Desperate Times...

 Yes, desperate times call for desperate measures! I woke up this morning with all sorts of grand plans to be outside and tackle some chores. I truly don't know what bubble I have been living in because all it took was one look at the paper and I realized that winter was finally here...and we would be having at least the next two nights with below freezing temperatures, I think I have mentioned that I dodged a bullet the other night but I don't think I will get away with it again.

And so, I have to get out there and wrap my bougainvillea and sky vine...and, I don't want to. It is cold as we speak! And so, I really pushed the envelope and found another project I could do to help me procrastinate just a bit longer...and I had to go all the way ahead to Easter to do it.

I think I am done with St. Pat's until a new idea comes along so I headed to some Easter images and found one that really spoke to me. I didn't have any wood or canvases the right side so I got out my trusty friend (my miter saw) and grabbed a few of the old slats I had pulled off of my fence last year. I had to run the wood the opposite direction to be able to get the proper size that I needed for my print. I could have gone the other way but that would have necessitated ripping a long length of the slat and it was just easier...and safer...to go the way I went.

After the wood was cut, I used wood glue on some pieces of paint stir sticks to hold it together. I put a tiny nail in each end just to hold the glue until it dried. Once that stuff is dry, I swear you could hold together a new house build! Lol

I pulled out some colors from the print and began layering them on to the wood. First the antique wax, then green, then light pink and then a darker pink. I finally covered the whole thing with chalk colored chalk paint.

Once all of those colors were dry, the fun began. I started sanding away some of the white to reveal the other colors underneath. I almost wish I was painting on this wood instead of decoupaging the print. I would have loved for more of this chippy effect to show.

Then, all that was left was to decoupage on the print using ModPodge. When it was dry, I went around the edges with a dry brush of the antique wax to emphasize the torn edges. I don't know why this speaks to me so much but with the vintage bunny and the printing on the image, I am in love with this thing!

I'm going to wait and see where he lands before I decide if I want to add some embellishment. We'll see. And now, I have no more excuses so I am off to the frigid outdoors. Lol But, I won't be out there long...Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.