My Creative Blog [Search results for Barnwood] 

Hello world! Welcome to our blog! We're pretty darn excited you're here. So, hang out a while and get to know us; we hope you'll like what you see and come back and visit us often!

Did you get a good night's sleep? Because, we were pretty wound up for some reason… hmm, what could it have been?? Oh, right… today we finally get to reveal our Nate Show projects and you get to see our TV debut!
Weekend Warrior Room Reveals As you know, Nate pulled a fast one on us and did the old switcheroo. Jess turned my empty dining room into an amazing space (that I love) and I took Jess' basement from"basementy" to a comfy, coastal hangout (that she says is perfect for her style!)

As you know, Nate gave us some pretty random items to work with, but we were up for the challenge. Here are a few of the projects that you might have seen on the show!
Monica’s Farmhouse Table Remix This table wasn't made during the 48 hours of taping, but we worked like crazy to get it done before the show. This is really Eric's masterpiece, and I couldn't appreciate his hard work any more than I do (ok, enough mush! Geesh, this is a public blog!) Click HERE for the complete table post.

Jessica's Barnwood Coffee Table I made this using Adirondack tables and reclaimed barnwood. We have a slight obsession with barnwood, so you can check out some of our other barnwood projects HERE and HERE.

Monica's Barnwood Art Jessica made this piece of art during the show and man-alive is it awesome. It's the kind of piece where people walk in and go,"Oh wow! That's incredible!" Then I proudly tell them that my bestie made it and I mention that Nate Berkus said he wanted it! Click HERE to read our post on how this beauty was made

Jessica's Beach-Cottage Shelves I made these using… you guessed it… Barnwood! The combination of the wood and the accessories just screams Nantucket. I was thrilled that Jess liked them.

Monica's IKEA Hack Sideboard Jess blew me away with this one! This table was originally a bar-height, square table from IKEA. With the help of her trusty husband and a saw, it was transformed into an adorable two-tiered addition to my room.

Jessica's Bench This is another project that was created pre-taping and we need to give a huge shout out to Kevin and his dad for doing the handywork on this one. There were many late nights spent in both of our homes getting projects ready for the show's taping. Click HERE to see how this piece came to life.

Jessica's Faux Built-Ins I didn't have the time, materials, or know-how to make custom built-ins for the weird nook in Jess' basement. So… I got a little creative with the storage units Nate gave us and voila… faux built-ins! To achieve this look in your home, you just need to be sure to get some super-strong mounting brackets (I also recommend a handsome assistant, but I guess that's optional. Sorry, my hubs is taken!)

Phew, that was a lot of projects in 48 hours… and now I'll mention that 48 hours in TV land is very different than the real world. Between interviews, mic checks, and all that jazz, I think we had about 12 hours to work and that was between 7PM and 7AM! Let's just say, we were beyond exhausted when everything was said and done, but we'd do it again in an instant!

And now the elephant in the room… the awkward kiss. If you'd like to try this at home here's how you do it… When a famous celebrity leans in to give you a side-cheek kiss trick him by going the wrong direction, then hesitate, pause, act like you're going for the lips, and then finish it off with an incredibly awkward little air kiss. This method works every time and will give you a story to tell for ages.

So, thanks so much for supporting us in this crazy, amazing, stupendous,"are you kidding me, is this really happening" event! Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know what you thought of the show (and don't worry, we have thick skin!) Check back tomorrow for a special annoucement and… we might even include a few pictures from the VIP anyone we could get to come over Episode Viewing Party we're having tonight!

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We thought today would be the PERFECT day for us to announce the launch of our Etsy shop,"The Barn". We've had several requests for custom signs and art pieces, so here you go! Take a peek at the stuff we've created and shop until your heart's content!

The Barn

Click here to see our"Shop the Barn" page and here to go straight to our Etsy shop. Enjoy, and please, let us know what you think!
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Remember when Monica and I used to be obsessed with all things barnwood? Well, we're going way back in the archives for this post because we never shared how Monica made these DIY Barnwood Shelves last summer!

Monica and I sort of had a love affair with barn wood, and maybe that's because we have an endless supply (my father-in-law has a barn)! We've put it to good use in our homes. You probably remember some of these projects?

#1 Barnwood Artwork #2 Wooden Memo Board #3 Barn Meets Beach Coffee Table #4 Striped Shore Frame This project could not be any easier, but the affect is so charming and so beach-cottagey. All you need are brackets (ours are from Lowes), screws and a piece of barn wood!

Monica originally made this shelf for our very first Nate Berkus show challenge, and they've held up amazingly well! Just cut your board to size using a chop saw, make marks on the wall where you want the brackets to go (after leveling, of course!), and screw them into the wall and then into the board.

See? I told you it was a piece of cake! But wait! You don't have barnwood laying around your garage? We've got you covered! We figured out how to recreate that beautiful aged barn wood look with paint, glaze and a sanding block. We shared this technique once before, but it's so awesome that we thought we should share it again! Here's what you'll need to do:

We used a very dry brush to paint Benjamin Moore's Beach Glass on the wood. The key here is not to cover up all of the wood, just brush it on randomly. We are not aiming for perfect coverage here! Then, we wiped on Valspar's Translucent Color Glaze in Mocha, focusing on the cracks, bumps and holes in the wood. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe it away. Sand down any thick paint spots and then brush on one coat of a water-based polyurethane. We recommend water-based because it seals the wood and because it doesn't alter the color of the wood. Just to prove it to you, take a look at our fake barn wood next to the real thing:

Pretty close, wouldn't you say? We wanted it to look a bit more solid colored, but if you want a more rustic look, you can sand it down even more to reveal the wood beneath. So, now you have no excuse not to bring some barn wood- real or not!-into your homes!

Design fads come and go, but we're pretty sure that barnwood has something timeless about it, and you'll always find at least some of it in our homes. Linking up to: Tutorials & Tips

We interrupt the Fall Lovers Series to bring you a super cool project that my BFF completed for my dining room. If you don't have a crafty best friend, I highly recommend one! (I'm not positive we're allowed to share this post yet because of The Nate Show taping we did two weeks ago, but I don't think they'll recognize us do you?)

Now, first and foremost, I adore this project and it looks awesome in my dining room. Secondly, did I mention that Nate Berkus told us that he LOVED it and wanted it for his home (to which I said"Umm…you can have it!" Sorry Jess!)

