DIY : Chalkboard Sign + Lettering

 

Chalkboard Sign + Lettering

To start, roll out 2 coats of the Benjamin Moore chalk board paint. Keep in mind you do have to wait 3-4 hours before re-coating. Once your selected chalkboard material has been coated, now you should wait 3 days before seasoning your chalkboard. If you skip this step, and you go straight to lettering, whatever you put on the board will be there faintly and permanently. To season your chalkboard, you simply take chalk and rub it all over length wise, and then add the next layer and rub it width wise. After you have done this, simply wipe it off. If you like a cleaner look, use a damp cloth or paper towel to get rid of more chalk. Next, take your printed font and cover the back of the paper with a layer of chalk. Place the page chalk side down with lettering where you would like it to be on the board and begin to trace the letters with your pencil. Once you have traced everything, remove the paper to reveal the transferred letters. Take a piece of chalk and trace the outline of the letters on the chalkboard to make them stand out more. If you find your chalk is too bulky, you can use a pencil sharpener to make a pointed piece of chalk. Fill in the letters and fit the board in a frame, now you’re finished!

Supplies:

• Chalk Board Material ie: MDF, Plywood
• Frame
• Printed Font on White Paper
• Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint -You can get it pre-tinted black or tinted a color of your choice.
• Roller Tray
• Chalk
• Pencil

Colours: Kendall Charcoal HC-166, Revere Pewter HC-172 + Prescott Green HC-140

DIY : Rustic Flower Board

 

Rustic Flower Board

Inspired by Mother’s Day we created this quick and easy Rustic Flower Board. We coated our cedar board with two coats of the Benjamin Moore’s Arborcoat Transluscent stain silver gray and let dry. Next, measure your board to evenly place the jars, first marking your center point. Cut your metal strapping to allow enough to securely attach the jars. Using a drill or screwdriver start at one side and secure the strapping with a screw and wrap around each jar tightly and secure down the other side. Continue attaching all three jars. Flip the board to attach the D ring holders. Measure the screw placements 1 inch from the top and edge and screw into place. Use for fresh flowers, potted flowers or herbs!! Such a cute and easy project!!!

Supplies used:
Rough cedar board 1′ wide by 2 1/2′ long
Benjamin Moore Arborcoat WB Transluscent Silver Gray stain 623-70
Disposable paint brush
Can opener
3 Mason jars – clear or painted
Steel strapping 3/4″ three feet long
8 black screws
Pliers or wire cutters
Screwdriver or drill
2 d Ring hangers
9 flowers

BM inspired colours:
HC-173 edgecomb gray
2020-10 sparkling sun
CC-160 white rock
2012-20 flame

Happy Mother’s Day ! Enjoy!

DIY : Upholstered Memo Board

 

Upholstered Memo Board

Inspired by all the magazine articles to get organized, this easy DIY is a quick way to create a fun memo board for all your notes, pictures or inspirational cards.
Supplies needed:
– Corkboard
– Fabric piece larger than your corkboard, with a 3” allowance on each side
– Scissors
– Mod podge or alternatively you can use spray adhesive
– Disposable paintbrush
– Wallpaper Smoother
– Hot glue gun

First you want to iron out your fabric to get out all the creases. Lay your corkboard right side up and apply an even layer of Mod podge with your paint brush to the cork surfaces. Align your fabric over the corkboard making sure the fabric is straight and that you have 3” overlap on each side. Press the fabric to the cork . Working from the center out, use the wallpaper smoother to smooth out the fabric and get rid of any bubbles. Wait 15 minutes for it to dry. Then flip the corkboard over and fold and glue the excess fabric, making sure it is tight.
This easy decorative board was only ½ hour to make and will be sure to help me organize my day! This would also make a great gift for someone special for Valentine’s Day!

Benjamin Moore inspired colours:
OC-130 Cloud White
2127-20 Black Ink

DIY : Graphic Paint Splattered Gift Wrap

 

Inspired by Kelly Wearstler’s paint splattered holiday gift wrap, this simple DIY creates the perfect graphic gift wrap for beautiful year-round wrapping.

Step 1: Gather a large drop cloth, black latex paint, a variety of paint brush sizes and white paper – preferably with one side having a plastic coating to prevent the paint from seeping through.

Step 2: Lay out the drop cloth in an area where you don’t mind if the paint splatters over the covered area. Next, lay out the full roll of paper for the fastest application – you may cut it down after drying.

Step 3: Use different sizes of paint brushes dipped in the black paint and go for it! You will quickly see that the movement and force you put into each splatter will create a variety of paint markings.

Step 4: Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours, just to be safe because some of the blobs may be quite thick.

Step 5: Roll up your new gift wrap and you’re ready to present beautiful graphic gifts to all of your loved ones.

DIY Stained Wood Side Table

 

DIY Stained Wood Side Table

Finding the perfect piece of furniture isn’t always easy.  Look beyond the surface and think of re-finishing a piece with potential.

I needed a side table to fit in a corner beside my loveseat.  I found a square table that fit perfectly in the space, but not with my decor.  I loved the size, shape and inlay on the top of the side table, but the finish looked dated and drab.

