Easy as ABC

I have had this idea pinned on Pinterest for a while.  

I started working on it on President's Day and finished it the next day. 

After waiting almost two weeks to have it hung...my husband did it this morning.  Yeah!  

The original sign measured 36x36 and she must have used 3" letters.  

I could only find 4" letters and I didn't want to wait to get started...so I went with it.  

My sign is 42x42 and my blocks measure 7" square to accommodate the larger letter size. 

 It is BIG.  

I used a t-square to make nice square lines.  

Letters from Hobby Lobby.  

Not exactly the same font as an old typewriter...but again, I didn't want to wait.  

I drew circles in the center of each square and painted them old white...almost to the edge, but not quite. 

Here is where I forgot to keep taking pictures:)

In the center of the circle, I placed the vinyl letters and numbers.  Painted over them with black paint and peeled the sticker away when it was almost dry.  I did quite a few touch-ups, then I found a smaller circle to make the partial inner circles.  I finished it up with some sanding and then a darker wax.  

This thing is BIG!  I have big tall walls with lots of windows...so I had nowhere  to hang it.  

So it went in the bathroom.  

This is the arrangement I had in the guest bath before...these are now in my master bedroom:)  

Ta-Dah!  

Perfect size for the wall and I love the impact it has on the space.  

Hmmm...what should I work on next?  Painting my wood blinds?  Sure.  

Renae

For Thomas

We FINALLY found a dresser that Thomas approved of and started 

planning for a bedroom makeover.  He is quite picky and has lots of ideas of his own.  So, I "pinned" a number of ideas and we came up with a plan.  

The Dresser.  Before.  

The Dresser.  After.  

I painted the body of the dresser Old White and the drawers are 

Graphite and Antibes Green from Annie Sloan.  

It is lightly distressed...to keep the "modern" look my son was looking for.  

We sprayed the handles bright white.  

Yesterday we added a 5' piece of roofing metal...

its much cheaper than sheet metal ($15 for 10 feet).

Now he has a place to display artwork, pictures and awards. 

Looks good...and he LIKES it!  

The Bookshelf.  Before.  

I painted the bookshelf white and added a "quilt" of coordinating papers 

to the inside of it.  I simply cut squares of paper, put them in 

place randomly and covered the surface with Modge Podge 

(my third project this week that included it).  

The Bookshelf.  After.  

Love it!  I love the pop of orange that the lamp provides.  

I used scrapbook papers in gray, green and white patterns.  

Bedding.  Same as before, just added a pop of orange.  

We added the hanging book rack to store Lego magazines and other books.  I used tall, round garbage cans to store the immense number of Nerf guns. These also work great in the garage for hockey sticks, baseball bats and tennis rackets.   

Love this idea that I found on Pinterest...cheap, easy and cool. 

I had created this piece a while back and you can find a tutorial here.

After quite a bit of planning, I think the room came together perfectly.  

Thomas thinks it great...and that's what matters.  

Renae

My Whole Heart

Heather "pinned" this idea on Pinterest and I loved it.  

I used an old canvas with a picture of a plane on it and painted it brown.  I added 2" and 3" vinyl letters, then painted the entire surface old white.  Finally, I peeled off the letters, sanded it and sealed it with wax.  

Then I made the bed.  

Fun little morning project.  

Renae

Flush

I made this sign today...for the upstairs bath that my two boys share.  

We obviously have a problem.  

My boys are 7 and 10, they both can read and now I hope they both will flush.  

Enough said.  

At one point their bathroom had dinosaur paintings done on canvas...I switched those out a while ago, but saved the paintings.  I re-used the largest one and used the same technique as in my earlier post that you can find here.

The vinyl letters are from Hobby Lobby in three different sizes and I used leftover paint from our house...lemon verbana and navajo white (Sherwin Williams).  

I distressed it quite heavily as I did have some paint bleed through...I don't know if the latex paint or the canvas that caused the issue, but it didn't bleed through with the chalk paint and the paper print that I used before.   

I like how a little of the blue peeked through.  

My boys think it is hilarious and as I sit here typing this post 

I just heard my husband say "Who didn't flush?"  

I think I need to put one in every bathroom or 

start charging them when I find an un-flushed toilet.  

Renae

Character

I've been wanting to do this project for a while and when my husband called to say he could pick up the kids from school...I got started.  

This is a print from Kohl's that used to hang in our upstairs hallway.  After we repainted this summer, I knew it wouldn't be used again as it was...

but I knew it had potential.  

As I was clearing my desk today I found a set of vinyl wall words that I have intended on hanging in one of our boys' rooms for quite some time...

but putting it on the wall is so...permanent.  

First, I put two coats of old white paint on the picture. This is an unframed picture that is sturdy...not a canvas, but that would work too. 

I measured and adjusted the words to fit the dimensions of the picture...

the word CHARACTER just fit.  

It was meant to be.  

I attached the wall vinyls following the package instructions and 

sealed them real good with the tool they provide.  

Then a coat of graphite paint was 

applied over the entire surface. 

Once the graphite paint was dry, I used a razor blade to lift the vinyl and peel it off.  It was going well, until RIP!  The "A" was connected to the letter below it and I tore the paper on the original picture.  If I hadn't had three little boys watching me I would have used a few choice words.  Dang. 

So, I got out my pencil and drew in some lines and painted around them.  

Not too bad of a repair job...even my husband was impressed. The paper backing is a little crinkly...a canvas would work perfect for this project.  

I lightly sanded the edges and the entire surface to age it a little and blend in some of the paint that bled through.  

I covered it with a little wax and buffed it.  I propped it up in the guest room, but it will hang in our oldest son's room...hopefully as a constant reminder. 

Thanks for visiting.

Renae

greenbriargoods@hotmail.com