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 Wine Carrier Free Plans

Handmade gifts are the best and I'm a huge fan of making something rather than buying so today I'm sharing this DIY wine carrier project plan.  It's nothing new or really that creative but it's a simple project that nearly anyone can complete in under an hour.

This wine carrier holds two bottles just perfectly.  A 1x4 board just happens to be the exact width you need to fit a bottle of wine!

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DIY Kids Play Patisserie

A super sweet treat this week and we're starting off with this kids pretend patisserie playstand.  My fellow blogger Stefanie over at Brooklyn Limestone puts together the most beautiful parties and her daughter's 3rd birthday was nothing short of amazing.

It all started when Stefanie posted a quick sketch of her Pretend Play Paris theme over on Instagram.  I saw it and knew I could build it so I offered.  Long story short we came up with plans, I built it (plus 2 more playstands coming this week) and delivered the unfinished stands to her Brooklyn home.  We only live about 45 min. from each other so it's a win, I get to build and she gets the stands!

Today I'm sharing the plans for the kids play patisserie, step by step instructions including cut lists can be found down below but first you must see the finish patisserie playstand.

For the love!  That's the birthday girl enjoying some pretend treats.  All the party details and sources for play food are over at Brooklyn Limestone here, be sure to check it out.

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DIY Owl Bookends

Scrap wood and book lovers this ones for you: diy owl bookends.  Free plans to make these simple wood owl bookends are up over at Pretty Handy Girl here.

Use whatever scrap wood you have on hand to make these and they would look super cute painted too!

Click here for a printable PDF version of the owl bookend plans.

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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 Lego Minifigures Shelf with Free Plans

I definitely didn't invent the wheel here but I did make free plans so you can build your own Lego minifigures shelf.  There are lots of minifigure shelf ideas out there, some are quite sophisticated with little ledges for each minifig but I went simple.  In fact I didn't even add the baseplates which would be a great option if you like complete uniformity.

This version of the minifigure display shelf allows you the freedom to place as many figurines as you choose on each ledge.

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Foyer Makeover in Antique Farmhouse

Every now and then in between building projects I try to focus on spaces in our home and today I'm sharing the front foyer makeover.  We all know the power of paint and this space is further proof that one small change of color can make a huge difference.

This is technically the front door of our 1740 farmhouse and I can imagine way back in the day how many people passed in and out (probably not this actual door but rather a more crude version).  We don't actually use this door on a regular basis except for the occassional stranger ringing the bell.

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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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