For Hard Knocks Door Stopper

Ahhhh.....life with children.  This was the most recent and most necessary fix I’ve had to do in a very long time.  The handle of our front door regularly finds it way into our wall.  Yup.  Into our wall.  I have repaired this small dent in the wall more times than I can count.

What an eyesore!!!  The most recent fix came while I was painting my front entry from blue to white, I pristinely repaired the dent by painstakingly adding layers off spackle and sanding until I could no longer see any evidence of a dent on my wall.  It was perfect; for one week.  When the door handle yet again found its way into my wall.  Unfortunately, many children do not understand the fine art of opening and closing doors with any level of grace.  I have kids in and out of my house constantly, between my own kids, their friends and my niece and nephews, I had no hope of keeping my beautiful handiwork in a pristine condition. That’s when I devised a plan...

I was going to make my own door stopper.  My best girlfriend had just completed updating her flooring with a beautiful hardwood.  She sequestered her husband to cut me a small circle from one of the left over scraps.  I used my favourite Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in “Old White” and a fine detail brush to write the words, “For Hard Knocks,” that’s what this was for, after all; Hard Knocks and Dents!  I used the wooden end of the brush to dot the edges of the disc and painted the unfinished wood Old White.  

Next came the difficult task of attaching to the wall.  I didn’t want a screw or a nail to throw off the design of the door stop, so I used my trusty crazy glue.  I waited months to write this blog, for fear that it might fall off of the wall.  Believe it or not, it is still adhered to my front entry wall.  I held in place for 3 minutes after applying crazy glue and then taped it for 24 hours to ensure its bond. 

I feel that this looks much better than the dented wall...now to decide what colour to paint the back of my door....please feel to comment below if you have any questions, concerns or you just liked this Big Idea! Thanks for reading!!

Shabby Inspired Garden Gate

Sometimes you find inspiration in the old, the shabby, the broken down bits of life.  After living in my home for fifteen years, I wanted a bit more curb appeal and I think my hubby and I pulled it off with the addition of this Garden Gate.  My lovely neighbour, Sarah, salvaged this old pine door from the alleyway years ago; she never quite found the right use for it in her home.  The door was an odd size, 29.5 inches wide.  Enter opportunity.  I took the door off of Sarah’s hands one year ago and debated building shelving out of it, turning it into a gigantic picture frame and then it hit me...a new Garden Gate.  We were due for an update, the previous gate sat much further back along our neighbour’s fence line and was very old and shabby. Shabby bad, not shabby good.  There was nothing chic about the old gate.  It was old, run down, the paint was peeling and the latch no longer worked. It was time!

I got out my trusty red paint and between thunderstorms, I added coat after coat.  We primed this old, somewhat damaged door and then added four coats of red and a protective clear coat.  The wonderful thing about shabby decor is that imperfections are a thing of beauty.  Don’t worry about bubbles on your surface, little dings that happen along the way; especially for a piece that is going to find its home outside, this door is going to age and become even more beautiful.  If it doesn’t look more beautiful by next year, I’ll repaint it, or distress it.  

I need to warn you, the one thing that happens if you’re into shabby decor like myself, is that you collect things.  As I said already, I held onto this door for one year while I decided where it might find a home...the door knob that doesn’t fit on any standard door...that was in my basement for two years.  Same problem...the door knob literally doesn’t fit on any door. It didn’t fit on this one either.  Opportunity.  Luckily, I have a crafty Husband that aims to please.  This is a gate, it doesn’t need a functioning door knob, it has a handy dandy latch.  The problem with the door knob was that the interior hardware was much too long for a standard thickness door.  My hubby decided that plumbing pipe fittings were the best way to fill the space between the front and the back of the door knobs.  It was genius and so very shabby.  I love it.  The door knob can be used to pull or push to close but the door knobs don’t actually turn, in this case, that doesn’t matter.  This would not be a perfect fix inside a home but for our purpose, it was ideal.

Next issue with a Garden Gate made from an interior door.  It’s heavy.  We needed a strong structure.  I wanted to mimic Crown Molding with the frame. We had to build an outdoor door jamb that would withstand high winds.

See how shabby my old gate is? It’s the ugly peeling white fence in the background. This new gate has allowed us to reclaim so much space.  My husband built us a very strong structure with posts sunk into the ground, four feet and secured the other posts to our very strong deck.  The braces across the top and to the sides added more strength and stability.  The brace across the top was yet again, an opportunity for decor. We stacked boards to create the appearance of Crown Molding.  It was at this point that I looked at my husband with a worried look and said, “is our lawn mower going to fit through the gate!?!”  It did...here’s a tip, friends, check that before you build your fence gate. An un-mowed lawn wasn’t going to make me popular in my neighbourhood. 

This poor guy, bless his heart for coming along for the ride.  He nailed it with this project.  I couldn’t be happier with the results.  However, I wasn’t done yet!!!  A Shabby Garden Gate needs something really special to complete the look.  Lucky me, I have a bestie that knows where to find all the coolest kitschy decor.