For this project, you would need…
1 sanding sponge to smooth the final surface (with a rough and lighter grit)
a few pieces of sand paper
1 paint brush or rag to wipe the stain on
1 small bottle of white stain
1 small tin of a darker accent stain (different finish if you wish)
1 roll of painters tape
1 small angled foam brush for details & small spaces

First sand the table down, as close to natural wood as possible.  Wipe the table clean from any dust or dirt.  Tape off the square or whichever detail you want in another shade of stain.  Use the small foam brush to stain the darker detail, using the angled edges where necessary.  I used the Sanman prestigious grey stain.  Once dry, give the detail a second coat.
Once both coats of the detail are fully dry, tape over it for the first coat of the rest of the table, in this case I used the white Sanman water based stain.  Once that coat is dry, remove the tape and do a final coat over the entire table, including the darker detail.  Leave the tape on the darker detail if you want a sharper edge with more contrast.

Side note:  I chose a grey for the square detail on my side table, but since the wood underneath was dark, it turned a darker shade than intended.  I was pleasantly surprised by the finish and just stuck with it.  Sometimes it takes a bit of playing around to find the right colour of stain, as each type of wood will take the stain differently.  But the beauty of it all is the varying shades that come out from the grain of the woods.

DIY : Gold Leaf Place Cards

 

DIY Gold Leaf Place Cards

Thanksgiving is a special time for celebrating friends & family!  I love the colours that autumn brings and using them to decorate our house over the holiday. This year I am adding a bit of metallic tone to our Thanksgiving table setting which will add a warm glitter among the autumn tones. To see the whole tablescape, check out Tamara’s Designer Picks : Thanksgiving Tablescape.

Supplies needed:

Various size & shapes of leaves and pine ones
Metallic paint-I chose to use spray paint but you could also use gold leaf paint or any metallic paint
Butcher paper or practice paper ( both types have a glossy backing so the paint will not seep through)
Black calligraphy pen or paint pen

Collect all your leaves the same day you are going to paint them. Otherwise the leaves either start curling or dry out and break easily.
Cover your table with practice paper, making sure the plastic (glossy)side is facing down. Lay out your leaves , covering the paper.
You could use some spray adhesive to hold down the leaves or otherwise I just held down each leaf as I sprayed it. Let dry and flip each leaf to coat each side.

When dry use your calligraphy pen to write your dinner guests name on a leaf.

As an extra bonus, your white paper is now a metallic leaf stenciled wrapping paper!! Enjoy & Happy Thanksgiving!

DIY : Distressed Wedding Desk

 

Distressed Wedding Desk

A friend of mine asked if anyone had a turquoise desk that she could use for her wedding for signing their vows, and I thought what a great project that I could give them for their wedding.

1st stop was the Whistler Rebuild it where you can find lots of treasures for a small amount! I had a choice of three desks and the winner was $25.It was well used and the drawers were decorated with felt pen & gum, but I knew with alittle cleaning and bonding primer, I could clean it up.

1. Cleaned all surfaces of the desk with a cleaner/degreaser, rinsed off with clean water & let dry.

2. Primed all surfaces with Benjamin Moore STIX Primer with a foam roller. STIX is a specialty primer that is perfect to use when you have no idea what coating is on an old piece of furniture. Stix ensures that the primer coat will bond to any surface. It is odourless and cleans up with soap and water.

3.Sprayed all insides of the drawers with high gloss white just to seal everything and make them wipeable. I discovered this great tool which is a spray trigger handle. Not only does it make spraying effortless, it was much easier to control the flow from the spray can. I will use this tool on every project now!

4 . Rolled out all outside surfaces with Benjamin Moore Aura Matte which was tinted to 2040-50 Hazy Blue, the brides choice of colour. Aura as a product has a primer in it, is easy to apply, low odour and when cured is extremely durable. I applied two coats to the outside of the desk.

5. Now comes the fun part! Distressing the desk. Distressing is the process of inflicting intentional damage to a new or newly painted piece of furniture. To make it authentic the distressing should be in places where the piece would naturally weather. To start I took a sanding sponge and sanded the edges of the drawers and desk. Then to create a few dents I used the edge of the paint can and a wire brush to create some scratches. You can use various tools to distress your furniture piece. It just depends on how damaged you want it to look. Some will string a combination of screw heads, bent nails, washers and spikes on a string and roll or flail it on all surfaces. Done properly, distressing can make a new piece look genuinely old.

6. Add a few drops of burnt umber tint into your paste wax. This creates the “antique” look. Apply the wax with a lintfree cloth to all surfaces and let dry. Buff wax with a clean cloth.

7.For the finishing touches I added crystal knobs and a piece of scrap wallpaper as a drawer liner.

It was a beautiful wedding , decorated by Whistler Wedding Planners and the desk was a big hit carrying on into the night as a cake display.

