How to Remove Water Stains from Wood

May 23, 2013 No comments

A few weeks ago, right before I restained our honey oak mantel a darker color, I decided to try to remove the water stains from the top of the mantel. A quick search of how to remove water stains from wood led me to some great tips from  For Dummies. The water marks have been there since we moved into our house over 9 years ago, so I didn’t have high hopes. I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised!

Here’s a look at what it looked like before.

removing water marks - before

I took two different spots on the mantel  and tried two different methods.

Mayonnaise + Wood Polish

For the first test, I applied a layer of mayonnaise to the spot. I let it sit for about 10 minutes, then I wiped it off with a clean cloth. Finally, I applied some wood oil we had on hand. Results were great! When the wood polish dried, you could very faintly see the water mark, but only if you were looking for it.

removing water marks from wood with mayonnaiseremoving water marks from wood with mayonnaise - after

 

Toothpaste + Baking Soda Paste

On a second water mark, I mixed together equal parts of toothpaste and baking soda (about 1/2 tbsp each). I applied the paste to the stain first and let it sit for a few minutes and then gently rubbed with a clean cloth.

removing a water mark with toothpasteremoving a water mark with toothpaste and baking sodaremoving a water mark with toothpaste and baking soda

At first I thought this worked, but once I got all of the paste off, it left the stain a little darker in some areas. It looked better than the original water mark had, but not as good as the mayonnaise technique. Unfortunately I tried to use the mayonnaise after doing this and it didn’t work. I wish I would have tried using the mayo first and then moved on to the paste if that hadn’t worked. Live and learn I guess!

I finished out the other few water marks using mayonnaise and wood polish. After I stained the mantle, the spot where I used the toothpaste and baking soda paste turned out even darker than here. It still looks better than it did before though. Since I’m only 5’4″, I don’t really notice the top of the mantel too much anyway!

Linked Up At: Live Laugh Rowe; Craftberry Bush; Simply Designing; Thirty Handmade Days; Diana Rambles

DIY Paracord Survival Bracelet – Great Dad’s Day Gift!

May 21, 2013 No comments

While I was making some DIY Cause Bracelets for my friend’s family, I was trying to figure out what to make my friend’s husband when I stumbled across some paracord survival bracelets. I searched all over for directions and styles that I liked. I ended up on YouTube where I found a video from SurvivingTheCrunch. I’m showing my instructions below with pictures, but I highly recommend checking out the video. I like that this uses one long parachute cord (8-10 feet), so it does really have some utility if the wearer needed a long cord when doing an outdoor activity.

Paracord Survival Bracelet

Supplies:

  • 8-10 feet of 550 Parachute cord (you’ll use 1 foot for every inch of your bracelet)
  • 5/8″ Slide Release Clip
  • Scissors
  • Lighter

Sizing: Figure out what size bracelet to make and how much paracord you will need. You will use one foot for every inch of your bracelet. I used my husband’s watch as a guide for size and made it about 9 inches, so I needed 9 feet of cord.

First thread one end of your cord through the end of one side of your clip. Go up through the end and back down.

paracord braclelet - suppliesparacord bracelet - step 1

Then even out the ends of the cord so you have half of the cord on each side. Then pull the ends through the loop and pull it tight.

paracord bracelet - step 2paracord bracelet - step 3

Take the other end of your clip and thread both ends of your cord through it. Mine had a double bar, so I went up through the end closest to the clip and back down through the other side. Pull the cord all the way through to make the bracelet the size you want it to be.

paracord bracelet - step 4paracord bracelet - step 5

Unhook your clip and put the side with the clip you just threaded at the top. Then take the long cords on the outside with your two center cords being attached to the other clip at the bottom. The rest of the bracelet is just a series of cobra knots. Take the cord on the right, make a backwards “L” and go over the top of the two middle cords. Then take the cord on the left and put it over the top of the cord you just moved, put it underneath the two middle cords and up through the loop that is on the right side. Then pull it tight. (this is where the video was really helpful to me)

paracord bracelet - step 6paracord bracelet - step 7

Go to the other side and repeat. Make an “L” with the left side cord and put the left cord over the center cords. Then take the right cord and go over the one you brought over from the left, underneath the center cords and up through the loop on the left side. Keep repeating, alternating sides. If you do the wrong side, just pull it out and go to the correct side. A tip if you forget where you left off, whichever side has the bump on it is the side you need to be on. This will make sense as you do it a few times. I speak from experience when I say it’s easy to get mixed up on which side you’re on – or maybe I’m the only one whose brain starts to wander during a repetitive task!?

paracord bracelet - step 8paracord bracelet - step 9

Periodically make sure to push your knots up tight towards the top. It should be a very tight weave. Once you get all the way to the bottom and are done weaving your bracelet, cut the ends of each cord with about a half inch left. Fray the end a little bit so the inner white filling is sticking out a little. Take a lighter and melt the end and then hold it down with a piece of heavy cardboard against the inside of your bracelet to “glue” it down. Repeat with the other end.

