God is our refuge

This is one of my latest creations using the Cricut vinyl as stencils- by painting the base color white, applying my vinyl lettering, then painting over it and removing the vinyl to reveal the white underneath. I almost feel like it's cheating! It's a very fun process- (if you're a craft nerd like me ;) ) I have a friend who is going through some health issues, and she has found great comfort and encouragement in this Scripture verse. I wanted to make something for her that would be an encouragement and comfort- enter the wall hanging. I don't think she's anticipating it being this size, but my 9" x 9" square signs didn't seem big enough. I had fun using a bigger piece of wood, and using it vertically for the sign. I took some liberties to capitalize the first letters of "Refuge, Strength, and Help"- I like how it makes them stand out. They really are the focus of the verse to me. I love creating something that focuses on the character of God. I hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed creating it for her :)

Dinner choices, in black and white

This is the second sign I've made of the Dinner Choices- I didn't use the beadboard this time. I like the look of both. My friend asked if I could make her one in black and white- and I have to say that I really like the combination. It's a very clean look. I put a metal sawtooth hanger on the back, so she could hang it on her wall or place it in an easel. Depending on if I were making it for someone, I'd use a ribbon hanger instead, and drill holes for them. She has now asked me to make her one of the "Chocolate Understands" signs... and I'm more than willing. They're easy enough to do. And chocolate does understand, doesn't it?...

Laundry Room Sign

This is another style of the laundry room sign I made several months ago. I ran out of the 1 x 4 x 8 pieces of lumber I normally use, and used a big square piece I had previously cut instead. I pretty much did the same thing, only the layout is obviously a bit different because of the shape of the wood. Crackling, sanding around the edges, then Cricut vinyl letters. I can't remember where I got the black ribbon of sorts- it's a nice wide grosgrain type- but I know that I recycled it off something, probably a gift one of the kids got. ( I always feel a bit excited when I can do that :) ). This was made for a friend who is putting together a basket for an auction, and she asked me if I could make the laundry sign for it. No problem! It came together quickly. I like this big square size from the lumber that I cut- it's about 9 x 9 inches.

More wood plaques-

These are just the same phrases I cut out of Cricut vinyl as the last 2 plaques- only I put them on 5 3/4 inch by 5 3/4 inch wood squares I cut from a board I bought from Home Depot- (love my miter saw!!!).. Anyhow, one I crackled, one I didn't- I painted the dark brown base and light aqua top coat and distressed. I used my drill to make holes to make a hanger with ribbon to match. These are for my best buddy, she liked the cream and brown ones, and I mentioned the light aqua color and she said "OOH". I may make more for others, depends on what people like. Anyhow, you can see the difference in appearance for the same colors of paint when using crackling versus just distressing (sanding the edges) and no crackling. I'm really loving that light aqua color... :)

Wood signs, Crackling, and Vinyl

I got to playing with 2 x 4's after getting them cut, and then fiddled around with paint and crackling medium. In a previous post regarding my breadbox, I talked about my struggles with crackling medium. I think I've found a kind that I like- the Weathered Wood crackling medium. You allow it to dry completely before you put your top coat of paint on. I have discovered that the biggest trick to it not dragging when you brush the paint on, is to thin down your top color of paint with water so that you can get it on without dragging the brush- for once you don't want super thick coverage of paint. I also figured out that the other trick for me was to use a bigger brush, so the combination of the thinner paint with being able to brush it on fast, before it interacts with the crackling medium (and then drags.. and frustrates you quite a bit) and the bigger brush so that you are done faster, it seemed to work really, really well.. Yes, this makes me very happy, because it's very aggravating to work so hard on something, having it look like it's got great potential, and then have the last details snag up on you... So I painted and crackled the wood, then distressed it a bit more around the edges with sandpaper- which also reveals the base coat.. I'm really enjoying how this looks.. :) (yes, my inner craft geek comes out big time here...). All that was left was cutting out vinyl with my Cricut. The "Keep CALM and CARRY on" quote I found on a talented lady's blog (which I can't remember or find at the moment)- only she also added a crown on there, which totally adds more to the look, but alas, I have no crown- only the ones in my mouth, and those won't do me any good here.. Add a metal hanger on the back and some ribbon to finish it off.... The "Est." idea for the last name I also found in several places in blog land. I'm glad I finally got around to making it. Oh, and for the record- the Gratitude sign, I didn't crackle, I just distressed, but I'm lumping it in with all my signs for the day...

Wood signs/wall hanging

This is a project I was asked to help with by a friend of mine. The wood pieces are 12" long- I had them cut from a larger piece purchased at Home Depot, and they cut it down for me. I used eye screws to link the pieces together. I hammered a nail into the wood to make a hole to screw the eye screws in. The only thing that is missing is that I recommended my friend to use some ribbon at the top to act as a hanger- and add a bit of pretty to offset the dark colors. You basically nail a regular picture hanger in the back of the wood to hang it by, and then glue ribbon to the back and attach it to the wall with a small pin so it looks like it's hanging by the ribbon but it's not. She chose the words "smile, relax, home" because they had significant meaning to her. The colors match the colors of her bedroom- I don't think I'd normally use a dark color to have writing on it because it's hard to see. I painted the wood and then used Cricut vinyl letters to trace around, then peeled them off and filled it in with black paint. I used a piece of sand paper to distress it, then sealed with a clear top coat. So, she's happy with the colors- personally I might have used black vinyl letters, but it's not for me, and I'm always critical of things I've made. I took pictures of the steps, probably not necessary, but I personally like seeing pictures, so maybe somebody else might too.