DIY 8 Point Deer Painting

DIY 8 Point Deer Painting

This week I decided to get a little creative/different and make a painting of an 8-point deer. I wanted this painting to look a little rustic and vintage so I used some old beat up boards and varnish. This painting could look great over top of a fireplace, in your bedroom, or even in a “man cave”.

Things you’re going to need to create this painting:

• 7 or more beat up boards
• Measuring Tape
• Pencil
• Saw
• Hammer
• Nails
• Sander
• Chestnut Stain
• Varnish
• Tracing Paper
• Pattern Paper
• White acrylic Paint 
• Paintbrush
• Hanging screws/nails

(All of these tools can be purchased at any hardware of craft store.)

Step 1: First find 7 or more boards and use a measuring tape to measure 5 of the boards at the same length. Measure the other 2 boards at the same length, but at a longer length then the other boards. Once the 5 boards are cut, line them up and face the good side of each board on the ground. Grab the two longer boards and place them onto the 5 lined up boards. Place the 2 boards on each side of the 5 lined up boards and now take nails and nail the 2 boards into the 5 boards. The 2 boards hold the 5 boards together.

Make sure your boards end up looking like this on the back.

Step 2: Once all the boards are nailed together take out your hand sander and sand the surface and sides of the boards. Keep sanding until the surface and the sides of the boards are smooth.

Step 3: Once every area is sanded take your chestnut or any color stain and use your paintbrush to stain the attached boards. You’ll need one coat.

Step 4: Once the stain is completely dried I looked at a similar photo of a deer that I liked and then decided to draw it on the pattern paper. This took awhile to draw but I got it looking just the way I wanted my deer to look. Make sure the deer will fill up majority of the space on the boards.

Step 5: Tape the deer drawing that’s drawn on the pattern paper and place it where you would like it to be painted on the boards. Use your tracing paper to put underneath the pattern paper and use your pencil to trace the deer picture onto the boards. The tracing paper allows for the image to transfer from the pattern paper onto the boards.

Step 6: Once the deer is traced onto the boards take your white acrylic paint and paintbrush and do 3-4 coats of the deer. Use a smaller brush to paint the antlers. Once the white paint is completely dried use your paintbrush and do one coat of varnish to make the painting look a little more rustic and shiny. After the varnish is dried you can screw or nail hanging nails into the back of the boards and hang the deer painting anywhere you’d like.

Hope you enjoyed, thanks guys! 

DIY Vintage Chair REDO

DIY Vintage Chair REDO

For the past few weeks I have been working on redoing a pair of old vintage chairs. I was given one of these chairs from my grandmother, which she received at her wedding over 50 years ago! And the second identical chair came from my boyfriend’s great grandparents, which they also received over 50 years ago. Since these chairs have been passed down through our family members and it was finally our time to accept the chairs. We decided to redo them and bring them on our new adventure to Vancouver in the New Year.

Things you’ll need to redo your vintage chair:

• Old Chair (Garage sale, grandparents house)
• Sander
• Black acrylic Paint
• Water
• Paintbrush
• Varnish
• Upholstery Service (I used David’s Upholstery)

Step 1: If your old chair has any wood areas on it you’re going to have to sand and stain those areas. I used a hand sander and sanded the arms and legs down. I sanded each area until the old shiny varnish was no longer there.

Step 2: Once the arms and legs are sanded, mix black acrylic paint with a lot of water so it’s almost clear. The water and black paint makes a black stain. Paint the arms and legs with the black stain. Do at least two coats until it’s the color you like.

Step 3: Pick out a funky fabric for your chair or a fabric that is going to match your house. I chose black and white. I chose the black and white pattern at the upholstery store and then they had the fabric ordered in. You can choose your fabric at fabric land and you’re going to need 2 and half yards for each chair.

Step 4: Once the arms and legs are completely dried you can take your chair to whichever upholstery service that is the closest to you to have the upholstery part completed.

David's Upholstery

26121 Kennedy Rd RR 3, Sutton West, ON L0E 1R0

905-722-6888

DIY Crow Silhouette Painting

DIY Crow Silhouette Painting

This week I wanted to make something spooky or festive for Halloween, but I also wanted to be able to use this piece all year long. So, I was looking on Pinterest and I seen a crow silhouette painting that I just had to have, so I decided to make it!

What you will need to make the crow silhouette painting is:

• Thin piece of wood
• Tracing paper
• Pattern paper
•  Pencil
•  Sander
•  Black/dark aqua blue/brown acrylic paints
• Thin and thick paint brush
•  Varnish

(All of these tools can be purchased at any craft or hardware store.)