 

DIY Supplies needed:

Benjamin Moore’s STIX Bonding Primer

Benjamin Moore’s Aura Matte Paint- tinted to 2040-50 Hazy Blue

High Gloss White Spray

Spray Trigger Handle

Foam Roller Kit

2” Foam Brush

Sanding Sponge, Wire Brush, Distressing Tools

Paste Wax

Burnt Umber Tint

Rags

Glass crystal knobs

Decorative wallpaper

 

DIY : Distressed Chalk Paint Tables

 

Distressed Chalk Paint Tables

Materials Needed:

1. A piece of furniture with great bones but a tired finish
2. 1 quart of Aura Matte finish paint
3. Plaster of Paris
4. Clear furniture wax, we used Claphams beeswax polish
5. Foam Roller & Tray
6. Paint Brush
7. Medium Coarseness sandpaper
8. Mixing/measuring containers

Instructions:

1. Our tables had a high gloss finish, so we gave them a really quick scuff with sandpaper
2. Measure one part Plaster of Paris with 3 parts Aura and mix well
3. Apply paint evenly. The consistency will be fairly thick. We used the brush for the corners and smoothed over with the roller.
4. Let dry and re-coat 1-2 more times
5. Use sandpaper to distress along sides and edges
6. We did two effects with the wax. One table has two coats of the clear wax. For the smaller table we used the wax darkened with a tiny bit of black paint for an even more distressed finish.

All supplies needed to create your own distressed chalk paint furniture at home!

DIY : Stripe It Up

 

DIY
STRIPE IT UP

Materials Needed:

1. A space that you want to jazz up quickly and easily!
2. Frog tape for sharp, clean lines.
3. A measuring tape for precision.
4. A level for straight lines.
5. Paint for striping it up.
6. Roller set up for laying it out.

Instructions:

1. If your existing wall is the base colour you would like make sure it is clean, ready to be taped up. If you want a different base colour then prepare the walls as you would for any paint job; fill holes with spackle, wait till dry and sand. Cut and roll the base colour on to the wall. Two coats is standard. Make sure you wait the proper drying time before you start to tape!
2. Using your pencil to mark, measure out where the stripes are to start and finish up one side of the wall. It may be helpful to draw a picture to scale on graph paper to decide how thick or thin you would like your stripes and how far apart you would like them.
3. From these marks take the level and start to travel across the wall marking with a pencil along the way so that you have a perfectly straight lines across the entire wall.
4. Start to tape above and below these straight line marks. Double check that you have NOT taped into the area you want to be the stripe colour. It can get confusing so take your time. Run a strong finger over the edge of the tape to ensure that paint won’t run under.
5. Roll out the colour!! Two coats will be needed. If you want to play with depth of field and texture you can use a matte paint for your base coat and then use a shinier paint for the stripe. A pearl or even a semi-gloss to add real glam!
6. Remove the tape before the paint dries completely.
7. Enjoy.

DIY: Mountain Mural

 

Materials Needed:

1. A tired wall in need of something dramatic!
2. Spackle or drywall mud for repairing damages to the wall
3. Sanding block to smooth filler
4. A pencil for outlining mountains
5. Painters tape for protecting the adjacent walls
6. Mix and Measure containers with lids for mixing and saving paint.
7. An assortment of paint brushes: We used various sized artist brushes for details, a larger paint brush for filling in larger sections, a small roller and tray to smooth brush strokes in large sections
8. Paint! We used a mixture of quarts and the smaller tester size. The background is Balboa Mist (OC-27), in Benjamin Moore Ben paint, eggshell. For the first layer of mountain we used Ballet White (OC-9), in Regal Select, Ulti-Matt. The closest range is in Stone (2112-40), Benjamin Moore Ben paint, eggshell. The darkest level for the trees was Grey (2121-10), in Benjamin Moore, eggshell. By using a mixture of Matt paint and Eggshell paint (which has more sheen) we were able to create a layered look, building up the sheen towards the first layer of mountains and the trees.

Instructions:

1. Decide what type of mountain range you’d like. We referenced images of the local mountains to get a more realistic shape and flow. But maybe you’re inspired by the Karakoram mountain ranges and want something more rugged. This is art, feel free to take an artistic license.
2. Use the painters tape to mask off adjoining walls.
3. Using your pencil, make a rough sketch of your layout and write in each space which colour you’re going to use. We actually went in and did a dab of each colour as well, to avoid confusion.
4. Start painting from the background in. Using the artist brushes we painted the edges, then using the larger brush or the roller we worked the larger sections.
5. We used the Ulti-Matt in the farthest range and mixed it with the darker colours to create the in between layers. Make sure you mix enough paint to do 2 coats because it will be hard to match later if you don’t! We saved our leftovers in yogurt containers.
6. We needed to do 2 coats of paint and ended up using the smaller artist brushes to refine the edges of the mountains on the second pass. While you’re doing this, make sure that you paint in some irregularities to make them more realistic…mountains have shrubs, trees and outcroppings.
7. The trees were done last but followed the same steps. Make sure you research some tree images in silhouette. I found myself wanting to draw the branches sloping down but in actuality they branch upwards.
8. Take the tape off and enjoy your masterpiece!!!!