And Just That Fast!

I woke up this morning and, as usual, after my morning coffee and newspaper, I begin to think about what I would like to do. Staying busy is more important than ever these days, so I try to make quite a stacked list. Mind you, they're not all things that I would be sad if they weren't accomplished...if I have things like that, they go to the head of the list and I almost always get to them.

Today my list was no different...just a lot of things to keep me busy, none of which were vital. After getting dressed, I usually also check my computer just to see if I missed anything important. Again, today was no different - with the exception that before I got moving, I decided to check Pinterest for any new and exciting craft ideas...and today I was looking at 4th of July.

Most of the things I found were either things I have already done (remember, I've been at this crafting game a very long time - lol), things I had no interest in doing or things that I didn't currently have the supplies to do. But then, one thing hit my eye. It came from an Etsy store from Southern Country Decor. It mostly caught my eye because it was made from 4X4s and I still had a few leftover pieces from when I made the rustic pumpkins in the fall - and the bunny for Easter. And that was all it took to get me gathering up my supplies!

This was a super easy project. The hardest part was drilling the hole into the middle of the top because this was pressure treated wood and the rings were tight! Because the drill bit kept slipping I decided to start by hammering a nail hole and then enlarging that with my nail set. Once I had an opening large enough for the tip of the bit, it was clear sailing. I just realized that I could have accomplished the same result by starting with a small bit and changing to a larger one as I went but, I think my idea was easier. Lol

 The second most difficult thing was getting the backing off of the Contact paper stars. I finally grabbed a hat pin and that made the job a bit easier.

I would have loved to have had red, white and blue chalk paint. That is the perfect finish for this project. But, I only have white and hardly any of that. And so, I decided to use acrylic and water it down so as to give just a bit of a wahsed effect.

I started by painting all three in white so I would have that color as a background for the stars and stripes. I taped off the stripes with painter's tape.

As soon as I finished painting the red stripes, I realized that the paint was probably running under the tape as the wood was very rough and the tape just wasn't holding that tight. Nothing to do now but wait and see.

Unfortunately, I was correct. Luckily, as is so often the case these days, this project is supposed to be shabby...not quite this shabby, but shabby non-the-less. It was an easy fix with a touch up using the white chalk paint that I had. That stuff covers everything in one coat.

I cut stars out of the Contact paper and adhered them to the middle sized wood. The Contact paper made a much better seal and I also didn't water down the blue paint as much.

This one turned out great on the first try.

Once the paint was dry, I went over each of them with the Waverly antique wax. I like the distressed look this stuff gives and it is super fun to work with. I just dry brush it on and then use a dampp rag to blend and remove the excess. It gets down into crevices and leaves a worn look which I like.

The last step was cutting and gluing in some pieces of thick jute twine. I unraveled them to give a bit of a "sparkler" effect. And then I tied a length of thinner twine around the plain white one.

I really like how this turned out. I wish I had more of the 4X4s so I could make sets of these as gifts. I do have one small piece and one tall piece left...hmmmmm??

Stay safe and stay tuned.