Jess is sort of obsessed with barnwood. She can get fabulous barnwood from her father-in-law's old barn. We have big plans for all the wood, so stay tuned for more info about that. (dedicated bloggers take pictures in their garages at midnight. Excuse the quality! It's dedication!)

The awesome thing about using barnwood, is that it doesn't have to be perfect. I love the edges of this project. You can use any type of wood for the back of your artwork, just choose boards with lots of character to show on the front.

Jess' inspiration for the pattern came from the material on the dining room chairs I had redone. Remember this post?

Using some heavy plastic, she planned to trace the pattern from the fabric, but you couldn't see through it. Bummer!

Don't worry, that didn't stop her! She FREE-HANDED it! Yup, impressive right? I totally wouldn't have tried it, but she did and it turned out great! If you're not as gutsy, you can just put whatever you're tracing on a lampshade and it will make it more transparent. (I can't be held responsible for minor house fires)

After you paint your design on the wood, let it dry and the seal the entire piece with a water-based wood sealant. This makes the colors darken up a bit, emphasizing all the charater of the wood and gives it that rich, warm feeling.

I hope you're inspired to create your own art. Amazing art doesn't have to cost millions. In fact, this piece is sorta priceless to me because it was made by my BFF.
So, sorry Nate…you can't have it,
but now you know how to make your very own!

P.S. We're submitting this project to Crafting with the Stars… how cool would that be?? We're crossing our fingers and will keep you posted!!

Linkin' Up to: TT&J, Tutorials & Tips Tuesday

I'm going to keep it real here and first say that I felt like I was in a blogging slump the last few weeks. But a wonderful Christmas break and looking back over our past year has rejuvenated me! I'm so proud of the projects Monica and I completed, and of this blog that we love! I'm going to try to keep it short and sweet (I tend to be a bit wordy, yes?; )

1. Ever hear of a guy named Nate Berkus?

I just couldn't do a 2011 recap without mentioning our whirlwind love affair crate challenges with Mr. Nate Berkus, himself. You can see what we did for the show here, here and here.
2. Barnwood Artwork

This beauty was, by far, my favorite project of the year. Modern, rustic, simple. Plus it was made with love for my best friend- you can't beat that!
3. Easy Door Headboard

This sort of makes me laugh, but this project is one of our most popular. My hubs and I made this headboard on a whim using some very non-traditional methods, but it's a winner!
4. Antique Table turned Vanity

I had been wanting to do this for a long time, and the Crafting with the Stars challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to give it a go! Monica and I spent one looooong evening getting it just right, but now I can't even express how much I love this vanity! (That sentence is ridiculous, but oh so true.) You can check out two of the other projects we did for CWTS on Monica's post yesterday.
5. Modern Typography Meets Reclaimed Barnwood

Oh barnwood, how I adore thee. Same to you, typography. Why not marry the two and make something fabulous? Well, ok, I will. Thankyouverymuch.
6. Pallet Shelf Love

Who loves free projects? This girl (said with thumbs pointing at chest)! This shelf was free, easy and quick. Love that.
7. DIY Drop-cloth Window Treatments

Drop-cloth window treatments have been floating around the blogosphere for a while now, but I tried my hand at making some valances for my living room when I heard aforementioned Mr. Berkus was sending a team to my house to film. That sure got my rear end in gear, and boy, am I glad. Those naked windows were in desperate need of some clothes!
8. From an Oops! to a Yes! Mirror Transformation

That this mirror turned into something I'm proud of, is an absolute miracle and purely an accident. It made me so thankful that, sometimes, persistance pays off!
9. Faux-Stained Glass Window

I have a crush on old things of all kinds, but can't often pay for the real deal, so I came up with this idea of using a wall decal from Home Depot and an antique window from my in-law's barn and making a faux stained glass window! I really liked it then, but liked it even more after Monica used it in my basement makeover! 10. A Garden Wall

I brought a bit of green into my kitchen by creating a garden wall with succelents. You know, the kind that are ridiculously hard to kill. It's true! I've had these since May, and they're still living, for which I can take no credit!
11. The Barn

Monica and I were so excited to combine our talents this year to design and create one-of-a-kind products using reclaimed barnwood. We opened our etsy shop in September amidst all our crazy Nate show stuff/ Crafting with the Stars submission/ and our first appearance on our local news. Can you say bad timing?: ) Even so, we love the items and our shop, so if you are ever in need of a unique gift or item for your home, we'd be thrilled to make one for you! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, we've had a GREAT year, and owe you a huge, fat thank you! This year would not have been possible without you and we so appreciate you taking time out of your busy lives to stop by our blog! Here's to another fantastic year in 2012!

Back in May, I posted about this frame that I made from reclaimed barnwood:

This piece is one of my absolute favorites. It's the first frame I made from barnwood, and is what began my love affair with all reclaimed materials. I had purchased the phrase from Uppercase Living to to add to the frame and for almost 3 years, this frame has made me very happy. But… (you knew there was going to be a but, right?) I was ready for a change and a shift in style. I'm so into typography of any kind right now, and am trying to pull together my house so that it has a coastal/cottagey look, so I knew just what I wanted to do to bring this piece in that direction.

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Inspired by the House Rules print above, I picked up 2 in letter stencils at Walmart and went to town.

Source: walmart.com via Jessica on Pinterest I love the idea of having words around your home that are meaningful to you and your family. I chose the phrases from the print above that I felt like were most appropriate for us, and also ones that could grow with us and began to stencil them onto the frame (after removing the other phrase). I definitely did NOT measure anything out or figure out in advance how many letters could go on each line. I just sort of made adjustments as I went along. I would NOT recommend this if you want perfection. But for me, I love the fact that the phrases are a little wonky because that adds so much charm and character to the piece.

I started out stenciling the frame on the ground, but it ended up being easier to stencil it while on it's usual spot on the wall!

At this point, I was beginning to panic. I wanted a more modern look that still had a weathered feel- you know an updated cottage look, (What? You've never heard of that before? Hmmm…), but this was a little too bold for me. I knew that I had to carry out my plans, though, before I could make any judgement on it. The next step was to take it outside and give it a light sanding using 120 grit (really fine) sandpaper. I wanted to get rid of that just-painted look.

Then I hit it with some Antique Glaze in mocha. This really is so easy and totally adds another layer of interest to my frame (read more about glazing here).

Then, after it had dried, I brought it in to admire my handiwork! It's amazing how one frame can look so different. And don't you love projects that you can do using the stuff you already have? It satisfies my need to create, while staying within my budget. Woohoo!

