Happy Friday the 13th! So ecstatic that it’s Friday and we’re getting ready for the weekend! I was at Michael’s on Wednesday picking up some things for the holiday decor that’s going up this weekend and can I just say how adorable some of their stuff is?!? I am loving all the glitzy and glam ornaments that they have in stock! I had to contain myself from buying everything that I saw, lol! I wish money was no object! I want our decor to be simple and rustic this year so I had to talk myself out of buying a lot of stuff, even though they were all so pretty to look at. Instead, I picked up ribbons, pine-cones, and a couple plain garlands and wreaths. There was a lot of self discipline going on that night, haha. You guys should definitely check the store out! Also, I picked up a paint pen to finish up my project for this week’s DIY Friday.
The inspiration for this project came when I saw this sign on Pinterest. I loved the color scheme, and of course the saying and how it was set up. I think it will be a good reminder for not just the holidays, but also year round. I wanted to make it for the holidays because I think this time of year just makes us feel so much more giving than we usually are, right? And with all the awful things we see on the news every other day, it feels like this world is so full of evil and horrible people. It scares me when I think of what our children’s lives are going to be like. Unfortunately we cannot control all the bad things that happen in life. But what we can control is our actions and the positive things we can contribute to the world. That is why this sign makes me smile every time I see it! I’m not saying to be a goody-two shoe, but we have a lot of good in us to offer to the world. And the best way to show that to our children is by having them follow in our example.
In the photo, the sign looks like it was made out of old pallet wood. I tried looking for one since that would make the project almost free but I didn’t have any luck. Booo….so I decided to go to Lowe’s to buy the lumber. I picked out a 1×6 12 footer and had them cut it down into 4 pieces of 3′ lengths. (I don’t think they charged me for the cutting, woohoo!) I also purchased picture hangers so I would be able to hang this up after I’m done. A couple other tools were: liquid nails, nails, hammer, white paint pen, black sharpie, 220 grit sandpaper, wood stain, and a thin sheet of plywood. I spent about $20 for this project but I happened to have the thin sheet of plywood in my garage, haha. If you have an old pallet, then it would be cheaper for you too!
First, I laid down the 4 boards side by side and made sure they are lined up and squared off. Then I put on some liquid nails on the back of the plywood and laid it on top of the 4 boards making sure that it fits within the 4 sides. I sat on it to help put pressure on the glue, haha. Afterwards I just nailed down the plywood to the boards. I didn’t do a good job at making sure the boards underneath didn’t shift while I did that. Now I have a gap between the top 2 boards. I think eventually I’ll fix it, but today is not that day! LOL
Then I just sanded down the rough edges from the cut and make sure there’s no splinters. Once I was done, I stained it with the stain that I had already. Do you see the gap? It’s not as noticeable now but you wait and see! Haha!
Now if you’re good with free-hand drawing/writing, this may be a great project for you to do. Typically (and truthfully the smarter way to do it), I would get a stencil to write the phrase on the pallet. Better yet, I would just get vinyl letter, apply it and call it a day! Buuuuut…I was feeling “adventurous” that day, lol! Why, oh why!!! I said to myself, I could free-hand this! Which is what I ended up doing and I kinda regret it since I ended up spending so much time on it. I drew it in with a pencil first, then traced over it with the sharpie and white paint pen. I only had to do one layer with the black sharpie but I had to do 2 coats of the white.
I messed up a couple times with the spacing and my “THERE” is a little uneven, plus that gap…But overall, I love the sign! I think I may take it down and fix it up a bit in the near future but for now, I love it. I goes with our decor (although I love that yellow in the original photo!) and it’s in the perfect spot because it will be next to our tree. Once I was done, I just had to add the picture hanger on the top 2 corners so I can hang it up. Just make sure you put it on at the same height. I went about 1″ in from the top. It is somewhat heavy so I would make sure that you’re hanging it on nails that are going into studs. So there you have it, the final product (for now), hehe.
It was kind of therapeutic to draw it all out and then frustrating when I messed up, haha. I can’t wait to add the missing link in this corner…our tree! Definitely excited to show you guys the changes on Tuesday! And I’m happy I can use my ladder to fit into the decor! Finally got to pull that thing out of our garage. And just in case you missed my FB post about how easy it was to make those garlands, here are the photos! All you need are ribbons and scissors!
Well, that’s it for this week! I hope you have lots of celebrating and good times ahead this weekend! Please share any DIY projects that you’re doing in your home with me, I’d love to see them! Have a wonderful weekend, my pretties!
Stay Lovely,
Jeap