Lookout Moon Pie!

One of the many reasons I hadn't blogged for a while is because I have a new best friend who was taking up a whole lot of my time. That's right, just like your teacher used to have before every classroom got a smartboard.... I am now the proud owner of an old-school, super awesome overhead projector.

Of all my project passions, signs are one of my favourites with a seemingly endless supply of inspiration and possibilities. So an overhead projector allows me to skip the print on paper, transfer with carbon paper approach that I used on my last lot of signs. 

With this new beauty you can plan out your sign on the computer and print it straight onto an overhead transparency (I had to order them online because they are so old-school they don't sell them in the stores anymore!) and project it onto your surface. Trace the lines and you are ready to paint! Not only does it mean I don't have to trace everything I do, but there is no way I could do anything large scale so my very first sign was HUGE, because it could be!

I found this gorgeous Moon Pie sign on the internet and had to make it. It's a direct copy, nothing "inspirational" about it. Sometimes, it's not so much that I want to "own" something I see, I just need to make it. Partly because I want to see if I can but mostly because I love the process, often more than the product. So, I will most likely put this one in my "sell" pile but I really enjoyed making it!

Layer of bright blue then a layer of yellow onto a piece of well-seasoned plywood

Traced the entire pattern onto the wood

Paint each section with craft paint

Fill in the main colour and distress with a power sander!

Detail beauty shot!

So, I have a self-diagnosed case of craft OCD and when the sign was finished, I didn't love the colour, too royal blue and not navy enough.

So I gave it another coat in a darker blue and distressed it again. This is the final product (I promise...)

It's about 3 x 4 feet - my biggest sign ever. With my overhead projector in tow, I may just start painting signs on the side of my house!

Linking Up Here – come join the parties!

Skip To My Lou * Polly Want a Crafter * Under the Table & Dreaming * Cherished Treasures * C.R.A.F.T * Craftomaniac * Keeping It Simple * Handy Man Crafty Woman * Boogieboard Cottage *  Somewhat Simple *  Flamingo Toes *  I Heart Nap Time *  Polish the Stars *  Dittle Dattle  * Sugar Bee Crafts *  DIY by Design * Sassy Sites *  Ladybug Blessings * Running With Glitter * Domestically Speaking * Blue Cricket Design * Savvy Southern Style * Primitive & Proper *  Debbie Doo’s  * Elements Interiors  * The Trendy Treehouse  * A Creative Princess * Lil Luna  * Somewhat Simple * The Shabby Chic Cottage * Catch a Glimpse * The Frugal Girls * 36th Avenue * Romantic Home * Chic On A Shoestring *  Simply Designing  * The Shabby Nest  * Remodelaholic  * My Simple Homelife * A Little KnickKnack  * Whipperberry   * The Girl Creative  * Funky Junk Interiors  * It’s a Crafty Life  * Sisters of the Wild West * A Bowl Full of Lemons * French Country Cottage * Whisperwood Cottage

How I Spent My Summer Vacation...

Summer is my favourite season by far, but because I don't have a basement, workshop or garage, summer is the season when I work the hardest, desperately trying to complete every DIY project I have been dreaming about all winter before the snow flies again! Coupled with the fact that summer means my kids are busier than in the winter, up later and there's nothing good on T.V. so we end up watching Netflix every night, it seemed like I was never near my computer for more than a few minutes at time.

I have spent limited time swinging on my wonderful Hanging Daybed and hours and hours swinging a hammer... and holding a sander! But the good news is that I have accomplished quite a bit, I have a lot to share and best of all, I finally managed to get over my fear of power tools and I made one project all by myself!

So, I am hoping to get back into my regular routine and start posting again but for now, here's a little sneak peek of how I spent my summer vacation...

Numbered Wall Cubbies Plan by Ana White. As soon as it popped into my email, I had to have it! I made mine a bit bigger so the cubbies are more roomy and because that's the size of scrap wood I had on hand!

I measured, cut and assembled every bit of it myself. I used a nail gun to put it together but added some black nails to give it some more character

Painted with the technique Ana describes in her post - black spray paint, covered in white paint and distressed with a power sander.

I really love the finish and have used the technique twice since.

The numbers font is Century Schoolbook (Uh, ya, the same font and colour as my Numbered Staircase - geez, what is my thing with navy blue numbers???) printed on to paper and traced with a pen so I could follow the indent to fill in with paint.Waited for it to dry and distressed the front again with the power sander.

 Finished the whole thing with furniture wax and I absolutely love it.

We hung it in my son's room and he quickly populated the cubbies with his treasured possessions!

 Who can blame him?

Linking Up Here – come join the parties!

Skip To My Lou * Polly Want a Crafter * Under the Table & Dreaming * Cherished Treasures * C.R.A.F.T * Craftomaniac * Keeping It Simple * Handy Man Crafty Woman * Boogieboard Cottage *  Somewhat Simple *  Flamingo Toes *  I Heart Nap Time *  Polish the Stars *  Dittle Dattle  * Sugar Bee Crafts *  DIY by Design * Sassy Sites *  Ladybug Blessings * Running With Glitter * Domestically Speaking * Blue Cricket Design * Savvy Southern Style * Primitive & Proper *  Debbie Doo’s  * Elements Interiors  * The Trendy Treehouse  * A Creative Princess * Lil Luna  * Somewhat Simple * The Shabby Chic Cottage * Catch a Glimpse * The Frugal Girls * 36th Avenue * Romantic Home * Chic On A Shoestring *  Simply Designing  * The Shabby Nest  * Remodelaholic  * My Simple Homelife * A Little KnickKnack  * Whipperberry   * The Girl Creative  * Funky Junk Interiors  * It’s a Crafty Life  * Sisters of the Wild West * A Bowl Full of Lemons * French Country Cottage * Whisperwood Cottage