And the verdict is? LOVE! I'm so thrilled with the way it turned out, and love the graphic look of the phrases on the frame as well as the distressed finish.

Want to see the side by side before and afters? Yes? Ok then.

So different, but oh so cool. And you just can't beat nearly free.
What do you think of my $2.00 barnwood frame transformation? Do you prefer the old or the new?

Linking up to: Tutes & Tips

I've already shared my undying love for reclaimed barnwood with you (see my barnwood artwork here and my huge barnwood frame here and our striped shore frame here), but it's about to get even more sappy. Are you ready? I adore reclaimed barn wood. I can't seem to get enough of it. It adds such character and warmth to a room or a project and, luckily for me, I have access to loads of it because my father-in-law has a barn just filled with the gorgeous stuff! That leads me to this project (and I promise I am going somewhere with all this rambling…)

This was my basement space before Monica went all Nate Berkus on it and transformed it into an awesome. comfortable, totally liveable room. As soon as I heard about the Nate Berkus Show, the wheels started turning. We thought that we were going to redesign a room in our own homes, so after I woke up from my shock-induced coma, I started thinking about how I wanted the space to look, and what projects I should attempt before we did the taping. That's where the bench comes in. I decided I wanted to build that my hubs should build a big corner bench across from the bar that would make for a great hangout spot. As you might have noticed, I roughly taped out what I thought would look good (the blue tape lines are in the bottom left hand corner of the pic), and then we made more detailed measurements.

First, we painted the entire space and got rid of the rust/orange color. Then, my hubs had his dad come out to help and together the three of us decided that the one side would be 10 feet long, 22 inches deep, and 20 inches high, and the other side would be 8 feet long with the same depth and height. (It's a BIG bench!)

So, they went about framing out the bench, making sure it had a ton of support. If we had had more time, (let's say more than 5 days! Nate likes to keep you hopping, you know?) I would have liked to incorporate some kind of storage into the bench, but alas, it was not to be. And wait, what's that on the bench? I was so impatient that I threw a couple of pillows my mom had made for me on it before anything was nailed down! I just couldn't wait!

Now we're getting to the fun stuff…I picked a few planks of barn wood out for the top of the bench- the stuff you would see when sitting on it. They started nailing it down, which included a lot of brute force and grunting (from the guys, not my poor mother-in-law who somehow got sucked into helping with this project while I happily took pictures).

Just look at all that gorgeousness! It certainly makes my heart skip a beat.

This piece especially is super cool. It's an old plank of wood that says Air Force and"handle with care", so I imagine it has some great history attached to it. I love that the pieces have some interest to them.

Finally, my hubs added drywall, painted the bench the same color as the walls, added moulding to the bottom of the bench, and sealed it with a water-based polyurethane. And now, it looks like this:

Ha! Gotcha! Did you really think I would should an AFTER picture before The Nate Show airs? Not on your life! But I can tell you this, the bench itself is absolutely beautiful and Monica worked some design magic with the stuff in Nate's Crate to make it even better.
Only 2 days until the BIG REVEAL!

Oh yeah, one more thing: to find out when The Nate Show airs in your area, click here.

This project is an oldie, but a goodie. We realized that we never posted about the amazing coffee table that Monica made for our first Nate Show, and that we now have listed for sale in our Etsy shop. We like to call this little beauty, our Barn meets Beach Coffee Table.

Luckily for us, my father-in-law supplies us with amazing barn wood from his barn in PA. but don't worry! We'll show you how to recreate that look if you don't happen to have piles of reclaimed wood laying around. Stop what you're thinking right now! We are NOT crazy, you just never know when a project might call for wood. Ha!

Are you ready for the DIY trick that makes this project sooooo easy? The base of our table is made of two adirondack tables! No extra assembly required, which, let's face it, is exactly what we like about this project! I bought ours for $12 each from Home Depot during an after-season sale (right now they're $29, but if you wait, they'll come down!), and had them laying around in my garage for when inspiration hit. (You should have seen the hoarding going on in our garages, just in case we needed something to impress Nate! )

We started by priming just the legs of the tables (you won't see the table tops once the barnwood top goes on) with Rustoleum's Ultra Cover in Gray.

We love the color of the primer so much that we often use it alone (true story: I have four frames in my basement that are painted with this primer!), but this table was going in my nautical/cottage style basement, so we went with a Valspar Spraypaint in Navy.

While the paint was curing, we got started on building our table top. We laid our wood down so we could move it around until we figured out the perfect arrangement. Isn't barn wood gorgeous?! Confession: the actual table top in the picture above was already assembled when my dad-in-law found it in his barn! All Monica had to do was place it on top of the adirondack tables she painted. How's that for good luck?! But since then, we've made them to sell, and follow this method for a very close match.

We measured 44 inches long and 33 inches wide, made marks, and cut the wood with a circular saw (you can use a chop saw, if you have one).

You may have noticed that our table has beautiful blue tones, and we can't take any credit for it because only years and the elements can create that, but we can fake that look pretty darn well, if you ask us.

So here's the break-down: We used a very dry brush to paint Benjamin Moore's Beach Glass on the wood. The key here is not to cover up all of the wood, just brush it on randomly. We are not aiming for perfect coverage here! Then, we wiped on Valspar's Translucent Color Glaze in Mocha, focusing on the cracks, bumps and holes in the wood. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe it away. Sand down any thick paint spots and then brush on one coat of a water-based polyurethane. We recommend water-based because it seals the wood (so a glass with condensation left on it won't ruin it!) and because it doesn't alter the color of the wood. Oh yeah, do the same treatment on the edges too, because they'll be visible!

Ta-da!

Just to prove it to you, here's the faux-barnwood next to the real thing:

Pretty close, wouldn't you say? We wanted it to look a bit more polished, but if you want a more rustic look, you can sand it down even more to reveal the wood beneath.
To build the support frame underneath, we took four 1x2's and cut them to size. The two end pieces were 33 inches, and the long sides were approximately 40 inches (make sure the ends butt up against each other.) Lay the boards face down and then place your support pieces along the edges and nail into place. Grab a friend to help with this because you want all the edges to be aligned, and the boards to stay in place.

We also added two bigger boards in the center as an extra support, and so it rests evenly on the adirondack tables.

Once the top is done, flip it over and place it squarely on top of the adirondack tables. If you want, you can screw the adirondack tables into the barnwood top, but we skipped this step! I loved being able to switch things up if I want, or create open space if I need it by folding up the adirondack tables and hiding the top!: ) This beaut is now residing in my basement and I couldn't love it any more than I do!

