DIY Drawer Planter

I love old drawers and have several around but I wanted to create something so off I went to Home Depot and found this great divided box already assembled and decided it would be perfect for a centerpiece filled with flowers or grass.

This can't be any simpler because the box is assembled and ready to be painted or stained and you just need one or two drawer pulls and you have a great little "drawer".

 I started off with my bare wood box which you can find at Home Depot in the aisle where they have their unfinished crates. 

 I stained my box with Minwax Dark Walnut wood stain and let it dry.  You could skip this step if you aren't planning on distressing your box at the end.

 Once the stain was dry I painted the box with DecoArt Chalky Finish paint in white.

 Once the paint was dry I fitted the sections of the box with some greenery I purchased from Michael's.  It was a "sheet" of greenery so I just cut it down to fit into each section.

 Then comes my favorite part!  Distressing...I sanded the box all over so that the stained wood would come through but if you don't want to do this step just skip it altogether which means you could skip the staining of the box at the beginning.

 After all the sanding was done I attached my glass knobs to the front of the "drawer".  I just love glass knobs and would have them all over my house if I could.

 Once the box was finished I used some galvanized garden stakes/tags I picked up at Michael's and added some vinyl numbers to them.  Just random numbers that have no meaning at all.  I then dry brushed black chalk paint onto them and wiped it off so that it created a distressed look instead of shiny metal.

 Once I was finished I added it to the center of my table for a centerpiece. 

 Can't get any easier than that!

 When you add your knobs to the front of the box be sure to measure making sure they are even on both sides.

 I added a couple little bunnies to the table as well.

Easy Peasy!

Handpainted Wooden Fresh Eggs Sign

I know I'm not the only one a little over the moon for hand painted wooden signs because they are everywhere you look as of right now!  I have purchased several from great Etsy sellers and some from craft shows and even some mass produced ones from the craft and home decor stores but I had never tried my hand at one myself...until now!  

I started first by researching the best way to do the lettering on a sign and found tons, and I mean tons, of different techniques and believe me when I tell you I tried them all.  Nothing was a success for me until I used Carbon Paper.  Carbon Paper can also be like Charcoal Paper or Transfer Paper and I have even seen it as Tracing Paper.  I usually go mad until I figure out how to do something and this time was no different.  I tried the pencil transfer, the chalk transfer, the ball point pen transfer, the sharpie transfer and more and not one thing worked so if you would like to save yourself a step just buy your Carbon Paper before you begin.  If you have luck with the other methods I am thrilled for you but for me they just weren't successful.  I figure I will help you out by learning from my mistakes.  After the first 100 attempts weren't successful my son said to me..."Mom, do you know what the definition of insanity is?  It is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.  I think it's time to stop making yourself insane."  Oh how I love when he makes me laugh! 

In summary I think that this project is easy enough but it is time consuming and can be a little bit maddening until you get it right.  Since this sign I've made a couple more and even though it still is a little time consuming the process is a bit shorter and I'm able to paint just a smidgen faster.  If nothing else try one and say you did it because you will be so proud of yourself and then after that you can save yourself the headache and just buy the rest because that is certainly easier.

 You will need:

Scrap wood or plywood or mdf or craft wood etc. 

*I used plywood I had in my garage that had been beat up pretty bad but I loved how it turned out because of that.  The goal isn't necessarily to make the finished product perfect which is the beauty of this project.

Wood Stain or watered down paint

White Paint

Black Paint

Sandpaper

Painter's Tape

Pencil

Carbon Paper

Template you print

Paint brushes

Angled Artist's Brushes

Sharpie

Wood Wax 

Old rags

*  I started by using my hand sander and sanded the heck out of my plywood piece because I had used it as a base for painting things in the past so it had lots of paint on it and not only that I hate the feel of plywood until it's sanded way way down. 

*  For the large sign I used watered down Charcoal Gray Chalk Paint as a "stain" so that dark color would show through when I distressed it later.  I have since made signs using black and gray wood stain and love how those turn out too so whatever your preference.  If you are painting your sign black with white lettering then use a whiter color as your base coat so that you'll have the lighter shade coming through the black.

TIP:  Make sure you wipe your board down with an old rag to keep it clean between each step.  The sanding process makes a mess of dust and even just wiping it quick with your hand will leave dust behind so just give it a wipe with a rag and if you still can't get all the dust off dampen the rag just a touch.

*  Once you let the stain layer dry give it a light sanding.  If you've used wood stain sometimes it can be a little oily so your paint may not stick as well without roughing it up a bit.

*   Paint your board the color you want.  I chose white and used chalk paint for this whole project.  I did 2 coats of paint to cover the dark base coat but I didn't want to have it completely covered so the 2 coats were perfect....darker than a white wash but not quite full coverage but again this will be up to you.