The paracord will shrink a little and fit snugly to the wrist if you wear it in water a few times and let it dry while still on.

This would make a great Father’s Day gift for an outdoorsy dad!

Linked Up At: Not Just a Housewife; Today’s Creative Blog; Someday Crafts; 52 Mantels; Shabby Creek Cottage; Design, Dining and Diapers; Thirty Handmade Days; Diana Rambles

Monogram Gallery Wall

May 15, 2013 1 comment

If you follow my blog regularly, you’ve seen that I’ve been working on a monogram gallery wall collection for my mantel by making several diy monogram letters. I’m happy to share with the finished project!

Monogram Gallery Wall

I’ve numbered all the Monogram Letter H’s in the photo above with descriptions and links to projects or purchase notes below.

  1. Vintage Metal Letter H – purchased from Hobby Lobby
  2. Acid Etched Letter H – purchased from Urban Outfitters
  3. Vintage Wood Tile Letter - made using a bare wood tile board. Click the link for my instructions.
  4. Aged Paint Monogram – get the step-by-step tutorial from my recent post.
  5. Letter Press H’s – I purchased these from Etsy. 6 vintage letter press letters in varying heights.
  6. Framed Monogram Letter H - This was the easiest of all my monograms. Click the link for details.
  7. Silver Plated Letter H – I’ve had this one since our wedding 12 years ago. Purchased at TJ Maxx.
  8. Burlap Monogram Letter H - Includes wedding year. Get the step-by-step instructions.

There are a few other projects I’ve posted about previously in the mantel gallery as well. Button Flowers which are next to the Aged Paint Letter and then the Double Framed Family Tree in the center. Not to be left out, I restained our mantel during this process as well. I’m so happy that things match a little better now.

Some of my favorite elements of the mantel gallery aren’t new. The wedding pictures you see on the shelves on the right side and the silver plated H were from our wedding. We had all of our immediate family members’ wedding photos printed in black and white and displayed at our guest book table at our wedding – parents, siblings, and our grandparents. At the time we got married all of our grandparents were still alive, and it was really important to us to honor that and hold up the example they had shown us about successful marriages. It’s still such a special reminder that we have always displayed them prominently in our house. See below for a picture of the display at our wedding. At the time we just had our engagement picture, which has since been replaced with our own wedding picture.

Family wedding picture display on guest book table.

 

Linked Up At: Someday Crafts; 52 Mantels; Live, Laugh, Rowe; Shabby Creek Cottage; Simply Designing; Thirty Handmade Days; Diana Rambles; Too Much Time On My Hands; Tatertots and Jello; DIY Showoff; I Heart Naptime; Craft-O-Maniac; Uncommon Designs; Skip To My Lou; Today’s Creative Blog

Aged Paint Monogram {tutorial}

May 13, 2013 1 comment

I think this aged paint monogram will be the last project for my mantel monogram gallery. I promise I won’t stop making monogram decor, I’ll just have to find some new spaces for them! I’ve had this aged paint technique saved from the Brassy Apple for several months and finally got a chance to try it out.

Aged Paint Monogram

While there are several steps, it’s a pretty simple process to get this distressed look.

Supplies:

  • Wooden letter (any size)
  • Acrylic craft paint – dark brown, mustard yellow, and then a top color – I used red.
  • Foam brush
  • Pure bar soap (no fragrance, dyes, etc)
  • Sandpaper

aged monogram bare letteraged monogram supplies

First paint your letter the brown base color. Since I was going to be painting with additional coats of other colors and sanding between, I only did one one coat of each color and didn’t worry about perfect coverage. After the first coat dries, rub the parts of your letter that you want to be most distressed looking. There’s not science to this. I did a few middle spots and some edges.

aged monogram - base coat brownaged paint monogram - 1st layer of soap

Next paint a yellow coat on top of the brown coat and soap layer. If you want you can leave a few spots unpainted or less painted or you can choose to just sand it a little more later. Then, take your sand paper and sand the places where you rubbed your soap. You should be able to see them pretty well, but if not, just go over lightly with your sandpaper. The paint will rub off easily in the spots you applied soap.

aged paint monogram - yellow second coataged paint monogram - sanding

After you have done your first round of sanding, go over some of the spots you originally soaped along with a few new ones if you wish. Then do your final coat of paint with your third color.

aged paint monogram - second coat of soapaged paint monogram - red final coat

Finally, sand through the soap spots and on some of the edges. Brush off any additional soap flecks. I painted mine both front and back, so that I could decide which side I liked better.

aged paint monogram - final sanding stepAged Paint Monogram

This aged paint technique for making something look distressed or antiqued would work for most wood projects. You could also use different base colors other than the brown and yellow, but I liked the look of this as I felt like it almost gave it the look of rusted metal.