We're hoping this table inspires you to bring a little barn wood into your homes!

Linking up to: TT&J, Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, Saturday Night Special, Show & Tell Saturday,

You probably remember (or at least we hope you do) our pallet wall room for my son Callen… If you missed that post, you can check it out HERE, but today I wanted to focus on the Wooden memo board we made.

We had the room about 95% done and we realized that there wasn't anything over the bed… The original plan for the room was to put the bed on the pallet wall and then use pallet wood to create a platform-style base with all kinds of cool built-ins. It sounded amazing in theory, and looked great when we arranged it that way… BUT I had terrible thoughts of Cal falling out of the window (and it's way up high- Yikes!).

So, safety over design! We switched the layout and now needed something on the left wall… Hmm… Jess and I had this piece of barnwood sitting in my garage for a while, just waiting for some inspiration… I don't know that either of us really had visions of it being in a toddler's bedroom, but for CWTS, it was totally worth it.

The first step was to give it the same sort of whitewash we used on the wall, so that the wood tones matched. As you can see, I made about a 50% attempt to cover up my granite countertop… (the hubs wasn't around to see! hehe) See how much a simple whitewash can change the look of the wood?

Since this was an afterthought project, I used all supplies I already had on hand. This one quart has done so many projects. This one, this one, and this one! I decided one half would be a chalk board for the little man.

I really lightly sanded down the inside wood and then just slapped it on. It wasn't perfectly smooth, but chalkboard paint is pretty thick and covers a multitude of sins!

Then I had to come up with something for the other side… I had a leftover roll of cork in the basement, and thankfully it was JUST long enough! Phew!

I did this the lazy blogger way… I pressed the cork in, made a crease at the sides and then roughly cut it. I DON'T recommend doing it that way… it was really wobbly and way far from perfect. I used my staple gun to attach the cork to the wood. to

See, you end up with yucky, uneven sides. Now I had to cover the edges up.

I had this leftover Halloween ribbon, but clearly orange polka-dot wasn't going to match. Have no fear, I'm willing to spraypaint anything and everything! I grabbed some metalic silver paint and went to town (sorry, no pic of that process… I really thought I took one??)

Originally, I planned on being finished once the ribbon was added, but just before we brought it into the room, we walked past the Anthro knock off dresser and thought adding some stenciling to this piece would be the perfect finishing touch!

I got these simple stencils at Lowes for under $4! Sweet!!

Of course I didn't plan out how far in the alphabet I'd get, so we just started and ended where it ended. My hubs thought that was weird, but Jess and I had no problem with it.

Isn't it super cool? Seriously, I hope this kid understands how awesome his room is. A 2 year old has my favorite pallet wall, our Anthro dresser, AND this wooden memo board! Ah, to be a toddler again…(actually, there is zero part of me that wants to be two, but it just kind of finished the paragraph)

So there you have it! I think it was the perfect accent for over the bed, and now I don't have nightmares of little children falling from windows! Creepy!

I wanted to mention, that if you didn't happen to have this exact piece of barnwood floating around (which I'm kind of thinking most of you don't…) you could use some plywood and pallets to trim around the edges and make the divider. It would be easy peasy and then totally match the wall.
So, how many of you have awesome kids' bedrooms, and blah master bedrooms? (I know my master is still builder white with no furniture!)

P.S. Jess and I both had family pictures taken last night by the Amazing Stacy Salvatori and we're so stinkin' excited to see all the pics! Here's a sneak peek that we got last night! My oldest (and yes, she's only 9!)

And Jess' insanely adorable little family. Love those kiddos!

This room makeover all started with a pallet and became the coolest pallet wall ever. This free project made a huge impact with its wooden walls and white wash technique.
We're so excited to share it with you today! ******************************************************************
When the hubs and I moved into our house 12 months ago (holy moly it's been 1 year already!) we decorated 3 out of 4 kid's bedrooms. I wanted to wait until the little man was out of his crib and into a"big boy bed" before tacking the room.

Well, the crib is history and we were ready to make this tiny space small, but mighty!
Jess and I have a thing for pallets. We've written a Pallet Possibilities post and Jess shared a pallet shelves post. Well, this time we thought we'd take it to the next level and do an entire wall of pallet wood!

Here's how we did it: (Shhh… don't tell, but this was super easy and the wood was free!)
We called around and found places that were okay with us taking their pallets. The hard part is taking them apart and not cracking the boards. We started with a hammer or two or three… TIP: don't buy cheap hammers. Then, we moved to a sawsall. It worked okay, but not great. Finally, the hubs pulled out his circular saw and we were in business!

We separated out the keepers and made sure we had a good blend of various lengths and widths. We took out most of the nails for safety, but left a few for character (we put those pieces up high on the wall so the little man would be safe and sound)

Thankfully my hubs is pretty darn smart and helped me and Jess figure out the layout. We placed each piece on the wall temporarily (one nail in each board) just to see the layout and get all the cuts out of the way. We don't have any great tips on this step, just find someone that likes doing puzzles and invite them over to help! (You might notice that between breaking apart the pallets and doing the wall that I moved from a blonde to a reddish brunette. 2 hair colors in one post… is that a blogger foul?)

Once we had the layout, we took each piece down and labeled it so we'd know where to put it back. We gave each row a number and a letter going from left to right… 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B etc… Then we brought all the wood down to the garage to begin the fun part… sanding and whitewashing!

We sanded the wood lightly… we didn't want to lose cool character, but we didn't want splinters for the little man either. We arranged the wood as it would look on the wall, so that we could figure out how we wanted to whitewash the wood.

Some of the"blonde" pieces of wood needed some grey stain to make them look a bit more weathered, so we put in on randomly and rubbed it in a bit.
To make our whitewashing colors we just filled cups with water and added a few dabs of paint. It was trial and error. We used the grey-blue wall paint, white paint, and some navy (which we used full strength). We wanted cool tones, not the warm honey ones it originally had. (Will I ever remember NOT to wear sweatpants for all our projects?)

Once it was all dry, we were so thrilled with the colors and couldn't wait to put it back on the wall!

Before putting the pallet wood on the wall, we added some industrial looking lights. The hubby did this part of the job because these girls don't mess with electric- we have our limits!

To adhere the pallet wood to the wall we just used nails. You could use liquid nails, screws, etc. I thought nails would be the easiest just to spackle over when we we want to change the room (which I don't know if I'll ever will want to). Once we had the wall installed we got busy decorating and then pretty much fell in love with the finished product! How do you like it?