TIP for painting your board on a tabletop without getting paint on the table---use a couple sanding blocks to put under your board so it is raised up and then you can paint all the edges without dragging the brush on the table.  If you don't have sanding blocks pick something that you can use that is about the same height and place it under the two ends to stabilize your board.  I use the sanding blocks because I always have them out when I'm painting and because their roughness serves as a "gripper" for the board.  Makes edges a breeze!

*  Once the paint had dried I very lightly sanded the board down.  I did go heavier over the edges during this step so I could get the weathered/chippy look to my board but in the space where I knew I'd be painting my words I just lightly sanded

* This step is where your printer comes in....Create a document the size of your board in one of your graphics or word processing programs.  For mine I used Publisher because it's simple and sweet but you should be able to use quite a few different programs.  I typed in my letters and adjusted the height and width of them so I liked their appearance.  For your first rodeo you might want to stick with very basic wide block letters because it is much easier to trace and paint this style but if you are ready to live on the edge go for broke and do a script style.  Once you have your wording the way you want it click on print.  Unless you are doing a small sign you will get quite a few pages of text and may have to work with them like a puzzle and use Painter's Tape to put the template together.  For this sign each word printed on a sheet of paper so it was uber easy but on my long signs it was for sure a puzzle to get them together.

*  Once you have your template set up you will need to measure your board for the center both vertically and horizontally and then figure the same thing out on your template.  For this sign I taped my words together and then folded them in half both vertically and horizontally and found my "center" that way and then placed the wording template right in the center of my board.  I hope this makes sense because I didn't get a photo of this step.  Once you place the template put a piece of Painter's Tape at the top to secure it into place then lift the bottom edge of the template up and slide your carbon paper under it to start doing the tracing.

*  After you place your carbon paper just use a pencil to start tracing your letters.  I thought I would have to push really hard and as it turns out you don't.  After doing the first word pushing with all my might and my wrist and hand cramping I realized I only needed to use average pressure.

*  Now that your letters are all traced out you are ready to hand paint them!  This is not going to be fun without angled artist's brushes so do yourself a solid and get them before you start.  I always keep lots of small brushes that are angled and flat headed for my touch up work so I just grabbed a few of the smaller ones and got to work.  Slow and steady wins the race here peeps!  It won't make you happy if you rush.  I have a really steady hand and rarely use tape when painting because I can keep a steady line and even I had a few ton of little slips outside the line of the letters.  Since this project I have gotten better but I don't think I could have done it without the angled brush.

*  Pat yourself on the back for getting those letters painted and don't panic if they look a little whoppycocked!  It is ok...grab your black sharpie and go back around each letter to straighten out the lines and make them a little more uniform.  If you just don't care and like them looking a bit wonky that is ok too.  Just remember you don't need them to be perfect because you are going to sand the heck out of them.

*  Now is my favorite part because I love distressing!  I used both a rough sanding block and a smooth sanding block as well as my power sander to achieve the look I wanted.  I started out with the finest sanding block and lightly went over the whole thing.  I then started with the rougher block and went over the whole board again using more pressure in areas I wanted more distressing.  After I got the look I wanted that way I used my hand sander and really gave it a whirl with a smooth sandpaper.  Again just go a little rougher over the areas you want more distressed like the corners or edges.  After all the sanding I then grabbed my hammer and my paint can opener and started adding a few gouges into the wood.  You can do this lightly or really take your aggression out on it or just skip this step if you are taking baby steps into the distressing.  After I was happy with all my scratches and dents I wiped the board clean and got ready for yet another step.  Seems never ending I know but it all goes pretty quick.

*  For me I wanted my sign to still look a bit older even after all the distressing I did so I used a black wood stain and very very lightly dabbed it on and smeared it around and immediately wiped it back off.  I went in the direction of the grain but you can do it however you like.  I covered the whole board but went a bit darker in certain areas.  If you want to skip this step you can but it does make the sign look a bit more weathered which is how I wanted mine to look.  A personal choice on this step.  Get ready for the final step.

*  Wax on...Wax off--this step makes for a beautifully finished sign both to the look and the touch!  I use Minwax Wood Wax for this and I adore it.  I've used other products and this one is my favorite!  I use it to finish almost every paint project I do because I love the finish.  For this step use an old rag or a wax brush and apply your wax all over the board including the edges.  I just rub it on until it's fully covered and let it dry for a bit and then take a clean rag and just buff it a little by using some pressure and scrubbing over the surface until it's buttery smooth without any stickiness.  If you feel a few tacky spots just give her a buff again and if that doesn't make it smooth it might be that your wax hasn't dried completely so try again in a few minutes.

That is it folks!  You did it and now can proudly hang or prop your sign for all to admire.

Phew...I know this was a long post and for that I'm sorry but I hope that all the steps made your sign making a bit easier!

