Yesterday I posted on a word sign I made for my sweet talking four year old. He’s the picking-flowers-for-mom-all-the-time kind of guy and says the coolest stuff. I wish the process was as smooth he is, but alas, it was quite painful. He thinks it’s awesome, so it was all worth it!
It started out great, separating the pallet wood and wood gluing it together with clamps like I did when I made my bracket frame.
I cut, sanded, primed (needed when using raw wood) and painted the board:
Then everything started to go south. I cut out the words with a borrowed Cricut machine, but made the words too big and ran out of vinyl. I resorted to paper and that was a big mistake. It was hard to get the letters out without tearing and then the spray paint I had bled right through… so I resorted to toll paints. Not the brightest idea, but it was the cheapest idea I could think of (.50 each) and I could choose the colors. I taped the paper stencil to the board and painted.
The colors bled all over and I had to touch up each one.
In the end I was happy with it, but here is what I learned:
- primer is a big plus when painting onto raw wood
- use vinyl lettering so you can spray paint OR stencils
- toll paints flake off a little and you need a few coats
- if you hand paint coat the project with a spray paint sheen or a polyurethane when it is totally dry
- consider a printable! hahaha
Hopefully the above pointers will help you avert disaster! All you savvy DIYers out there feel free to comment any other pointers. I promise I won’t feel picked on!
Happy Creating!
Every night my four year old says, “Mom, I love you a zillion times without skipping any numbers”. It never gets old. I have had a crush on that kid since the moment he was born and he says stuff like that all the time, he’s kind of a shmoozer. And it totally works on me.
I have been wanting to make a word sign for a while using pallet wood. Tomorrow I will post the tutorial. I might call it “what NOT to do when creating a word sign” because I thought the project would be easy, but I took a lot of detours. I am happy with the final result, but let’s just say feel free to learn from all my mistakes! Until tomorrow….
Happy Creating!
I am starting a new Friday tradition… Fix it Friday. I can just hear ya’all cheering. The toilet paper holder I blogged about a while ago has me on a rampage of fixing stuff, I hope some of this comes in handy for you. If not, I’ll stop. Girl Scouts honor (mmmm, now I want a cookie)
I think we’ve all pulled out an old toy or something else battery-operated only to find that the battery has leaked or corroded and the darn thing won’t work anymore. Well, wipe those tears girls, it might be an easy fix! Try these three steps before you give it away. But before you start anything, turn off the toy/item. Electrocution is so not cool. Also, rubber gloves and eye protection is recommended. This toy was not too bad, but still, not working:
1. Clean the area with vinegar and an old toothbrush. Just give it a good scrubbing. This cleans it and neutralizes alkaline so it won’t cause further damage. Wipe away any debris with a paper towel
Allow the item to dry completely (hours if needed). And if it still won’t work…
2. File down the springs with a nail file and then rinse the area with vinegar on a Q-tip.
Allow the item to dry completely. And if it still won’t work…
3. Fold some tin foil and put it between the springs and the battery to make sure the connection is tight
And if it still won’t work…
I can’t help you. But you could always take it apart and see all the cool parts inside or run over it in your car to teach your kids not to play behind cars… the possibilities are endless really. Martha Stewart said all bloggers are not experts after all. (hope I never gave you the impression that I might be!) This toy started after step 1. Old toothbrush + vinegar = happy baby
The Project Gallery has been updated, finally! Hopefully I included most of the projects you have been asking about!
Enjoy!