There are so many fun details in this room! You can read about the message board made from reclaimed barnwood here! (Yup, we're still lovin' the reclaimed barnwood!)

Not too shabby for a FREE statement wall eh? My son loves his new room and my only complaint is that we didn't try this fabulous project in one of our master bedrooms! We love it!

So there you have it! Free pallets transformed into a crazy, cool statement wall! It was free, simple, and we totally think you should try this at home! So, what pallet possibilities are you thinking of trying?

P.S. Did you see our second Nate episode? How'd we do? We're counting down the days to Cancun and of course will take you all with us through the blog!

This is one thing that we made that I LOVE LOVE LOVE. Really, it couldn't be much easier to make, and it's a really unique attention-grabbing piece of art. I've mentioned before that I am so fortunate because my father-in-law has a barn FULL of great old planks of barnwood, doors and old windows that he generously allows me to use. Wait, let me back up and start at the beginning. Stay with me here. My hairdresser, Kate, (who, by the way, is awesome at doing hair and is equally awesome at decorating. Oh, the colors in her house! I'm thinking of house crashing her just to show you her fabulous decorating style! Note to self: stop rambling.) has a small bathroom window that she put a faux stained glass decal on. I immediately loved it, and when I saw this old window from my dad-in-law, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Old, beat up and…PERFECT!

Step 1. Sand down any rough edges or peeling paint. The trick here is to sand enough to make it safe, but not enough to lose the character. I love the aged look, but also didn't want paint peeling off that my 1 year old son would, without a doubt, pick up and eat.

Step 2: Pick out your Light Effects stained glass film. I found mine at Home Depot and they had a pretty large selection. I chose the clematis pattern because I loved the colors and the not in-your-face-flowery look. One 24x36 in window film was around twenty bucks.

Here it is, close up. Gorgeous! This stuff is amazing. It's actually texturized so it totally looks like REAL stained glass. No lying.

The window I chose was actually a pretty close fit, size-wise. (Is size-wise even a word? Well, now it is.)

Step 3: Measure, measure, measure! As with anything, measuring here was really important. The film was a little bit bigger than the window, so we had some wiggle room, but not much. We wanted to make sure we were making the right cuts, the first time. We measured the length and width and, as per the instructions, left about an 1/16th of an inch between the window frame and the film.

First of all, stop thinking those are my arms and legs. Eew, I'm not that hairy. (Love you hubs!) Ok, Step 4: All you have to do here is follow the very simple instructions, but basically, the film has an adhesive on the back that is activated by water, so we sprayed the glass generously with water.

Step 5: Squeegee the excess water out from the center to the edges to prevent bubbles. The kit comes with a squeegee, so don't worry about that! My hubs owns a window-cleaning business on the side, so I let the man work his magic with the squeegee, and didn't interupt.: )

And that's it! It really is beautiful and I'm so excited to show you how Monica incorporated it into our new basement space. Trust me, it's worth the wait for the big Nate reveal. Ahhh! So exciting.
Ok, people, show me some love. What would you do with an old window?

Linking up to: Tutorials & Tips Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesday

We've been keeping a secret from you. And it's a good one. But don't worry! We're about to let you in on it…ready??…ok, here goes: Six weeks ago we asked several amazing bloggers to join with us in a collaboration group we called Blogging 2 Better. We're a bunch of like-minded home, DIYand crafting bloggers that want to learn as much as we can about blogging, while also sharing ideas, encouraging one another and sharing each other's awesome projects as much as we can. We're so fortunate to be part of a blogging community that encourages sharing! (If you write a blog, we strongly suggest getting a group of girls together to learn from. No one understands all that blogging entails except for other bloggers! You can find more about that in our Part-Time Blogger series here.)

Anyway, these girls are really, truly talented and it was a lot of fun getting to know them better. For our final week, we had Beckie from Infarrantly Creative give us a list of materials that we all needed to incorporate into an awesome project. It's like our version of a Nate's Crate Challenge! Woohoo! And today is the day we get to see what everyone's been up to!! Once you finish taking a look at what we created, make sure you hop over to the other gal's blogs to see what they made.

Here's the list of the supplies from Beckie:

And here's what we came up with:

We struggled to come up with a clever name for it, but basically it's a rustic/industrial storage bin. A very easy project that turned out adorable, if we do say so ourselves. You know we love a good pallet project (we've done several here and here), but we also keep loads of barnwood on hand, too. We picked one that was already the perfect length (yay! no extra cutting required!)

We also scored these three wire bins at HomeGoods for four bucks a pop! We didn't love the color, but knew immediately that this is where we could use coral! We spraypainted them with Valspar's Hacienda Tile- the perfect coral.

Next we found a font that we liked and printed number 1 through 3 large on regular, old paper. With a pen, we traced the number while pressing down to leave the outline on the barn wood.

Have you tried paint pens yet? They're so easy to use, but they still looks like paint. We carefully filled in the stencilled numbers with a black Sharpie paint pen.

Once the paint on the bins had dried, we brought them in and laid them down in front of the wood to determind the placement. We measured the board, divided it into thirds and then marked where the hooks would go.

Monica drilled pilot holes where we had previously marked and then we screwed in the eye hooks …Six hooks for three baskets.

Then I gently sanded down the numbers to distress them a bit.

Monica whitewashed the entire board with a mixture of paint and water to give the piece a little more depth. (Side note: working as a team makes the project go faster! We're so fortunate to have each other.: ) (I totally Agree! -Monica)

The last step for the wood piece is to add a coat of water-based polyurethane (water-based won't change the color of the wood!).

To hang it, we took chain, cut it to the length we wanted with wire cutters and screwed threw one of the links directly into the wood. Make sure your screw isn't so long that it goes right through to the other side!

Then we hit a creativity wall. Booo. We could not for the life of us figure out how to incorporate fabric into this project. We toyed with lots of different ideas, but finally decided on a cute hanging pendant banner for one of the baskets. Recently we came across a shop called The Finest Kind and we couldn't get over how cute their stuff is! We decided to purchase three of their typographical tags to use on our pendant. You'll probably catch the significance: EC2.: ) First, we spraypainted the little cuties blue.

Next, we took apart three 2x3 frames so that we could use the cardboard backing. Wierd, I know, but there's always an untraditional use for everything!

We wrapped the fabric around the cardboard and mod podged it right on.

Before the Mod Podge had dried, we stuck our tags on, and voila! An adorable pendant honoring our blog for the basket!