Chalk Paint Retro Table Makeover

I know you might look at this little chest of drawers and not think much about it but part of the reason I love it so much is for the memories that come to mind every time I look at it.  

Growing up when we would visit my grandparent's house my "room" to stay in previously belonged to my most favoritest aunt and this table sat beside the bed.  Over the years I would admire the table and wish it was mine but never asked for it because at like 9 years old where am I going to put it?  

Things changed though when I had my own home and I started pestering my grandma to let me buy it or have it and I even contemplated stealing it a few times.  She'd hardly notice it was missing I'm sure.  Sadly her answer was always "not yet, honey".  Then one day during a visit I asked yet again and she said YES!!!  I didn't care if I was going to have to leave my son behind in Ohio I was making sure this little chest of drawers had a seat in our car to get it home to North Carolina!  

Several years later the little chest of drawers was still sitting in the same spot and had never been painted even though I had it filled with craft supplies in my office area and used it daily.  I would walk by it literally 20 times a day and the thought would cross my mind that I should paint it but I couldn't decide on the color.  I thought about gray and then I thought about green and then I thought about coral and then I thought about blue and then I thought about aqua....you see my dilemma.  

I just couldn't decide on a color but then my pal Jennifer at Delightfully Noted started posting lots and lots of beautiful photos of her dresser she painted using Martha Stewart Vintage Chalk paint and I was in l♥ve.

The only photo I have of my little chest of drawers is this one and it isn't a very good one.  I had already taken everything out of the drawers and sanded it and removed the handles and then I realized I hadn't photographed it so I raced around putting it back together so I could snap one photo.  Ahhh, this blogging isn't for the faint of heart.  The struggle is real my friends!

Still the dresser sat for almost a year and I finally bit the bullet and bought some Martha Stewart Chalk Paint in Eucalyptus and the rest is history. I didn't care for the paint at all compared to other chalk paints but the color was amazing and I knew it would pop on my black and white striped wall.

There it is!  Do you hear Angels singling like I do when you look at this beauty?

I sanded the heck out of this little chest of drawers before applying the paint which I highly recommend doing with any piece of furniture you plan to paint, especially with older pieces that have probably been painted numerous times.  

The one thing I didn't care for with the Martha Stewart paint was how many coats it needed to get coverage.  I painted about 4 heavy coats and even then I debated about doing a 5th coat.  Most chalk paints I have used aren't like that at all.  This one is also a dryer consistency and seems to drag more.  If I hadn't loved the color so much I would have switched to DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint in a heartbeat but I'm no quitter so I muscled through it.

Once the paint dried really really well I used Minwax Clear Furniture Wax and did several coats to protect it from wear and tear.  Jennifer said she noticed how easily the paint chipped so I also wanted to make sure I wouldn't have to repaint the whole thing every couple weeks since I'm a little OCD and can't stand things to not be just so.  An unplanned chip of paint might send me to a padded room with me pulling my hair out.

I really debated about doing new drawer pulls but there was just something about the original wood handles that made me want to try using them.

It really is a pretty color green.  At first I was worried it was going to be a sage green color or a little too mint green but it apparently just didn't have enough coats on it.

I didn't want to paint the insides of the drawers but I also didn't want to have the drawers look unfinished when pulled out so I used DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint in Retro to do the sides and backs of the drawers.  This way it's something a bit unexpected when you open them.

I lightly sanded the handles and then used the Minwax on them and buffed them to a high shine and they are beautiful now!  I'm so glad I ended up keeping them instead of trying to find something different.

Jennifer says she "overgrams" her chest of drawers and now I see why because I pretty much want to share these photos with anyone that will look at them!

I'm over the moon with this little chest of drawers and love that it has such a special place in my heart because of all the memories of it in my grandma's house.

Don't mind the cords under the dresser.  Forgot about those until I added this photo to the post.  Ooops!  It's still pretty though!

Here is a link to see Jennifer's beautiful dresser she calls Pearl

Martha Stewart Vintage Chalk Paint Eucalyptus  

. . . DIY 4x4 Christmas Candlesticks . . .

A couple months ago my mom and I decided to have a painting party and have everyone bring a container of chalk paint of their choice and we provided the project.  We had so much fun doing this that we decided to do it again but make a Christmas Craft this time.  It is hard to come up with a project that everyone will love and that can be made in a couple hours from start to finish but this was perfect.  We made 4x4 Christmas Candlesticks and the fun part is that everyone's ended up looking a little bit different.

