Till Then Smile Often

I finished this project a few weeks ago, but I realized I never shared how I made it. I made this for above my bed and the idea came to me while hiking. I wanted the piece to be interchangeable to how I was feeling so that is where the chalkboard part of it came to be. 

 

Supplies: 

Wood in varying widths (I used a 2″ and (QTY 4) 1″ board about 96″ long) ~ 1″ board cut to 15″ long (qty 2) ~ 2″ board cut to 24″ long (qty 2) ~ 1″ Wood Screws (approximately 16)  ~ White paint (sample size)  ~ Brown Paint (or color of choice for text) ~ Water ~ Chalkboard paint or spray ~ chalk ~ ~ 1″ Corner Braces ~ Drill ~ D-Ring Picture Hangers

 

Directions: Cut your boards or have the hardware store (they cut any 2″ board for free) cut the boards to 30″ in length. Lay them out with the good side facing down, alternate different width boards to create the look you want.

Take your 2 15″ long boards and line them up horizontally about 6″ from the edges.

Using a pen or sharpie mark a spot for each board. 

 

 Use your drill to create a small pilot hole (this is important so you don’t strip the screws). 

 

 

If you want your boards to be super straight use some Gorilla Glue on your support beams to keep them in place while drilling and keep those edges straight. I was going for rustic driftwood look so I purposely kept them off kilter. 

 

Screw the support beam in place on both sides. Using the 1″ corner braces attach the 24″ creating a shelf. Paint the second 24″ shelf with the chalkboard spray paint. Attach your D-Ring picture hangers on the support beams. (not shown)

 

Mix equal parts water and white paint and paint the sign. You can use a rag to wipe it down or add a second coat depending on your preference. I wanted some of the wood grain to show through. Using the brown paint add your saying, I used “If I’m Not Here I’m ….

Yes, I am a lefty, and my handwriting is horrible. Feel free to use a stencil, vinyl lettering, or other method for the writing. I added some dashes of the brown paint using a q-tip to the remaining areas and wiped off with a paper towel to create that “dirty” and “aged” look. Let everything dry and then hang. 

After working on so many wood projects my hands have been a mess. It is also getting into the Winter months where my hands take a beating. I received a tub of Working Hands lotion to try out and have been using it for the past month and it has really made a difference. *NOTE: I received a free tub of working hands to try, all opinions are my own. The fabulous people over at O’Keeffe’s have been gracious enough to giveaway a nice package of goodies. Two winners will receive a tub of Healing Hands and a tub of healing feet with an O’Keeffe’s t-shirt. 

 

 

 

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