We were thrilled with the finished product, and it has now made it's home in my dining room. And just so you know, it totally inspired me to rearrange my living room and gave me the motivation I needed to start our dining room makeover!

To be completely honest, we liked this project better without the fabric banner, but do think it makes a super cute accessory!

And now for the REALLY fun part! We were so excited to see what our blogging buddies came up with using the same materials, and they did not disappoint!

Please stop over at these amazing ladies blogs to see what their projects. Share the EC2 love with them and tell them we sent you!
Clockwise from top right:
Kim from Sand & Sisal: Surfboard Pallet Art
Brook from Being Brook: Fabric Wall Map
Allison from House of Hepworths: Dangle Earring Frame
Jenna from SAS Interiors: Monogrammed Chevron Pallet Tray
We had SO much fun putting this project together and consider ourselves lucky to be in the company of these awesome bloggers. If you don't already follow them, shame on you! But it's not too late, go ahead and do it now.: )
We want to know: What would YOU do with those materials?

** And if you're loving up all the wood ideas, this one is one of our favorites! Check it out!

**If you're visiting from one of the other bloggers' projects, thanks for stopping by! If you like what you see use the links below to stay up to date with all of our projects and ideas!

Kid-size furniture is often really pricey and hard to find. We solved these problems by building our own for under $100!

There are some crazy, talented people out there in blogland, and so when we saw the homeowner's inspiration picture of this table built by Shaunna and her husband of Perfectly Imperfect blog, we were sold.

Here's how to build your own: 1. Decide on your furniture plans. You can find loads of free plans on the internet, but our go-to source for awesome, inexpensive plans is Ana White. For this table, we started with this basic tutorial, but altered it to fit our room and style preference. Visit your hardware store and purchase your materials. You really could use any type of wood you want, but we decided to use inexpensive pine to keep cost down and because it distresses nicely- which let’s be honest, is pretty key if four crazy kids are using it on a regular basis!!

2. Assemble the legs of the table. This step is really important- you want to get them as square as possible so that the table is nice and sturdy! We decided to do A-frame legs to resemble a true picnic table, but just like our inspiration photo, added a shelf for lots of extra storage!

3. After attaching the lower shelf, trim it out for a nice, finished look. Achieving the high-end custom look means taking the time to add some polished details, like trim! This is the stuff you just can’t skimp on! 4. Create an apron and attach it to the legs. This gave us a strong base to attach our table top to. Your table should definitely look like a table now!

5. Build the top of your table and attach it to the apron, screwing in from the under side, which ensures a seamless look for the top. For our table top, we used two pieces of pine that we sanded really well and attached tightly together.

6. Time to put on the finishing touches! Make sure that all surfaces are nice and smooth before painting or staining. We chose to do a combination of stains, Walnut and Grey, for a custom stain on the top of our table. Don’t be afraid to mix stains to create the perfect finish! Then we painted the legs white, and sealed the top with two coats of polyurethane and we were done!

7. This table is fabulous and ready to be used over and over again by Shannon and Anthony's four busy kids!

A custom table can really make the entire room. We've actually made a few other tables that were super simple and saved us tons of money!
Farmhouse Table Remix

Barnwood Coffee Table

Building furniture might seem intimidating, but trust us, if we can do it, so can you! Just be sure to follow the directions closely and take your time. You'll be so happy you did…and so will your wallet!

Well, after all the hoopla with the Nate Show, you'd think Monica and I would be ready to take a break and relax for a while, but because we're completely crazy we love a good challenge, we're jumping in head first to our next big thing. And that big thing is…

That's right, Crafting with the Stars!. We entered the Barnwood Artwork into the contest last week and were chosen in the top 12 out of 200 entries to compete in this season's Crafting with the Stars. It's a really fun DIY/home decor competition where we'll be paired up with a blog celebrity and will have to compete in several different categories. We just found out today that we've been paired up with Linda, from Craftaholics Anonymous! Woohoo- this is going to be awesome!

There are 4 rounds and the first one is Knockoffs.

We are super excited, and feel totally honored that we were chosen. You can check out our fabulous competition and their entries here. Of course, we'll keep you posted along the way with all the fun details! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And, just in case you missed our segments on The Nate Show yesterday, take a peek:
(We're not mean people, Mon just appears to be scowling!)
{How Nate used the same items in the crate.}

To see the in-process renovations, check out our Nate's Crate Challenge Here, and to see the Big Reveals, click here. To see the before and after photos of both spaces and also more pics of our fun projects, click here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you so much for ALL of your kind words about our TV debut, and for your support along the way! We appreciate each and every one of you and have loved sharing the journey with you.

YOU GUYS, the countdown is officially on. Yup, that's right. You have only a few days to enter your best project for the chance of a lifetime to work with your favorite blogger and earn awesome prizes. Just to prove it to you, (and because we love some crunch-time project drama) here's the official countdown:

Did you know that we waited until literally the last hour to submit our project? We had done this piece of barnwood art for one of our Nate Show episodes, and weren't technically allowed to post about it yet, but we were dying to be a part of the contest so we slipped it in just under the wire.

So, we totally get it if you're major procrastinators like us. Or, if you need some additional encouragement because you're a little nervous or afraid your stuff isn't good enough, here it is: JUST DO IT! This contest could be a major boost to your blogging career! Just trust us about this. After we won this contest, we got a whole lot more traffic and made a name for ourselves. And you know the awesome Mandi, from Vintage Revivals? She won this contest too, and we all know how incredible her blog is now. Don't waste anymore time. Enter your project here right now!

Also, I bet you might not have known that, YOU (our awesome readers), have the power to select the 12th contestant in this contest! How, you ask? Take a peek at all the fabulous entries and click through for the tutorials.

I know! Isn't that so fun? So, go ahead and tell all your friends to come vote for your project. I mean, really, who wouldn't want to be Miss Popular?? We are so excited about this contest, and already have a few favorites as we click through to see them all!!
We'll be keeping you updated on all the last minute CWTS excitement on Facebook, so make sure you've liked our page or do it right here… we double dog dare you!

Tell us: which project is YOUR fav so far, and which STAR would you most like to work with if you get the chance?

Ok, all you know we loooooove a good deal and saving money, so here's a little story for you. You're familiar with this room, right? It's my basement.

Before we ever did our first Nate Show makeover, our finshed basement (the one Monica redesigned) flooded. Not once, but twice, and ruined everything. We had to tear out some drywall and all of the carpet, all the while crying about how much it would cost to redo everything. It was a nightmare, and sooo discouraging.