Again we used Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint from Decoart and it worked beautifully for our 4x4s.  The 2 colors we used were Everlasting and Romance (the perfect red).  I also came up with the idea of using wide mouth jar lids painted and glued onto the top of the 4x4 and that is used to hold a pillar candle.  We also drilled a hole in the top of each block so you could use a votive or tea light.  To do the tea light hole you need a 1.5 inch spade drill bit.  Some of the girls chose to take the wide mouth jar lids but not glue them on so they could use both options depending on which candle they had handy.  I chose to skip drilling mine altogether because I knew I'd probably always want the pillar candles.  My mom did a set where she glued the lids and has the holes drilled so she can do either one.

These are three sets that my mom and I did before the party to use as examples and each set has a slightly different look.  Adding a little something extra with ribbon or wraphia made a big impact and then a sprig of berries and pine really makes the candlesticks pop.  I also found really cute vinyl Christmas labels at Michael's that I added to mine.  They are removable too so if I get tired of them it's an easy fix.

 So pretty and it's always rewarding when you can make something you can use.

 This set is distressed a bit more than the others and was done when it was completed so the red runs into the white and gives it a more rustic look.

Our party theme was turquoise and red so we set up this set using a sprig of turquoise beads and then red and turquoise ribbon so it's a little more modern and colorful.

This is the set I made for our house.  I added vinyl stickers and a sprig of berries with red burlap ribbon.  I picked up some pretty red candles and the candlesticks are ready to go.

 I tried to use all turquoise and red for the party set up.  I stacked paper plates in alternating colors and did the same with the cups and napkins and then picked up paper straws in the same colors.  To add some candlelight to everything I just used blue Ball jars and filled the bottom with Epsom salt and added a red and white gingham ribbon and dropped a tea light into the bottom.  

There was a table set up of all the things the girls would need to make this project including lots of Chalky Finish Paint. 

 Because we knew time would be limited to get this project done my mom and I sanded all the blocks and put one coat of primer on them and then applied one coat of Everlasting Chalky Finish Paint.  The girls got right to work when they got there and started painting another coat of the white and then while that dried they got busy eating and visiting.  It worked out well to do that because by the time they were done eating all the yummy food they could get started on the sanding and then painting the red accents.

 Once everyone had their blocks painted white we had them sand the entire block and distress it the way they wanted.  We then started having each person tape off the design they wanted.  Some did chevron, some did stripes, some did polka dots and one even did a monogram.  It was so fun to see what each person wanted.

 Lots of fun sanding, taping and painting.  Then of course finishing them with the Americana Decor Clear Wax. 

 We found that since we were trying to get the project done in a couple hours that a hair dryer just dried that paint up like nobody's business.  I am going to have to keep one handy every time I want to get a project done quickly. 

Don't you love the chevron and vertical stripes too?  They turned out so cute.

 I am in love with the top set that is really distressed.  It turned out so nice and looks so rustic.  Then the monogram looked awesome as well.  The stickers add a great something extra too.  I just love all the sets and couldn't pick a favorite.

 I think everyone left very happy with how their blocks turned out and I hope they will all use them in their holiday decorating.

Everyone had a great time I think and the projects all looked so good as they were heading out the door at the end of the night!

TO MAKE:

Use untreated 4x4s cut to the desired size.  We did a set of two for the night of the party but then did sets of 3 for a few other sets.  Ours were cut to be:

Sand your blocks until smooth.  **If you are going to drill with the spade bit then you will want to go ahead and do that now.  Apply one coat of primer.  I used spray primer on my set but we used brush on primer for the sets the girls painted.  I think the blocks that had brush on primer did much better than my set with spray primer.  

Once the primer dries apply your white paint until the wood is covered to your liking.  Sand the entire block getting the block distressed as much as you'd like.

Use round sponge brushes to achieve the polka dot look or use painter's tape to tape off the blocks in horizontal stripes or diagonal stripes or even vertical stripes.  Whatever your heart desires!  Use different widths of tape to get a different look to your stripes as well.  Once the tape is applied you will paint the white areas red or whatever color you are using on your blocks.  Let the red dry and then paint another coat.  I found that I liked mine with 3 coats but most of the girls at the party were happy with 2 coats.  It is completely up to you.  

Once the red has dried you can sand a little more to distress the blocks or you can leave them as they are.  For my 2 blocks that have stripes I left the tape covering the white so no red would bleed into the white and sanded the red back down to make it a little distressed on the edges.  I then removed the tape so I could touch up any bleeds and then I was ready for wax.  I didn't sand my polka dot block until after I waxed.

Apply your choice of wax.  I use Minwax or the Americana Decor Clear Wax and love both.  I think the Minwax is a little thicker but both protect well and leave a great feel to the finished project.  Once you've applied your wax and buffed it off you can lightly sand with a very smooth sandpaper to get a really nice finish. 

If you are using the wide mouth jar lids to hold pillar candles then you can paint those to the desired color and use E6000 glue to apply them to the top of your blocks.  Let them dry and then you can add your candles.  Add any extra embellishments that you would like and then display them.