If you ever try this technique, leave a link in the comments to show it off. I’d love to see other aged paint projects.

Linked Up At: Craft-O-Maniac; Uncommon Designs; Today’s Creative Blog; Naptime Creations; Not Just a Housewife; Housewife How To’s; Daisy Cottage Designs; Craftberry Bush; Thirty Handmade Days; Diana Rambles; Whipperberry; Too Much Time on My Hands; Tatertots and Jello

Fireplace Update – No More Brass!

May 9, 2013 No comments

Earlier this week I posted about my staining my oak mantel a little darker to try to banish some of the 80′s from my living room. One of the things that bothered me the most about the fireplace though was the brassy doors. I decided to try a quick and easy fireplace update on the doors using high heat spray paint.

This was definitely one of the quickest DIY home improvement projects I’ve done. On the left is the fireplace after staining the mantel darker with the brass finish fireplace doors. The photo on the right is after the update to to fireplace doors.

Updated Honey Oak MantleFireplace update

 

First I taped off and covered the fireplace doors and surround that I didn’t want sprayed using painters tape and newspaper.

Fireplace doors - taped

 

Then, I used Rustoleum High Heat spray paint in black to spray the brass trim on the doors. I sprayed two coats waiting about 20 minutes for drying in between.

Fireplace doors - sprayed

I then let it dry completely for about a half hour and removed the tape and paper.

Fireplace update - getting rid of brass accents

Such an inexpensive, simple and quick update, but I think it really makes a difference. Spray paint is such a wonderful thing!

I finally finished my mantel monogram gallery and it looks awesome on my “new” mantel, but I need to wait for this weekend to take pictures so I can do it during daylight hours because our living room doesn’t get much natural light. It feels good to get some projects done and crossed off the list!

Linked Up At: Craftberry Bush; A Night Owl; Tatertots & Jello

Oak Mantel Makeover

May 7, 2013 Comments: 3

A few weeks ago posted about what to do with my honey oak trim – paint or re-stain it? I like the look of darker wood trim and I also like the look of white trim, what I don’t like is what I have. If we were going to stay in our house more than another year or two, I’d probably replace it all. In the end, I’m not sure if I’m going to tackle the whole house, so I figured staining it a little darker and warmer would be the best option. This weekend I decided to tackle updating my honey oak mantel.

oak mantle update before and after

I tried the technique out on a few pieces of extra trim from the kitchen to make me feel more comfortable with the color of the stain, the technique and the number of coats.

Supplies:

  • General Finishes Gel Stain in Brown Mahagony
  • Painters tape
  • White cotton tube socks
  • Wiping cloths (cut up t-shirts work well)
  • Plastic or rubber gloves
  • Wood Deglosser & scouring pad (optional)

General Finishes Gel Stain Mahogany Brown

I had heard great things about General Finishes gel stains, and luckily it’s sold locally at the Woodsmith’s store in Des Moines, so I was able to go to the store and ask the people there some questions on what color I wanted to use for my oak mantel makeover.

Clean and prep: I started by dusting and cleaning the wood on the mantle. When I did my test on the trim, I did nothing more than wipe down the wood and it turned out fine. Since I had some deglosser left from another project, I decided to use it on the mantle before applying the stain. I used a scouring pad with deglosser on it to in circular and wiping motions. I then used damp cotton cloths to wipe off the deglosser. It took about 15 minutes. After that I used painter’s tape to tape off the wall, tile, and carpet around the mantle. I hate this part of any painting or staining project!

updating honey oak mantle prep

Applying the stain: To apply the stain, I put on a plastic glove and then put my hand inside a tube sock. Then I scooped a little bit of stain out with my covered hand and rubbed it evenly on one section of the mantle and then using a clean wiping cloth (cut up t-shirts), I wiped off the excess stain. The directions indicated you should work on small sections at a time, so I split mine into four parts – top, front and underneath, left side, right side. After applying the stain in a section, I let it sit for about 1-2 minutes and then started wiping off.

gel stain applicationgel stain application

gel stain before wipe-offgel stain wipe off

After doing each section once, I decided I wanted the finish just a little deeper, so I waited about 1.5 hours to let everything dry and then repeated everything for a second coat. The directions said to sand lightly between coats, but I didn’t and the finish still came out very smooth. I let everything dry overnight and decided I didn’t need to do any sort of top coat. The directions said it was optional. If this was a bathroom or kitchen cabinet, I would have used a finish coat, but since this is a low traffic and no moisture area, I felt it wasn’t necessary.

