Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I can't believe I pulled it off

One day while examining looking through the January Pottery Barn catalog, something really caught my eye.



No, it wasn't the lovely quilt or stunning headboard that captivated me, but the wooden sign above the bed. Oh how I love this sweet little piece of wooden wall decor!

Knowing full well that the price was most likely going to be the abrupt end of this love affair, I was afraid to look. Oddly enough, I found that the piece wasn't even for sale. Hmmmm....strange.

Then the light bulb went off. Why can't I make this myself & put my own spin on it?

Last summer, my husband decided to remove some badly damaged tongue & groove flooring that had been in our basement since who knows when. At that time, I begged him to save me a piece of the flooring because I just might use it one day. He rolled his eyes, but agreed.

Needless to say, that flooring has just become my own Pottery Barn knockoff.

Instead of torturing my hubby to cut the edges straight for me, I decided to leave them crooked. Did I ever tell you my sisters & I have named my husband, "crooked eyes" for his inability to cut or hang anything straight on the first try? LOL

Anyway, I cleaned the wood. Then decided on a different quote, one with a Spring theme to it. I printed it from my computer, mirror imaged & then did the poor man's transfer technique by using a pencil to rub a light outline of the letters.



Then I panicked. I am certainly not an artist. This was going to be one tough job painting the letters. So what did I do?

Sing praises to the black Sharpie marker, of course!

I know some of you may be shaking your head & calling me a silly amateur right now. If the Sharpie plan proved disastrous, I was just going to cover the whole thing with chalkboard paint & call it a day.

But,

Ha! It worked! I can't believe it! It really worked!



Now I'm sure there are many of you who would have made this far more lovely to look at, but I'm pretty pleased with it. It's just the thing I needed for my Spring Mantel.

Speaking of which, I'll be back to post my Spring mantel later this week.

Have a good week, my friends.

Oh by the way, I'm going to link this up at All Things Heart & Home for the All Things Inspired party and at DIY by Design for the Swing into Spring party. Go on over & check it out!




14 comments:

  1. That is so neat Gina, you did a wonderful job, I can't wait to see your spring mantel! With what you just made for it I know it will be fabulous!

    Rondell

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  2. I WANT ONE!!!!! This is most inspiring!!! I love it love it love it!!

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  3. Gina, I am impressed!!! I really like it. Great job!

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  4. I think it looks amazing! You did a fabulous job and should be proud!!!

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  5. WOW... Gina great job I want one...

    Pattie

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  6. 1) I love sharpies. 2) I LOVE THIS PROJECT!! I'm a newbie to your blog and love it. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  7. Love this! So how are the boards stuck together?

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  8. Hey Gina,
    Lookin' good. I think you're getting good at making these board decor. I still remember your Fall board sign... What a smart idea to recycle the flooring. Can't wait to see your Spring mantel. Have a sweet day.

    Hugs and Kisses,
    ♥Ana

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  9. Wow, you really did a great job. I'm super impressed. Thanks so much for sharing it at my Swing into Spring party. Hope to see you again next week.

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  10. I love that you did some creative borrowing from Pottery Barn and made it your own. Very creative.

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  11. This is fantabulous Gina!! YOU amaze me too:) I can't wait to see your spring mantel!!

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  12. Now that's thinking. I love when I find a use for some random thing I've saved. I love your sign and think I might just need to make something similar for myself ... someday.

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  13. You did an outstanding job on this Gina! Really better than the original.

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