This is NOT my basement, but you get the idea.
Thankfully, right before our second flood, we switched our home owner's insurance after talking with a friend about it. The guys at Strickler Insurance have revolutionized our insurance experience. They're independent consultants, (not affliated with AllState, State Farm etc), so they can offer you a million options. They've single-handedly saved our family $900 a year for insurance, and my in-laws $1600!! Crazy, right? And they're absolutely legit, if you were wondering. We have the same, if not BETTER coverage than we ever had before. We're not messing around with all of the awesome stuff down there.

DIY Barnwood Coffee Table
Now that our room has been beautifully redecorated, we're taking extra precautions, but we know Strickler has our back.

You totally need to call them and get a free quote- this is some serious saving-of-the-hard-earned-cash, people! (Plus, they're throwing in a free Wawa gift card for every quote they give out, so why not?) Oh yeah, one more thing: for all you ladies (and men!) with home-based businesses, like ThirtyOne Gifts, Pampered Chef, Scentsy etc., check out Element Insurance, which deals with everything related to a home-based business!

Make sure you ask for Josh Heebner at 610-701-8257, or email him at josh@stricklerinsurance.com, and he'll take care of you! Now go forth and save money!

Guess what??? I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year… for the 1st time ever! If you follow us on Pinterest, you might have noticed I went a little nutso on the Tgiving pins! This weekend life finally settled down a bit and we didn't have a ton going on (I even got to go on a double date Friday night! Sweet!). Saturday morning I was walking through my dining room, thinking about Thanksgiving and realized that I wanted to completely finish it BEFORE thanksgiving! (For those of you not quick with math, that was only 12 days away)
You might be thinking, Umm didn't you re-do your dining room on your first episode of The Nate Show? and you would be right! Jess did an awesome job on my room and it looked fabulous for the show! Remember this is what it looked like…

Well, here's the inside scoop… We still have builder-grade white paint on the walls (that alone makes me break out in hives! lol). When"shopping the house" some of the fabulous accessories Jess used weren't mine! Ha! I had borrowed some things from a friend, so they had to go back.

And brace yourself for this… we sold the Barnwood Artwork! GASP!! I know right? Well, you know how we have an etsy shop? One person contacted us and really didn't want us to make a custom piece, she wanted the one from the show. After some thinking and discussing, Jess and I decided to sell it, but I made her promise we'd make another one soon!

So now I was left with a once fabulous room, that now looks semi-empty and in need of some TLC. Now you have the back story, let's get onto my plans… I was struggling to decide what to do in the room and called my hubs in to look at some paint chips. He could tell I wasn't"feelin' it" and recommended that I take everything out of the room except for the table, buffet, and chairs. Once I had a"blank slate" the creative juices started flowing. Thanks hun!
Here's a little peek into my plans. Don't worry I'll post step by step (and it'll be fast. I only have 9 days before my family arrives!)…

1- I've wanted to use this wallpaper for over a year now. I'm finally taking the plunge. 2- This will be the primary wall color and it coordinates so well with the table stain 3- I love how Mandi created this look and I'll be doing something similar with open frames, but in a different color. (Really jazzed up about this idea!) 4- Yes, that's PVC pipe, and yes, I have a crazy idea to use it as a chair rail separating the paint and wallpaper. It could be an epic fail, or could work out just as I'm seeing it in my head. Can't wait! 5- I want to add little accents of turquoise throughout. I have buyers' regret about the chair fabric, but I'm determined to make it work!

Ok, that's all the peeking you get! I need to get to work painting my dining room! What do you think of my plans and are any of you tackling a big project before Thanksgiving? Do tell!

PS- Sorry to all the haters, but we're T-minus 4 days until Breaking Dawn!! I can't tell you how excited we are and yes, we'll be at the 12:01 showing on Thursday night with all our Gal Pals!

Well, well, look what I found:

Remember my post about the game plan for my bathroom? I really wanted a ladder for the space to as a stylish way to hang a few hand towels and other little things we might need in the bathroom. I found one this weekend while visiting my sister in Lancaster. There is a house that we pass on the way to my sister's that has hundreds (no exaggeration) of old windows and other random junk in their yard. Of course, that's like the jackpot for a cheap DIYer like me, so we stopped by. Lucky for me, they had a few ladders like this one and I was able to buy it for $15! (Talked her down from $20. Oh yeah, I drive a hard bargain.) Out of all the things I've bought for my house, besides my statement piece, this one is my favorite. It captures the feel I'm going for in my home (and no, that feel is not old paint shop in case you were wondering.) This really tall little beauty needs some loving, as in, a good sanding and maybe a few coats of a water-based polyurethane to bring out the wood tones. There's just one too many different colors of paint on her for my liking, so once they're sanded out, she'll be perfect.

In other news, we bought a mirror at Lowes for the bathroom. Originally, I planned on thrifting a cheap, unique mirror, but we came across this one marked way down on clearance at Lowes, and I'm totally loving the shape of it.

(Yes, that is my garage filled with lots of old barnwood for my various projects. Yes, my husband gives me the stink eye because of it.)

And how do I like the color of this mirror? Umm, not so much. Black with red undertones? I don't think so.

I'm planning on painting the mirror frame and then doing an antique glazing treatment on it to make it look weathered and well, antique. Something like this:

I've finally chosen my paint colors, Olympic Whispering Wind and Quill, which I'll have color-matched in Valspar paint (that covers better with less coats). You can't tell in this picture, but they are very neutral beiges that are almost gray. LOVE them.

And finally, the lighting. Thanks to some suggestions by our awesome readers (who knew to look at outdoor lighting??!!), I've narrowed down my choices to this large bronze wall-mounted light fixture that is actually meant to be outside. It's from Lowes and costs $39.98. I really adore everything about it, but I'm not sure the color is exactly the feel I'm going for.

Lowes

My second choice is this Raw Steel outdoor wall sconce from Lowes. It costs a little bit less than the other light $24.95, but is smaller. The color is definitely in the cooler tones.

Lowes

So, now, will you help me? The finish of the light will really direct the direction of the other decorative items in the room (bronze= browns & creams, silver = gray, white and black). It's your chance to tell me what you think would work best in my bathroom redesign.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Thanks so much! My husband tried to sneak his own decorative touch into the bathroom, hoping I wouldn't notice.

Sorry, babe, the Phillies hand towel is oooooutta here! Nice try.

Happy Monday!