Step 1: Once you have found a thin piece of wood use the sander to sand it down to make sure it’s completely smooth. Next use the thick paintbrush and paint the entire piece of wood dark aqua blue.

Step 2: Once the paint is dry dip your thick paintbrush into the brown acrylic paint. Dab the brown paint on the edges and corners of the piece of wood to give it a dark old look. Over coat the brown dabs with black paint and keep blending the colors together for an even spookier look.

Step 3: Now choose a set of crows that you’ve seen on the Internet or draw a set of you’re own. I found a set of crows online and then enlarged the photo as big as I wanted it to be. Then I used pattern paper and traced the crows from the computer screen onto the pattern paper. Once this step is complete you can now use your tracing paper and place it onto the piece of wood with the crow pattern on top. Use a pencil and trace the pattern onto the piece of wood. The tracing paper allow for the pattern to be clear and traced onto the piece of wood.

Step 4: Once the crow outline is on the piece of wood use a small paintbrush and paint the crows in with the black paint. Once the crows are painted and totally dry use your large paintbrush to put a coat of varnish onto the painting. This allows the painting to look shiny and bright! Once the varnish is dried you are all done your crow silhouette painting.

Any questions let me know guys!

Enjoy J

DIY Gourd Candleholders

DIY Gourd Candle Holders

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Seeing how this weekend is Thanksgiving I decided to make something easy and very festive! I made pumpkin candleholders. These holders are easy and cheap to do. They can be left outside for decorations or inside on the table where they work as great centerpieces for turkey dinner.

What you’re going to need to be able to create these cute candleholders is:

•   Gourds
• Sharp knife
•  Tea light candles
• Marker
•  Water based varnish
•  Paintbrush

Step 1: Purchase some gourds from a farmers market or Wal-Mart. Cut the steam off of each gourd and use a marker to trace the outline of the tea light candle onto the gourd. 

 Step 2: Take a very sharp knife and cut around the marker lines, which will look like a circle. Be careful, the gourds are extremely tough. Once the whole has been cut, use a spoon to dig all the seeds and guts out of the gourd. Do this for each gourd.

Step 3: After the seeds and guts have been removed wash the marker lines and the inside of the gourd to make sure everything is looking clean. Dry gourds off with paper towel thoroughly.  

Step 4: Now take a paintbrush and the varnish and do one coat of varnish to each gourd. This allows the gourd to look shiny and for it to last longer.

Step 5: Once the varnish has completely dried you can place the tea light candles into each gourd. Now you are finished! You can place these festive candleholders anywhere you would like.

Hope you enjoyed, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

DIY P.S I Love You Mailbox

P.S I love you Mailbox

Sweet DIY mail boxes are a great idea to try for something different then the boring name and adress on every regular mailbox. The mailbox I created was simple to do and fun! I loved the way it turned out!

I thought this mailbox would be perfect for wedding cards, a decoration, or used as a mailbox.

DIY Mailbox Turtorial

Step 1: First you will have to puchase a plain mailbox from any hardware store or even garage sale. Mailboxes are usually around $20-30 dollars.

Step 2: The second step would be to paint your mailbox black. I did this with black spray paint because it drys fastern and doesn’t leave any brush storkes. You will also have to spray paint the screws, bolts, handles, and the piece that holds the flag up.

This is what it should look like after is has been spray painted.

Step 3: Now its time to put the quote onto the mailbox, this is done very easily. You will need tracing paper that is available at any craft stores. You will also need to print the quote onto a banner size using Microsoft word. The font size should be around 300, and you can choose any font style you prefer. Now you need to place the quote in banner size on the mailbox and tape it there so that it doesn’t move. Then slide a piece of tracing paper underneath the quote. Now with a pencil trace the quote onto the mailbox. The tracing paper allows the quote to be transferred onto the mailbox.

This is what the quote should look like after its been trasfered onto the mailbox.

Step 4: Now that the quote is traced onto the mailbox you can start painting! You can choose any type of paint colors you would like but make sure its perm enamle paint. The colors I chose were grass green, sunny yellow, parry purple, and hot pink. Also use very fine, squared, paint brushes, they will help you with the edging. They can be purchased at any craft store.

Step 5: Now just take your time and paint in between the lines, just like coloring. Do two to three coats, until the quote looks bold.

Step 6: After painting the quote onto the mailbox, spray the mailbox with a clear coat of varnish. This pervents the paint from chipping and rusting, it also makes the mailbox look shiny! 

Step 7: Just for extra I painted the mailbox flag yellow, I did this with spray paint, and I also added initals to the lid. I hope you have as much as fun as I did painting this pretty mailbox!