had pictured it. But as an overall display with the other decorations next Vday - I think it will be great!
Making the most of the wood from the pallets, I also decided to make my own "old" crate - for decoration on the ledge and for future use as a photo prop.
Again, I stained the wood after it was assembled. And for a little interest, I added a quick stencil. It was the first time I've used the Silhouette vinyl "white space" for anything and it worked like a charm.
This rustic stuff really isn't my usual style, but I think I've got the technique down.
Now who is going to have a baby next so I can do newborn photos in the crate??? :)
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