This post brought to you by Whitney Farms. All opinions, creative ideas, and the cute kid are 100% mine.

My oldest child is a lot like her grandmom. She loves all animals, being outdoors, and growing things. At any given time you'll find at least two Red Solo Cups filled with dirt and some kind of seed on my kitchen counter. This spring Kenzie started sectioning off a little area of one of our beds as her"garden." We decided that a kids garden was a great idea and let her run with it. Of course it got my DIY wheels turning, and I actually struggled with letting go and letting her"make it her own," but, in the end, I think she did a fabulous job and her garden is just how she wanted it. Here's a peek into Kenzie's Garden…

Greenhouse Starter Kit Her kit was an Easter present and all the plants are doing so well. We plan to transplant them in about two weeks. We've still been having some cold nights here in Bucks County. Painted Rocks What's a garden without some pretty rocks? Kenzie LOVES our dog Pennlyn, so this rock is for her! We used acrylic paints, but coated it with a spray sealant to keep the rain away. She tested it with the hose before this picture.

Garden Sign I wanted to make an awesome barnwood sign with a custom transfer etc… but my girl had other plans. Sometimes it's hard to let go and let her do her own thing, but she was quite pleased with her little yellow sign. I think it's pretty cute too. These little wood plaques are at Michaels for $0.99!

Paint Stick Fence This project was a little tricky because Lowes wasn't really into the idea of giving me 50 paint sticks. They did give me 30ish, so we decided to spread them out a bit more and make it work! I also bought two yard sticks. To make the fence, we just used a staple gun to connect them to the yard sticks.

Kenzie painted it black and then sprayed it with white spray paint to give it an"old fashioned" look, as she put it. I think for under $1.00 it's perfect for a kids garden! (I also think it would look adorable to have an ombre fence, by lightening each picket. Not that I butted in and suggested that to Kenz, of course not!: )

Paint Stick Labels Another really simple, but fun project with paint sticks. She and her BFF painted them during a sleepover this weekend, then used a sharpie to write the names. I sealed them with Valspar's clear spray sealant. I think they're so cute!

Plants Kenzie chose all of her own plants (I might have been tempted to make suggestions, but I kept them to myself). She has sunflowers, strawberries, a tomato plant, vinca (my personal favorite), lavender, and I'm pretty sure she planted a maple tree! We already have strawberries! (We had these plants from last year, so they got a head start)

We planted some vinca because it's the best flower ever! Really, it loves the heat, doesn't need to be watered hardly ever, and gets lots of flowers. This is perfect for kiddos because it doesn't require much, and will bloom all season long.

I'll be completely honest, I'm not the most organic person you'll ever meet (ask my good friend Steph!) But, I didn't want Kenz handling a bunch of chemicals and toxic stuff. I was thrilled to find out about Whitney Farms® organic plant food. Kenz asked what was so special about it, and I explained that it's basically plant food made from all healthy stuff from the earth. She was cool with that answer and I'm a happy mom because I know she'll be safe working in organic soil and still have some huge, healthy flowers soon!.

So, does your kiddo have a green thumb? Maybe it's time for you to start a kids' garden too! I hope Kenzie's projects have inspired you! She was pretty excited that she was getting"her own blog post" Ha! Oh, and the good folks at Whitney farms are giving you a $3.00 off coupon if you want to try it out for yourself! We can see who's flowers get bigger! If you have a second, let Kenzie know what you think of her garden in a comment! Thanks!

I have Design and Decorating ADD. Never heard of it? It's when you start one DIY project, and before finishing it, you move on to something else that catches your interest. I'm pretty sure my BFF suffers from it, too. (Just ask her husband!) Just to prove it to you, let's take a look at the projects that are going on simultaneously right now at my home: Cleaning out and reorganizing my collection of barnwood, old doors and cabinets in the shed:

Recovering lamp shades for the chandy in my dining room. (No joke- this has been this way for at least a month)

Refinishing the buffet with Annie Sloan chalk paint- one coat done, two more to go.

I just finished a mini-makeover of this side table.

I'm sealing this project and letting it cure. I can't wait to reveal what it is to you soon!

Repurposing an old cabinet door into something cute for my son using some awesome paints.

Sanding, stripping, and more sanding of the dining table top. This thing is not going down without a fight, I tell you!

At least my mantel is already decorated for early Fall. Thank goodness.

I'm pretty sure Monica and I are not the only ones who struggle with this, am I right? Please say yes. Do you hop around from project to project, or stay with one until it's completed?

This is a cool post for me because it's one of the first projects Jess and I have done together for the blog. We're always helping each other out with DIYs, but today we got together specifically to work on some blog projects. Tomorrow Jess and I planned a"Girls Only Day at the Beach" for our gal pals and we're super excited to have a kid-free day of relaxing and sun. In honor of that special event, we're sharing our Striped Shore Frame with you today. We have some exciting news about this project, but you'll have to just wait and see what we have up our sleeves… Striped Shore Frame In the midst of our girl chatting, we totally forgot to take a good BEFORE picture. Ugh… So let me describe it to you. A square piece of barnwood. There, can you picture it? We used a jigsaw to cut a square hole out of the center. I had some super thick painter's tape and just taped off stripes. Voila, you're all caught up.

We wanted a whitewashed look, so we took some old paint and added a bunch of water to get the light consistency we wanted.

We put the tape on against the grain because we liked how it showed more of the wood texture. Ahh, ok, I lied… I put the tape the wrong way and then convinced Jess it looked great this way so I didn't have to redo it. Confession complete.

The key is to use a DRY brush… I was a little impulsive and my first stripe was WAY too wet and didn't have the cool faded look we wanted. I had to do some rubbing and paint removing. You can always add more paint if it's too light, but it's a pain to remove paint.

We made sure our stripes wrapped all the way around the edges for a finished look. (Excuse all the junk in the background.)

We didn't let the paint dry very long before removing the tape… Oooohhh, I love it so much. It was love at first site for sure. I feel like we really nailed it on the whitewash color.

Ta-da!

I had this letter M on my mantle and it fit inside perfectly.

I like the three dimensional look it gives.

I also tried it out with a photo and really like that look as well. It's a super diverse piece because I could use a patterned paper, letter, handwritten word on paper, photos etc…

I love how the stripes wrap around the edge.

So what do you think of our little project today? We're in love with it and are excited to let you in on a little inside info very soon… Happy Wednesday, we're headed to the beach!

Linking up to: Tutorials & Tips Tuesdays