Painting Letters: Projectors, Cricuts, and Silhouettes OH MY!

Years ago I found an old warehouse on Craigslist.  I was on the search for one of the original overhead projectors that were used in the classroom with transparencies.  I was pretty pumped as I walked out of that place with my "new" $20 projector.  Oh the crafty stuff I could do!

Remember these guys?

I spent time designing through Pages (yes I'm a Mac kind of girl), printing on transparencies (hoping they were sized right), and then plopping that big machine on my dining room table often times only to find out that it wasn't sized right to the canvas and I would need to start over again.  However, through some trial and error I would get it right and really for $20 how can you go wrong?  I used it mostly for letter work and while the edges aren't always perfectly crisp I also kind of liked it that way too!

As the years passed I heard rumors of a machine called the Cricut.  I found a way, despite the price tag, and made it happen.  I used it a little at first, but then I got pregnant and honestly just didn't have the money.  The original Cricut that I had required multiple cartridges for designs and fonts.  This newly "retired" teacher and stay at home Mom was not exactly in the place to buy dozens of cartridges.  So, the Cricut sat lonely, upstairs, in an office that was rarely used.  When Bumble was one we had a garage sale and I sold the Cricut, which was hard!  It was one of those items that in my head I would always get back to, but in reality I knew I never would.

In between the Cricut and Silhouette I tried this method of painting letters onto canvas.  It's a nice way to transfer them over.  Just be sure to reverse (mirror) your letters before trying out this one.

Fast forward to now and hearing about the Silhouette Cameo.  The main thing that stood out to me with both the new Cricut and Silhouette is that you could hook it up to your computer, no cartridges needed, and use all of the fonts and designs you already had!  This was HUGE and my brain was spinning with what I could dream up.  Christmas rolled around and I used my Christmas money to buy this bundle on Amazon.  

I am by no means a pro with this thing yet, but I am really enjoying it!  There is so much you can do with it and it makes designing and painting letters way easier.  I wanted to try out a few things when I first received it so I have used the regular vinyl, glitter heat transfer vinyl, and just the vinyl as a stencil to paint letters and images.  The Silhouette software is super user friendly and makes the process a breeze.

So far here are 3 of my top tips (from figuring it out the hard way):

1.  All of the settings in the guide may not be just perfect for your particular Silhouette.  I always do a test cut first to make sure it is cutting appropriately.  I messed up a lot of expensive vinyl by not doing this in the beginning!

2.  Speaking of expensive vinyl, if you are just using the vinyl as a stencil that you will just pull off your project and throw away may I suggest buying a cheap roll of contact paper from Wal-Mart?  It works wonderfully for that.  I have had issues pulling it off because it's not quite as sticky as the vinyl, but if you have patience it's a much cheaper option.

3.  When it comes to painting the letters on, make sure that your vinyl or contact paper is firmly in place.  The paint WILL bleed underneath and it is such a bummer when you pull it off only to reveal runny letters.  A solution to letters bleeding that I found while searching is to use Mod Podge!  Here is a tutorial on how to use it when doing your letters from Laura at The Turquoise Home.  Courtney from A Diamond in the Stuff has a similar tutorial as well.  Most tutorials say to use only matte Mod Podge.  I used glossy (because that's all I had) and it turned out great.

For Valentine's Day I wanted to make something special for the hubs.  We both love the song "A Sunday Kind of Love" by Etta James.  If you don't know it you should.  So I went to Lowe's, picked out my board, brought it home to my miter saw, and made my cuts.  As my stain dried I made my design with the Silhouette software.

Once I was ready I sent my project to be cut.  After weeding out what I didn't want to use I placed the transfer paper on top of my vinyl.

Then, I carefully removed the back of the vinyl, placed it on my piece of wood (as straight as possible), and then carefully removed the front piece of transfer paper.  This leaves just the vinyl remaining on the wood board.

From here (sorry no pictures) I painted my modge podge on each letter to prevent the paint from bleeding.  The only issue I had once I lifted the vinyl was with some of the fonts I chose.  They were soooooo thin that when I lifted the vinyl it lifted the paint with it!  Oops!  I was able to touch it up by hand so problem solved.

I was super happy with the way it all turned out.

Here are a few more Silhouette projects that I have done so far:

Until next time...happy painting!

Linking up with: Coastal Charm A Stroll Thru Life Nap Time Creations Ladybug Blessings The Turquoise Home Whimsy Wednesdays

Painting with Annie Sloan: "Vintage" Dresser

I have recently seen many posts selling furniture that say, "Painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint".  My immediate thought was Chalkboard paint and I didn't get it.  Apparently I have been living under a rock because I am just now hearing about it. The moment I started researching it I knew I would have to try it out on something, anything.  

You cannot find her paint at your Lowe's or Home Depot, but instead in boutiques and crafty antique type stores.  To avoid shipping costs I packed up Bumble and Hoot and we trekked out to the closest location.  I wanted to see everything in person.  I knew there would be examples, brushes, paints, etc. and I needed to see more than what I could just online.

Now, this paint is NOT cheap.  I believe one liter was $36.  For those of you used to the latex paint at your local Lowe's I may have just lost you and I understand that!  However, according to the Annie Sloan site it says, "Chalk Paint® sticks to just about any surface... wood, concrete, metal, matt plastic, earthenware and much more, inside and outside the home. It dries fast too so you can add second or third coats quickly, and start enjoying your

 revitalised walls, floors and furniture sooner."  Another huge claim is that with chalk paint you can forget needing to sand your piece of furniture or prime it.  A WIN-WIN in my book.  I was also told that the paint really goes a long way and depending on your project you may not even need more than one coat.

