Beach House Coffee Table

Everywhere I go, it's nautical this and seashell that and I so so wish I had a beach house to decorate!!  It's torture I tell you! :)

Well, when I inherited this small coffee table from a friend, I unintentionally went beachy with it.  Unintentionally, you ask?  It all started out with me wanting to go outside of my perfectionist comfort zone and give dry brushing a try.  It is a very imperfect technique and it's hard for me to let go control, ha.

 

First up was one layer of grey using Maison Blanche Franciscan Grey.

Next, I dry brushed on a layer of General Finishes Antique White.  I intentionally went a little heavy with the dry brushing because I wanted a bit more coverage.

Then I went to town with my distressing - waaay more than I usually do.  And finally finished it off with a grain sack design.

At this point, I wasn't loving it.  In fact, all along the way I wasn't sold, but was committed to seeing my initial vision through.  I sent my friend a picture of the table at this stage and she mentioned how it looked beachy.  YES!  Exactly!!!  The moment she said that I knew exactly what this piece needed to make it a finished product.  I used my Silhouette to cut out a simple anchor graphic and stenciled that on top in Navy.  And then I did even more distressing.  I was starting to fall in love.

As a final touch, I added a wicker basket to the shelf and called it a day.  So cute, right?! 

 

 

 

Now I REALLY wish I had a beach house so this cutie could go right in it. :)
-Ashley

Photo Holder Wood Block

I am so excited to share this next project with you!  I created this one for Valentine's Day, but the beauty of this project is you can create it for any special occasion.  I personally think it would be so so cute for as a wedding gift or even a baptism.  The possibilities are endless!  Here is what you'll need.

• Square Wood Block
• White Paint
• Sand Paper
• Scrapbook Paper
• Modge Podge
• Silhouette Vinyl Cut Out
• Drill
• Steel Wire
• Pen
• Decorative Ribbon

To start, give your wood block a couple coats of white paint. 

 

Once it's dry, quickly distress it with your sand paper.  While you wait for the paint to dry, start cutting out your scrapbook paper to fit within the 6 sides of the block.

Since my paint was still wet and I have no patience, I decided to add my vinyl design to the piece of scrapbook paper prior to securing it to the wood block.  :)  And since Silhouette vinyl is so easy to use, it was easy peesy.

Once my paint was dry, I used Modge Podge to adhere each piece of paper.

Add a thin layer to the block first, then add the paper.  Remember to smooth the bubbles and wrinkles out!  Then add another thin layer to the top of the paper.

Ta-da!  So cute, right?  Just wait - it gets cuter!  Take your drill and drill a small hole on the top of the block.  Then cut two long pieces of wire and fold them in half.  Add a glob of hot glue into the drilled hole and then stick in your wire and hold in place until the glue sets.

Now here is the fun part.  Take your pen and start wrapping your wire around the pen, keeping the coil tight.  Repeat for each of the four wires. 

Lastly, tie your ribbon on, add your pictures and enjoy!

See that four leaf clover paper?  That's a sneak peak of the paper I'll be using to create a St. Patty's Day version. :)  Like I said, the possibilities are endless!

-Ashley

Valentine's Day Door Sign

Do you love the Target $1-$3 bins as much as I do?!  I couldn't believe it when I saw these wood hearts there for only $3!  I grabbed as many as I could and ran, ha. :)

You might recall last year's door sign.  This year, however, I wanted something a little heavier and this wood heart was the perfect starting point.  I started by painting it white.  After two coats of white, I layered one coat of pink on top.  I then took sandpaper and ran it across the entire piece.  I love the amount of white that pops through.  Doesn't it remind you of a pink sweetheart candy?  Yum!

I had my ribbon picked out, but I was undecided on if I wanted black writing or red.  I decided on black since it'd probably be more readable from the street.  Then I got to work on my stencil.

I'm loving all the crafting possibilities I have with my Silhouette cutting machine.  They have so much to offer, including adhesive stencil material.  The best part about it?  It's washable, so you can use it again and again!

I chose a design from the Silhouette store - that was the easy part.  The hard part?  Turning "islands" into "bridges".  I spent a handful of hours researching Google and watching YouTube videos before finally getting the hang of it.  After a few test cuts, my stencil was ready.

I used a pouncer brush to fill in the stencil with black paint.  I let the whole thing dry before removing the stencil.  Then I simply washed it off, attached it to it's backing and stashed it away for another day.

I'm loving my new door sign and fully expect to see it's return next year and the year after! :)
-Ashley

Valentine's Day Wood Blocks

Heeeelllllooo 2015!!!  I hope everyone enjoyed their New Year celebrations!  My husband and I actually managed to stay awake until midnight - first time in years!  And in fact, our little one partied until 11pm, ha.  I'm definitely looking forward to what 2015 has in store. :)

So, what shall we chat about today?  Well, as someone who crafts, I'm always thinking about the next holiday.  So while I packed up Christmas, I thought about what I might like to tackle for Valentine's Day.  I received a Silhouette for Mother's Day last year and I've been dying to spend more time mastering all that it has to offer.  I used my vinyl starter kit to put together these little cuties!

It all started with a simple wood block I picked up from Hobby Lobby around Christmas time. 

I originally planned on using them to create ornaments, but unfortunately, time ran out.  Honestly, I'm glad it did because I think these Valentine's blocks turned out way cuter than the ornaments would have.

I created my designs using Silhouette Studio.

I then loaded my vinyl into my Silhouette cutting machine.  I used all the recommended settings for vinyl and then hit cut!

I removed the vinyl from the machine and peeled away the excess. I was then left with this...

Using transfer paper, I moved the letters from this sheet to the wood block.

And that was that!

How easy, right?!!  To add even more cuteness, I added washi tape around the entire block.

I repeated the same process for each design.  I just love how they turned out!

I can't wait to tackle my next Silhouette project!
-Ashley