String Art

I had a small section of wall in my home, between the garage door and the kitchen, that had been and screaming for something to be added to it. I decided that I wanted an EAT sign to go there. But rather than a painted sign I decided to do string art! Psst.. This was over a year ago now. I just found the pictures I took during the process and figured I would post a somewhat "how to". I apologize in advance as I forgot to take pictures of the actual string portion of the process. I know! This probably seems like the most important part. I believe it is not! I didn't have a tutorial and I just went for it! I encourage everyone to do the same. Just let your creative side take over!

I used a left over piece of rough wood I had from another project. I wanted an unfinished look to it so I only gave it a light sanding instead of making it smooth.

On the back of the piece I traced the hangers (I used two at the top about inches down). I did this so I would know where to make my holes to recess the hangers down into the wood.

Using a chisel I cut out the holes to place the hangers into.

Next I stained it with a dark stain I had that matched my kitchen.

I printed out the letters E, A, T and positioned them on the wood. I did measure the distance between each letter to ensure there was consistency. I secured them on with a bit of tape.

Once the letters where positioned where I wanted them, I used them as a guide to hammer in my nails. After the nails were in I started to add my string. I did play around with the string a bit to try and follow a pattern and make sure it looked even.

And Voila!

Our Pipe Light Fixture & First Real Blog Post!

One night while laying in bed clearing my mind of all my random thoughts, something I need to do in order to fall asleep, I was thinking about how it would be nice to make a journal of the things that happen in the week. I thought it would be also nice to record the projects that we do around home. It would be nice way to keep track of all the things that we have accomplished and the hiccups that occur along the way. Over the years we would be able to read it and recall these various memories. This could of just been my mind convincing me that I had a reason to buy another pretty notebook! After buying said pretty new notebook my husband asked "why not put it on a blog as well? That way we will have the pictures of the projects stored in one spot." Ah Ha!!! He is so smart! :)


So here is our most recent project! While looking for ideas for a shelf made with pipes I stumbled across this cool light fixture from The Gathered Home. We took a look at her tutorial and off to Lowes we went. I must admit I think my favourite part of making this light was laying out all the pieces on the floor in the aisle while people walked past and gave us strange looks. I am sure they were wondering what strange plumbing project we were working on. The only changes that we made for our light fixture was the amount of lights and the pieces for the sockets to fit into. We were able to find parts that we like. Originally I wanted to paint it so it was all one colour but once we did a test fit I decided I liked the contest in colours.

I just love how it looks in our kitchen! Now on to the next project!

Nana's Table Refinished

I was searching for the right table for our kitchen. We don't have a lot of space in our eating area. I finally let my sister convince me to refinish my Nana's old table. Even though I had never refinished anything before I am glad I listened to my sister! It was a long process to get all the old stain off. But it turned out great!

Before

After

Patio Table from Old Fence Boards

A neighbour took down part of their fence. Lucky for me I spotted the fence boards before it went to the trash. With the help of my father, I cut all the pieces and planned out the table. With the help of my hubsand we assembled the table and benches.
Cost:
Lumber = FREE
Paint and hardware = approx $100

Old fence boards cut and ready to be assembled.

Some assembly required lol

I wasn't sure I wanted to paint the table at first because I love the natural colour but I am happy I did in the end.

Went with a semi-transparent outdoor stain.

Very happy with how it turned out! Love the colour and that it still looks rustic. Now I need to find the perfect chairs for the ends.

Quote of the day

"Success begins with a persons will; it's all in the STATE OF MIND"


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