Monday, November 3, 2014

Give Thanks Chalkboard- Emerson

It's November.
Time to eat!
Oops I better back up, 
it's November time to give thanks!
Today I have a few November-y projects to share.
First up is my Give Thanks board.
I used the same frame for the Give Thanks board that I had used for the 49er's board,
 that I made back in Feb. of 2013.
Actually I used it at a bridal shower this past summer too.
The sign was cute but the quality of the photograph was lousy!

So as you can see I have made good use of this baby.
Just a few coats of acrylic craft paint and I have a new frame to play with!
It makes a cute prop at a gathering.
 Originally I was looking for a short thanksgiving phrase to use.
And a BIG graphic.
Then I came across this ditty from Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Of course it was perfect, and a bit longer than I had planned on.
 I had intended on stenciling my short phrase and BIG graphic with white paint to get a cool chalkboard art look. 
Like I did for the 49er sign above.
Ugh I didn't want to cut a long phrase stencil and I didn't want to stencil a loooong phrase.
Gee do I sound ungrateful or what???

So my first solution was the easy solution.
Let's just print the phrase... 
 Here was my clever idea.....
This did not work for me.
Sometimes my cleverness just doesn't translate to paper...
It might make a nice card though.
I
 So I knew to get the look I wanted,
 I was either stenciling 
or cutting vinyl letters with my Silhouette Cameo.
Out came the vinyl...
It did take a whole afternoon to do the board.
Trying to line everything up can drive you crazy!
My other project is this cute pumpkin below.
 I decided to add some MacKenzie - Childs flair to this rusty old girl.
 Black and white checks dress up just about anything!
Add a bit of gold and you're done!
I just did my usual MO, I painted the pumpkin white.
Then I marked off where I wanted the black squares and painted them black.
Then I painted the stem and leaf gold.
 I used acrylic paint from the craft store on the pumpkin and frame.
 I basically did the same thing with the frame.
I painted the frame white over the red I had painted it for the 49er's board.
It took about three coats. 
It's best to let the paint dry completely between coats.
Then I brushed watered down black paint all over the frame.
Then I wiped the black off with a wet paper towel.
Then I did the same thing with watered down or thinned brown paint.
I think I painted the black on twice to get the look I wanted.
It's hit or miss with me and crafting.
 I like the white washed look of the frame.
It looks good with the chalkboard background.
Which isn't really a chalkboard, it's black poster board.
I rubbed some chalk on the poster board to give it a "seasoned" look.
Then I just stuck the vinyl letters on the poster board.
 Is it time to eat yet?
I think I've earned a piece of pumpkin pie.
 Today I give thanks that you stopped by to visit!
I appreciate your time!
Click here to see the SF 49er board post.
I am totally ready to make a Green Bay Packers chalkboard next!
Ignore the above comment, I am just teasing my sister.

 Sign up to follow MarvinsDaughters with email or on Facebook or Pinterest.
Have a wonderful day,