The sign to complete my Garden Gate was too perfect. My girlfriend really gets me.  I’m one of those gals that doesn’t take herself too seriously.  When she saw this metal sign, she called me over for approval and bought it for me as a birthday gift.  I couldn’t be happier. I love it!

Totally perfect.  Totally me.  Worth the bother.

Our easy open latch was tied to a string and my hubby, again, drilled out a space for yet another pipe fitting that the string to pulls through. 

This guy earned a much deserved break...alongside my sister’s healing dog...poor Stevie was attacked by another dog, halfway through our project.  Its been a long week but I’m so pleased with how everything turned out.

 

Feel free to comment below with any questions, concerns or if you just liked this Big Idea!  Thanks for reading!

Valentine's Day Printer's Tray

 

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Time to  heart-ify my house! I made this Printer's Tray, years ago!!!  I change it seasonally. Right now it hangs on my wall with lots of smoochy pictures!!

I love having the ability to change out my decor for holidays and seasons. My undecorated printer's tray was an investment and it sat, undecorated for quite some time. I had a hard time committing to a theme, to something I wanted on my wall, year-round. That's when I considered the possibility of using temporary glue dots, Velcro and tightly fitting pictures in the small compartments of this Tray. 

A Printer's Tray was traditionally used to hold moveable type and keep the Printer organized. Today, we see them on walls in Shabby Decor, filled with memories, mementos and pictures. A nod to the past. 

Today, I'm switching from a Halloween themed tray to a Valentine's Tray. 

 

The only fixed detail on my Tray is the lace, which I hotglued because, let's face it, lace goes with everything! (That may or may not be a matter of personal opinion). 

When attaching ribbons, I use small pieces of Velcro, or adhesive ribbons. 

 

 I keep all of my elements in a box, in my scrapbooking room, waiting to be changed out for holidays and seasons. 

 

The divided compartments in a Printer's Tray leave a great opportunity for tiny scrapbooking layouts. All layouts are measured and cut to size, each layout includes a tab for easy removal. The tabs are made from washi tape or ribbon. 

 

Each layout features a photo, an on-theme paper, stickers and demonstrate a number of scrapbooking techniques, from inking, to sanding and stamping. When completing a project like this, one also has the opportunity to include 3 Dimensional objects. Like the bottle feature in this layout...

 

As my project hangs on the wall, close to a high traffic area, a small, removable glue dot is used to keep the bottle in place. 

A handle is not only the means by which you hang your project on the wall, it holds great potential for decoration!!  When filled with my Valentines layouts, my handle is decorated with beautiful ribbons and bows. Other seasons and holidays feature decorative toothpicks and beads. Your options are limited only by your imagination. 

 

Next it's time to pull out my heart shaped candles and tea towels!!  I'm ready for Valentine's Day. I just love switching out of spooky elements to these loving memories. I can't think anything better than kisses and memories to adorn the walls of my home. 

If you have any questions or you just liked this Big Idea, please feel free to comment below. Thanks for reading!!

Let Love Grow: Making Your Own Wedding Favours

When planning a wedding, arguments tend to happen. I'm sure Wedding Favours have caused an argument...or two.  Wedding favours are an old tradition, a tradition, I'm sure many brides and grooms may decide to scrap. I like to think of Favours as a potential place to save some money and highlight your talents. Especially if you're ambitious and you can create something handmade on your own. A favour is a nice way to say thank you to each of your guests. Favours contribute to decor and I, personally, think it's lovely to leave a special event with a small momento. A small and useful momento is even better!

I made these for a friend's wedding this summer. They were quick, relatively inexpensive and a perfect gift from a gardener. Though my friend Sarah has many talents, gardening is one of the more obvious talents she possesses. Every summer she grows and harvests beautiful zucchinis, tomatoes, herbs, carrots, potatoes and onions. Her yard is highlighted by the lovely flowers growing in her flower beds and in her ceramic pots.  A personalized packet of wildflower seeds from a gardener and nature lover seemed like the best choice as a gift from my dear friend, Sarah. 

These Favours were small enough to be slipped into a purse. The intention for these seeds was for a wedding guest to later spread on their property, in a place that's special to them or on their favourite walk. As a wedding guest spreads the seeds, it was my hope that they would think of that special couple on their special day and "Let Love Grow."

I don't know if you've ever seen wildflower seeds before but my first thought for Favours was to either find or make vellum envelopes. Wildflower seeds are far less pretty than I anticipated...

Needless to say, I opted for the adorable yellow polka dotted paper Recollections brand envelopes that I found on sale at Michaels.  If  you were to use vellum, I'd recommend adding some dried lavender for interest sake. 

I decided to label the envelopes with the Bride and Groom's names, the wedding date and the "Let Love Grow" quote. I wanted the favours to look hand stamped and I wanted them on craft paper. I'm not a super techy kind of girl, the most simple way I've found to do this is to draw out multiple labels on a piece of white paper and then photocopy them onto craft cardstock.  I had a ton of Favours to make, photocopying was going to save me a lot of time!!

