Lucas's Name Rack

One of the most rewarding things we get to do is make a piece for a good friend.  Especially when that friend just had a beautiful baby boy.

I wanted to create something original but at the same time, practical.  After trying to find inspiration online, I was striking out.  I knew I wanted to do something with his name on it but not your typical baby gift.

Just around this time I had come into some great pallet wood.  There was one piece in particular that stood out.  I am all about making things even and neat (it’s just me…I am OCD like that), but nothing about this piece had those features which was intriguing to me.

I think the fact that it isn't symmetrical is one of its greatest attributes, especially for this project.  It had such great character.

I started by sanding down the piece to ensure there were no splinters, especially since this is for a baby and may likely be put in his room.

Next, I put on a pre-stain conditioner and let it set for 24 hours.  When I returned the following day, the conditioner had really brought out the texture in the the wood.

I sanded it down, once again, to remove any fibers that were lifted from the conditioner and then applied a natural stain.  I wanted to keep the original look of the wood as much as possible.

At this point, I still didn't have a vision for the final product but then again, I usually never do. My vision usually develops and changes as the project does.

What helped me with this project was thinking of what I wish my 2 year old son would have.  Since Avery has made a pastime of throwing his coat, clothes and basically everything else on the floor, a clothing/coat rack could be a nice thing to have.

I choose the simple font of the letters because I didn't the attention to be taken away from the interesting detail of the wood. You can pick them up from Michael's, or any other craft store. OK, now I was seeing the project start to come together!

I wanted the letters to stand out from the board a bit to create a more three dimensional look.  The other important thing was that this piece needed a touch of color.  Not much but enough to add some vibrancy and life to a piece with otherwise neutral, and mostly natural wood, colors.  Adding the blue and pallet blocks served both purposes.

To finish off the piece, I added D-hooks to the back for easy wall hanging and hooks beneath each letter so Lucas can hang jackets and baseball caps in the future.

We are now offering this piece on our Etsy shop and can be customized in a ton of ways!

Mod Podging

Last year, when we moved into the house, Keith made Avery a step stool so he can look out the front window with Winston to watch all the cars, people and dogs go by. Eventually he will be able to use it to wash his hands and brush his teeth. 

We painted it white with a big black "A" on the top step. It was fine until the white started getting dirty and I found myself having to clean it quite frequently. I have been wanting to spruce it up for quite some time but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. That was until I was looking up Mod Podge for a dresser renovation and the light bulb went off! 

Materials Needed

All of these materials can be picked up at a craft's store such as Michaels or Amazon. I picked  up the Mod Podge  and foam brushes at Walmart because they were cheaper. 

• Desired object to enhance (this could be anything)
• Craft paper
• Mod Podge
• Foam brush
• Paper plate
• Drop cloth

I started by preparing the stool for paint by lightly sanding and cleaning it. Then I laid a drop cloth on the front lawn and got to painting. I sprayed the bottom with a light coat, let it dry 24 hours, then sprayed the top with a light coat. I repeated this process so the stool would have full coverage and there were no white spots seeping through. This process took a few days because I let it dry for a while and was working on this project in between others.

Determine what paper you would like to use for the project. I picked up a variety of decorative paper from Michael's at .55 - .99 cents per sheet. Since baseball is Avery's favorite sport, we decided to go with the baseball design. 

The next step is to trace and cut out the letter, or design, you would like to place on the object. We decided to continue with the large "A." This step takes a bit of measuring to ensure it fits the way you envisioned. Once the letter, or design, is cut out grab the Mod Podge and start crafting.

I started with a very thin layer of Mod Podge on the entire top step to ensure uniformity and that there were no weird lines from the glue once it dried. Then, I placed the paper on top of the glue and pressed down. It was helpful to start from one side and work my way across the paper. I used a card (from a deck of cards) to push it down and to eliminate any bubbles that might pop up.

Once the paper is flat on the object, I painted a very thin layer of Mod Podge over the entire top step/ Once that dried, I painted the last and final coat to make certain the edges don't creep up.

I found this website to be very helpful when planning my Mod Podge project.

Avery's Art Project

I have been wanting to work with Avery for some time now to create artwork for his room. Since moving in, a year ago, we haven't focused on putting up pictures and artwork and I really want his room to be his own space - somewhere he can go for inspiration. This project is great for nearly any age. I had so much fun with him that I want to make one of my own! Here's the details...

Below are the materials you will need:

• Canvas boards - whichever size you prefer, and however many you want to make
• Painters Tape -  We used two different widths 
• Foam brush
• Acrylic paint - Be sure to use a variation of colors

I was able to start the beginning stages without Avery, so I did the prep work the night before we painted. I started with taking different widths of painters tape and running them in different directions across the canvas. Be sure to gently press the edges (I used my fingernail) to be sure they stick to the canvas. You want to make sure the paint doesn't bleed through and and leave you with funky lines. I also painted the entire board with white acrylic paint as another guard against bleeding paint.

Once the paint dries (approx. 1 hour), it was Avery's turn! We started with the darkest color first using the foam brush.

After that, we implemented a lighter blue to give the colors some contrast. I even added a little white to lighten it up a bit and to make them stand apart even more.

We took a snack break in between the second and third colors. When he wanted to paint again we focused mostly on the third color and this time decided to use his hands. I wanted to make sure almost all of the white canvas was covered so we would distinctly be able to see the white lines. He had such a blast with this part!

Let it dry a good 1 - 2 hours before peeling off the tape to reveal your child's masterpiece!

He was so proud of his artwork and kept pointing to them saying "I did it!" Made me so happy.