Well, I was still a little skeptical, but my mind was totally set on doing this so after researching a hundred different methods of using her paint I went to this cute boutique and bought the paint, a brush, the dark wax, and the soft clear wax (more on that later).

Nearly five years ago, before Bumble arrived, my husband and I went to Babies R Us and picked out a dresser that would match Bumble's crib.  I liked it because it matched her crib, but I always thought we would change out the knobs at some point down the road to "revamp" it, especially if we decided to keep it for ourselves.  As soon as Hoot arrived we bought another dresser that I fell in love with and when we moved recently we decided Bumble's dresser  would now be in our room.  When I saw this paint I knew that this dresser would be my first project.

I chose the paint "Old Ochre" after looking at the different sample boards they had in the store.  Oh and I will say that this paint REALLY does go a long way.  What they say is true :)

Okay, after doing a lot of research and listening to a lot of "pros" I decided to buy this little chunky waxing brush.  Some say you can do this with a towel, an old paintbrush, etc.  Do your research and make your own decision.  However, I will say that I felt like I got a very even coat of my clear wax using this brush.  It's not cheap, but I figure if I take care of it, use it on multiple pieces of furniture, and it saves me some heartache then it's worth it.  That and I didn't feel like driving 45 minutes back out to this boutique to get it later if I needed it.  

I decided I may want to keep the top of the dresser and the legs their original color so I went ahead and taped off the top just incase.  I first painted a coat of the Old Ochre all over using a regular paint brush.  Then, once it dried, I painted a second coat.  This second coat I thinned with water, which made it go much further.  Honestly, I probably could have stopped there, but I wasn't 100% sure on the look I wanted so I did another thin coat.  If I would have known how much I wanted sanded off in the beginning multiple coats would not have been needed.

Okay, I was only halfway planning on doing a picture "tutorial" on this project so I only halfway took pictures :)  Forgive me.  

After doing my coats of paint I took my clear wax and put about a tablespoon on a paper plate.  I rubbed my wax brush in the clear wax and wiped it in circles on the plate.  You just want a THIN layer on your brush.  In circular motion, I did square foot sections and then took my clean cloth (old t-shirt, etc.) and cleaned off the extra residue.  When you slide your hand across the waxed area it shouldn't have any "drag".  I did this on one side and then pulled out my dark wax.  The dark wax can be scary, but it's really a lot of fun.  I took my palette knife, smeared some across a plate, and mixed in a little of the clear wax.  By doing this you will have more time to manipulate your wax and achieve your desired look.  If you put dark wax straight onto the paint it will immediately soak in and you will have very little flexibility on where it goes and how your final look will turn out.  I took a smaller paint brush and painted into the edges of the furniture.  After getting it into the crevices (in one small area) I immediately wiped it off with another clean towel or shirt.  I did this whole cycle on each drawer and on both sides.  Once it dried I sanded the edges and corners, to give it that more vintage feel.  The next day I did another layer of the Clear Soft Wax and buffed it to give it a nice final finish.  On a side note, I didn't like the way the sides originally turned out.  They were WAY too dramatic.  So, I mixed some of the Dark Wax with a tad bit of Mineral Spirits which made a nice glaze.  I used that on the sides instead and it turned out so much better.

So to break it down...

*Paint

*Clear Wax coat

*Mix Clear Wax and Dark Wax on plate

*"Paint" Dark Wax in crevices or in open areas (depending on look you want)-be sure to do small areas at a time because it makes it easier to work with!

*Wipe excess Dark Wax off with a clean towel or shirt

*If you want a distressed look, sand the edges and corners that would naturally show wear

*Give it 24 hours to dry and finish with a layer of soft wax following the above instructions.  Buff when done.  Clear Soft Wax can give your piece a nice sheen, not too glossy, but definitely not matte.

You can see the light sanding and how the legs are still the original color.

I got these fancy knobs at Hobby Lobby when they were half off and I LOVE them.  They are exactly the look I wanted!

Don't judge my room because it's not finished, but it's getting there!  We moved in about a month ago and it's been fun putting it all together.

We got the blinds last week and hopefully we'll have some curtains soon.  One thing at a time :)

Love these ceilings.  Thank you Pinterest :)

This is the temporary arrangement I threw together, but it works for now!

One final before and after! I'd love to hear if anyone else has tried Annie Sloan paint and how their projects ended up! Happy painting!

Liberté Méditerranée yogurt and Being Featured!

Good morning everyone!

I woke up this morning to a message in my inbox saying that our Glitter Pumpkins were featured yesterday on Pam's Party and Practical Tips.  Thank you Pam!

So, on a complete side note, I wanted to share one of my favorite things right now.

A few weeks ago a lady was giving out samples and coupons for 

Liberté Méditerranée yogurt 

at the grocery store.  I am such a sucker for samples when I'm at the store.  That may one of the biggest reasons I love Cosco, but that's another story.

I LOVED this stuff immediately.  They had samples of the lemon and the coconut and both were SO stinking good.  The lemon has such a fresh flavor and the coconut is amazing.  It even has little coconut flakes throughout!

It does have a lot of sugar.  That's why it's a treat and often times my dessert!

Here are a few facts:

*they refrain from adding gelatin, sugar substitutes, or preservatives

*comes in seven flavors

*All are kosher certified, except for the coconut flavor

*they only use suppliers that provide milk from cows not treated with rBST/rBGH

*Gluten free

YUM!