After I made the copies, I trimmed the labels, edged them with gold ink and glued the labels onto the envelopes. I then filled each envelope with a heaping tablespoon of seeds, sealed the envelopes and added a piece of decorative washi tape to the back, as an extra little detail and to prevent them from opening and growing a small garden in a guest's favourite handbag.  

 

These favours were extremely well received and looked adorable, featured as a part of the table decor. Thank you for reading!!  If you have any questions or you just liked this big idea, feel free to comment below! 

When Life Gives You Pallets...Make Signs, Really Beautiful, Decorative Signs.

Rustic Wedding Décor

Our mothers have all encouraged us at one time or another, to “make lemonade.”  What I am proposing is most definitely not to add a bunch of extra and unnecessary sugar to our lives (and a pinch of salt, if you don’t already know that, its truly the secret to a really spectacular pitcher of lemonade). I’m proposing we look around, find useful objects and make something beautiful.  We have all received a large delivery at one time or another, you’ve seen them abandoned in back alleys, I’m talking about pallets.  Pallets are full of useful wood.  They are naturally aged, attractive and very splintery! Instead of throwing them onto a fire pit, which would be far less labour intense and may actually lead to some unintended fun, give them a quick sand and pull out your power tools.

This Summer, I had the opportunity to help out my wonderful neighbours with some rustic wedding décor.  Where did we start?  Pallets.  Every wedding needs signage and lots of it!  Parking directions, seating arrangements and heart warming quotes to set the mood.  Pallets were an extremely affordable option.    Affordable, as in, FREE! 

I don’t know if you’ve ever lifted a pallet before but they’re heavy and large.  For this handy stuff, I enlisted the help of my creative, strong and helpful husband and our neighbour, the husband to be.  We knew our signs had to stand up to the elements.  You never know what kind of weather a wedding day will bring!  They had to be sturdy enough to not blow over in the wind, survive a hail storm, deal with sweltering heat…let’s just say, the local weather is unpredictable in August and this was an outdoor wedding.

My hubby and I took some time to break the pallets down.  You’re going to need a crowbar and a strong back!  A full size pallet was simply too large for our signs. We broke down one pallet completely to salvage wood and cut another down the middle, next to the support beam, to form the actual sign.  Many of your boards will break, depending on the dimensions of your sign, even a broken board may be useful.  They typically break on the end joints as opposed to the middle of the board.  Trim the ends, measure and mark with a square and cut to your required length.  

My absolute favourite tip?  SAVE ALL OF YOUR NAILS!!  These can be reused.  A rusty nail is exactly the look you desire.  A rusty nail that you bend over and smash into your sign, is even better!

Once your boards are cut, it’s time to rebuild your sign! Try to create a closeness between your boards, this will make your sign more legible.  A typical pallet has large gaps between wooden boards, so remove a few and add filler boards from your secondary pallet.  Choose interesting boards for a rustic project, knots and bark are your friend.

Though it looks lovely, as is, the wedding colours were yellow and blue.  I couldn’t resist the opportunity to distress!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is my favourite paint to work with!!  I used her Old White and English Yellow. I also used Minwax Water Based Wood Stain in Grey.

I used a dry brush to apply grey stain and white and yellow chalk paint. I added all three colours, one after another with no dry time in between.  I applied colours with quick brush strokes; making sure to apply heavily to the corners and edges, avoiding the centre of the boards, which were reserved for writing.  I used a few different brush sizes…and my bare hands.

If you’re hands don’t look like this when you’re done, you’re probably doing it wrong.  Kidding!  I’m a TOTAL MESS – Every creative project, I end up looking like the I was the project!  Glitter, glue, paint, googly eyes; if I’m using a product, guaranteed I’ll be digging it out from under nails for a week!

Final step of distressing….a quick sand to blend your colours, now you’re ready for words!!! When you write your message on your sign, be sure to use a pencil first.  Pencil can always be erased or sanded off at a later date.  Plan your message and your font, in accordance with the spacing on your pallet sign.  It needs to be very easy to read.  Choose a tall font when you have wide boards and smaller font with narrower boards.  If you don’t like the look of your writing, or if you do not have a steady hand, use a stencil!!

 I used white chalk paint to write my message.  It goes on thick, it’s bright and easy to read from a distance.  When you’re ready to commit to your penciled in message, start with an angled brush.  The beauty of an angled brush is that your wording will appear straighter, more angular and neater.  Start with thin lines and build them outward to the thickness you desire.  Allow some time for your first coat to dry, before cutting in with a fine detail brush.  I outlined my lettering with my detail brush, this makes an overall difference in the quality of your font and the darkness of your letters.

It is very important to note that sometimes imperfections will appear as interest.  However, if you’re unhappy with a result, sand the surface and start over!  This is your project, have fun!  If you’re pleased with your work, that will shine through.  Anyone looking at it will admire your style and talent.

  

Please comment below if you have any questions or if you just liked this Big Idea!!