DIY Handpainted Sign

Happy Friday friends!  Sharing how to make a handpainted sign today without using fancy stencils or a vinyl cutting machine.  A few weeks back I posted this new wall art I had made on Instagram and many folks had asked if I would share a tutorial.  Below are the steps to make this planked sign with handpainted lettering, if you can color in the lines then I promise you can make this.

I choose this quote because 1) I recently saw it in the March 2015 issue of Country Living magazine 2) I'm a long time Little House on the Prairie fan and 3) we needed some wall art in that spot after the tree shelf from Christmas came down.

Growing up I wanted to be Laura Ingalls, life on the prairie was so basic and simple and I loved everything about her rustic family lifestyle.  That might explain a little bit of why I choose to buy a 1740 saltbox farmhouse, living out my inner Laura every day (except with indoor plumbing).

At any rate back to the sign.  You can make it any size to fit your space.  I joined a couple 1scrap 1x6 and 1x8 boards to get the width I wanted and cut them all to the same length.

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DIY Sliding Barn Door Console Free Plans

Snowstorm Jonas kept me hunkered down all weekend with plenty of time to make proper plans for the sliding barn door console as I've been meaning to tackle for quite some time.

Thank you to everyone who has shown so much interest in the original console post where I shared cut lists and basic construction process.  Your interest and questions spurred me on to make proper plans down below.

You may recall I built this console for week one of the Creating With the Stars series in the Spring of 2014:

Week one of the contest was a 'knock off' theme and I was inspired by Sundance Catalog's Yorkville Sliding Door Console:

image source

The retail version above sells for $2800 plus $400 shipping - yikes!  I'm sharing the plans to make your own DIY version for $300.

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DIY Glossy Three Drawer Dresser

Shiny, glossy and almost lacquer-like this painted three drawer dresser is complete!  Would you believe this high gloss finish was achieved using a water based brush-on paint?   It's true folks.

Americana Decor Maxx Gloss for the win.

I used this beautiful Caribbean Sea blue color for the drawer fronts and White China on the dresser body: 

To achieve this amazing finish first select a piece of furniture.  I built this three drawer dresser from scratch (and will share the plans soon!) so my wood was unfinished.

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15 Best Builds 0f 2015

One last post to celebrate 2015 and all the amazing things that happened this past year.  I'm extremely thankful to each and every one of my readers and friends, without you all I would not be here sharing.  

It's so fun to look back at all the projects completed throughout the year and hard to pick just a handful to highlight but these are the top 15 for 2015:

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Three Drawer Dresser Plans

Happy New Year everyone!  Lets get building for 2016.  First up I have the plans for this three drawer dresser:

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Tons of storage here with open cubbies and drawers.  To be honest I built this as a giant shared nightstand to go in between my girls beds however we couldnt get it up our super narrow stairwells. 

#palmtoface

Measure twice, build once.  Or something like that.  At any rate its still a great piece with lots of functionality perfect for our playroom area and now I get the chance to build different nightstands for my girls.

The instructions including all the steps, cut list and supplies are over at buildsomething.com here.

If youre curious about the finish on this piece the details are here.

Disclaimer:  I have partnered with Build Something to bring you these plans.  All thoughts, opinions and creative ideas are my own.

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DIY Fishing Game

Today is the last gift plan for this year's Handbuilt Holiday series with Ana White and we have a super simple and easy to make diy fishing game for you.  I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the gift ideas over the past 12 weeks, it's been a joy to build each and every one and today's plan is no exception.

We still have 6 good building days left and I guarantee this fishing game will only take a few hours to complete.  Make a long box and cut out a few fish then you're good to go!

The box stores all the pieces because we know toys work best when everything is contained and stored together.  (How many times have your kids received a toy with a bazillion pieces and no storage container?!  Makes you want to pull your hair out.)  I also made a lid for the box using 1/4" plywood and applied adhesive backed velcro to keep the lid in place.

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DIY Kids Play Boutique

Paris Party Playstand Week continues today with the boutique.  If you're just joining in, on Monday I shared the diy kids patisserie playstand I had built for my friend Stefanie at Brooklyn Limestone.  She put together the most beautiful Paris themed birthday party for her daughter and I built the playstands below:

All the finish work including the painting and lettering plus all the styling details are spot on, isn't this amazing?!  I want Stefanie to be my mom.

I'm sharing the free plans to build the boutique down below.  

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