How To Make Wood Round Table Numbers

When we moved into the new house, there were a TON (quite literally) of downed trees and tree dibris. With the doug fir branches that were cut to give us our view of the lake from the house.. We started to cut and chip all of them up, and I thought just maybe I could use these! I asked Wayne to cut a bunch with his chop saw. I put them up in my shop and instantly people wanted them. Rustic themed parties are in these days! So I thought I would show you guys how we do it!

Here is a tip to get you started:
We figured out that young trees are not as tightly bound like the old trees branches. The branches are less grooved and much easier to write on! So go for branches.

Do note that these branches were already dry by the time that we got here. So they will not split. If you are working with green wood. You need a wood stabilizer called Pentacryl to keep them from splitting. This goes for large wood rounds for centerpieces also.

I use Polycrylic as a surface protector. It really isn't necessary though. It helps protect wood surfaces from water damage. I wanted it to kindof glue the moss and reinforce the bark. It gives the wood a semi glossy look.

I drill them, and hang them with twine. The ideas are endless for these little things!

Learning to work with wood is interesting. It is one thing that I never thought that I would be doing, but making wood signs for my shop is my getaway from all of the screen printing! I like doing something different.. I hope you guys enjoy learning along with me! Check out my Etsy shop to see what I have been up to. If it just isn't possible that you can make them on your own I do have them available for purchase in my shop.

How To Make Rustic Mr. & Mrs. Wedding Chair Signs

What kind of blog would this be if I didn't give away tips, tricks, and secrets?! I wanted to show you how I make My Etsy Shop's "Mr. & Mr.s" rustic wedding chair signs!

To get started I must note that the Poplar wood comes in both 2 foot(cost $2.91) and 4 foot lengths(cost $6.94) by 5.5 inches wide. I get my Poplar craft wood from Lowe's and Wayne cuts them to size(12 inch pieces) for me. I choose poplar wood because it is a harder wood. I have used pine in the past. It is much softer so it gets marked up/scraped much more than the poplar does. Seeing as we are going for a rustic look scratches are a good thing, but I have to ship these babies so I would like to see that they hold up well.

Once cut into 12 inch pieces I measure in two inches from both sides and make a small dot. This is where the drill, and the junk slab of wood comes in. Make sure to place the slab of wood under your poplar. You need something there to take the impact of the drill bit going through the poplar wood. I use a jute twine that is found at almost any hardware store. I make sure that my drill bit hole is just a bit larger than the twine. Adjust the size based on the twine or ribbon you will be using.

Next start rounding off the sides and corners of the wood. It gives the signs a softer look, and once again better for me to ship!

The next step is to take your sponge brush and dip it lightly into the red mahogany stain. Run it on the inside rim to get as much stain off as you can. It spreads out a lot with just a tiny bit. I go for the lighter more walnut-y 'washed' look. I recommend spreading it with the flat edge of the sponge pressed down and moved side to side. Less of a paintbrush stroke, more like a wipe.

Like so..

Once dry (left in the sun for a whole day does the trick-if the sun is not an option then a hairdryer would work). You will now need your jute twine(found at almost any hardware store), scissors and I use a 6mm Zig Posterman broad chisel tip waterproof white ink marker. I have used paint pens. They do NOT even come close to being as easy to use as these markers do.

Find a typeface you want to write in. I do a lot of screenshotting of fonts that I come across. I try to change them up, and make them uniquely mine. They are mostly just a guideline.

Cut two 3 foot pieces of twine. I make my twine adjustable so that they can be hung on any kind of chair, and re-bowed. "Mr." has a adjustable bow on the left, and "Mrs." has an adjustable bow on the right. See photo's for details on stringing the signs.

I hope I have inspired some of you to get to your nearest hardware store. If this is just an unbearable amount of work.. I do have the sets available in my shop for $30 each! Stop on by at Dream State's Etsy Shop and see what signs I have available right now. They are always changing!

DIY Party Pinwheel

If you didn't notice I took a couple of days off here to gather with family, and BBQ. I had the best time. The inspiration for today is inspired by my days off. Sunshine, organic veggie shish kabobs, kids laughing, swimming, and star shaped organic watermelon cut from cookie cutters. I need something fun, and playful. A Pinwheel!
This Pinwheel was found at Style Me Pretty blog. It was created for a "Pinwheel and Pom Poms" themed baby shower. It could be used for any occasion, and mini versions can be made for cupcake toppers, or as a gift to send kids home with. It can have the theme of the party printed on it, Or the name of the recipient to make their gift personalised. If there is assigned seating at a wedding let the pinwheel hold their place. Tons of ideas!

Materials List:
template, which can be found right here
12 inch Wooden Dowels – Drilled about 1/2 inch down on one end. The drilled hole should be the same diameter as the Wooden Tie Pegs
Wooden Tie Pegs {They found theirs at Michael’s
Drill and Drill bit the size of the Tie Pegs
They printed the paper double sided to match the colors of the baby shower as well as added the tag line on one of the petals
Scissors
Grommet tool
Large Grommets
Wood Glue
Hole Punch
Wood Saw