FURNITURE FRIDAY...CARTOLINA ITALIANA

I love letters in general whether is text in a book or dictionary, signs, letters but most of all post cards.   I love postcards and collect them from anystate or place I visit.   Even if it's in New Jersey.

(LIGHTBULB) I think I might request a postcard from all of my fabulous friends and readers here. (haha)

This table is amazing in it's original state, the top was slightly damaged as far as finish.   I could have easily sanded and stained it and it would be great again.    However me being ME.....I wanted to do something different!   I have seen a lot of stenciling of labels on pillows and everything else so I didnt want to go that route.

A POST CARD!!!!   It was the perfect shape, it had border detailing....it was meant to be!   I set out on a step by step process.    I decided since I was on a chalk paint makeover frenzy I would use my Olde White for the base color (again no sanding needed...just paint).

Postmarks are on and text on top done.

I started off with a little Valspar glaze

Then added more to the edges for age

Same here

The is a sideview of the table in my livingroom

This is a sideview of the table with the iron base in my living room.

Close up center & right

Bottom right - con amore (with love)

Final look....I didnt want to right anything personal.   I promised the husband this will be going into the shop!   Let's see if Im able to keep that promise peeps.

-MJ

FAMILY NAME SIGN GIFT FOR REDESIGN....

Okay so I know signs are all the rage, I love me a good sign too!   I have some from Kristi from Barn Owl Primitives, Brittany of 41 West Designs, and Holly of Word Whipped.   I love wooden signs, they remind me of an old general store.

Since I had just received my newest sign from Holly...my "JOSEPH" sign.   It inspired me and I thought it would be the perfect gift to my good friend Liza who asked me to help redesign her living room.   Some of you know Liza through my posts, she is my junkin buddy.   So of course this was a no-brainer...we like the same styles but I wanted to customize and surprise her with some things.

So......................a family name sign it is!   I wanted to do this project keeping within the NO COST mindset that this project was created.    So I started with a free find:

Scrap piece of wood (free)

It's actually a drawer front to some kind of dresser or buffet

It's nice & weathered already...but here it's  getting a coat of Valspar paint (Seagull gray) it's really an off white and its left over paint from my dining room.

Looks nice & fresh...I didnt fill the nail holes purposely to keep it original and to look as if it was just ripped off an old store front.

It was hard but I freehanded the letters...I dont have stencils, vinyl or cricut machine.  This is old school art class...I inherited drawing from my parents.

I used my daughter's crayola paint brush marker to make the edges wispy

 

I then went over the letters with Barn Red craft paint

I used a chocolate glaze to get into the nail holes and look old

I also sanded over the painted letters once they dried again to make it weathered.

Here is my finished project with the rest of the pieces for the redesign.

And here it is now hanging in their newly redesigned living room.

So the next time your drawer breaks or you junkin a dresser you might think twice about throwing away the drawers! lol  Challenge yourself to re-purpose something not only to explore your creativity but to lend a hand in being kind to Mother Earth. I will take an old piece of furniture over new any day.

I want to say thank you to Dave & Liza for being awesome friends to me throughout the years (they've seen me go through the good and the bad).  It's amazing years later how situations change and we are closer now and our husbands maybe more than us. lol    

You guys are awesome and I hope this sign will hang in your home and make you smile!

Im a housebound party girl....so Im linking up here:

-MJ

Hey its' made from a piece of furniture

 

WORD WEDNESDAY.....ART ON THE CHEAP...

Very rarely am I wordless.....so let's try something new this week.

Most of you know....I love me some burlap.    I recently gave some to my sister and she did an awesome typography project for her living room.

(my sister's work)

Well you know I had to give it a try cause I also love me some letters and typography.

Here is what you will need:

Burlap bag, feed bag, burlap material
Craft paint
Wooden letter magnets

These are my supplies...yep 3 things

Here is the final product...it was made for a friend.

I mean it really doesnt get much easier than this....I picked my main word FAMILY and then just worked their names out of it.    Kinda Scrabble-like! lol

I decided to use the magnets and not a stencil because it's easy to see this way and you dont risk getting paint elsewhere as if you would moving stencil around (I hate that )

This could really be done with any fabric or even paper, but I just like the look and its a great piece for the home.

-MJ

IT'S ALL IN THE NAME......

I've always been fascinated with names, letter, symbols and that they flow very well.  I spent weeks at a time going over my children's names before they were born.

Well your last name, you really can't choose........especially if your married!    You can choose not to take the name but that's kinda insulting and akward if you have children.

I must say Im quite happy with my final surname of JOSEPH.   I love my initials 'MJ' as most of you know. lol  My house is filled with J's or M's and I just love using letters in the decor of my home.

I wanted to share a little project I worked on Friday night.....technically 2 a.m. Saturday morning!  I do my best work when everyone is sleeping and Im under pressure (kinda like now...)  Actually my daughter's 1st bday party was the following morning and I needed to get my family name wall done.

The big letter 'J' from Home Goods I had blogged about before and it had been just hanging out there on the wall lonely as heck, until I brought home 'o' one day and they became friends.  But then I just had Jo hanging there on the wall and I had ideas of what I wanted to do but just haven't had the time.   I ran to A.C. Moore to get some supplies and picked up 'E' and 'P'.  So here is what I pulled together with what I had hanging around the house. I do pride myself on being an up-cycler, re-cycler Im just all about re-purposing and take any opportunity to prove it!  

Here is my proof.....

The crackle finish 'J' in original form

Lowercase 'o' cover is tv listing section of the newspaper

My daughter's old locker magnet board with a piece of toile pattern contact paper cut into a letter 'S'

Wooden capital 'E' spray painted black

White capital letter 'P' which I painted on a leopard pattern.

The letter 'H' is made obviously from a sewing tape measure

Here is the Joseph family name wall

This wall is in our hallway which just got a make-over and the other side is a photo wall that displays our favorite family & friends.

BY THE WAY....THE SPRING FLING HAS STARTED TODAY (see button top of my sidebar).

  My Blogging BFF Leighann from A Crafty Southern Chick is up today with her fabulous giveaway!   

As well as Ann from Increasingly Domestic

14 days of giveaways with 2 giveaways a day......who can resist that?????

Linking this post up to some fabulous parties this week:

  

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/