Sand, Surf, Saltwater and Sun

It finally reached the 90's here (more on that and our poor little garden the next post). 90 is going to feel wonderful about the middle of July when my family gets together in Galveston, TX, to play at the beach, in the middle of July, in Texas, did I mention it will be in the middle of July....in TX?

So, to psych myself up for this adventure, I've painted a few beach-themed signs for my update this month on TDIPT. You can visit my page here: Pear Tree on TDIPT

But, before you go, I'd like to show you how I made some of these new offerings ~*~*~*~*~

I am in love with old weathered barn boards. They just appeal to me for many reasons and they look cool too! :) So, I thought I'd try to replicate their "look" in a condensed version. I found some craft sticks in my stash of supplies. (Not really sure why I had those, can't even remember buying them, but they came in handy for this project).

I had my handyman cut 3 x 4.5 pieces of hardboard (the kind of board in the back of cabinets, and sometimes used for peg boards). This was approx. the length of my craft stick...they peeked over the edges of the board just a bit, but that was my plan! :)

Since all my pieces were wood, I used wood glue to adhere the sticks to the board. (Much stronger glue!) Then, I let them dry and painted them with one coat of acrylic white (I think it was FolkArt Vintage White). Then I sanded heavily! :)

I also sanded the edges of the boards where they extended past the hardboard. This gave the craft sticks, a "weathered board" look.

I drew my design on the boards and painted them, then sanded lightly this time.

Then, I applied a matte sealant and drilled holes for the jute to be threaded through.

Fun project!

The other item I have for the update is a little girl headed to the Beach! She is hand drawn onto a maple board that has a "custom" mix aqua/ blue sea color for the background.

So, to the beach we go!

Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July! Have fun and please stay safe!