Prep including taping took approximately 45 minutes. Staining each coat took a half hour with 1.5 hours in between for drying. For such a small time investment of less than 2 hours of work, I’m really happy with the results!

Here’s a look at the restained mantel.

Updated Honey Oak Mantle

And here’s a sneak peak at a post to come later this week, I got rid of that ugly brass on my fireplace doors.

Updated Mantle and Fireplace doors

Next up – I am going to use the same technique on the trim in my kitchen. I’m not sure I’ll go farther with it than that. That seems manageable. As much as I’d like to get rid of all of the honey oak in my house the thought of spending the time to do my staircase, all the doors and every inch of trim for a house we aren’t going to live in much longer reminds me to value my time a little more. We’ll see…

Linked Up At: Today’s Creative Blog; Not Just A Housewife; Housewife How To’s; Daisy Cottage Designs; Someday Crafts; 52 Mantels; Live, Laugh, Rowe, Shabby Creek Cottage; Thirty Handmade Days; Diana Rambles; Too Much Time On My Hands; Whipperberry

40th Birthday Collage

May 5, 2013 Comments: 2

One of my more popular posts is often the one from my husband’s 40 Rocks Birthday Party. I like seeing that because it reminds me of a really fun night with family and great friends. I’ve also had quite a few questions on the 40th birthday collage I did. I think it’s the only project from the party that I didn’t actually write a post on at the time, so here goes…

40th Birthday Collage - 40 Rocks

Since the party was at a winery, I needed to do virtually everything before hand so we could set everything up in about an hour that afternoon. The process was fairly simple for the 4-0 collage I made. The most time consuming part was sorting through all of the pictures and deciding which ones to use.

Here’s what I used:

  • Large pieces of cardboard
  • Pencil and black marker
  • Ruler or carpenter’s square with ruler
  • Exacto Knife
  • Photos
  • Clear tape

First I started out with a large piece of cardboard. We had just bought a new TV for ourselves as our family Christmas present, so I used the box from it. I cut it apart using the knife so I just had the front and back pieces.

40th Birthday Collage

Using a carpenter’s square I drew out my numbers. I tried to get them fairly perfect when I drew and cut them out, and then I later realized it didn’t matter quite as much since I was covering them with pictures and just needed the general shape. I drew them in pencil first to get my proportions down and then when over it with a Sharpie in order to be able to see the right lines to cut.

40th Birthday Collage

Luckily we had just removed our hardwood floor in the kitchen, so I was able to do the cutting there. I carefully used the Exacto knife to cut along the traced lines.

40th Birthday Collage

After that I was ready to start placing my photos. First I selected all of the photos I thought about using and then started to lay them out without using any tape at this point. I separated them somewhat chronologically and grouped together the pictures of my husband growing up and with his family, his high school years, his college years, our wedding and life since. After I had most of my photos in the places I wanted them, I started taping them down. I used regular clear tape to affix them to the cardboard. I made tape loops and used about 2 per photo. 40th Birthday Collage 

These were pretty heavy and the winery didn’t want us taping directly to the walls. I took one of them to there the week before the event to figure out how we were going to put them on the wall. They had some very heavy magnets for us to use on their metal walls, so we were able to use duct tape to tape the magnets to the back of the numbers and then the magnets stuck to the walls.   Several loops of duct tape in various places on the back of each would have secured them though. We also considered stapling a rope or ribbon to the backs and hanging them. I would highly suggest testing out the hanging mechanism prior to the day of your event.

40th Birthday Collage - 40 Rocks

Since the party was a “40 Rocks” theme, I just created a little “Rocks” sign to hang next to the photos. I wish I had made this a little bigger, but I knew there wasn’t a lot of extra room in the area we were hanging it. I found a blow up guitar at a local party store to round it out. After the party, I took the photos off of the cardboard backing and removed the tape. We did keep the 4-0 cutouts for now.

Linked Up At: Uncommon Designs; Skip To My Lou; Naptime Creations; Not Just a Housewife; Someday Crafts; DIY Showoff

DIY Cause Bracelets

May 2, 2013 Comments: 4

A few months ago one of my best friends daughters was diagnosed with leukemia. Thankfully she is responding well to treatment so far and her prognosis is very good. There was a huge outpouring of support for them and a benefit was planned early on. Aside from attending the benefit and rallying some of our friends for a donation, in true DIY fashion, I wracked my brain for something special I could do for my friend to show my support. Since I was addicted to making bracelets at the time (and still am), I decided to make my friend some DIY cause bracelets. The official support color for leukemia is orange, and since they would be going through treatments for over two years, I figured they could use some stylish accessories. Both of her daughters are girly girls and and love jewelry.

DIY Cause Bracelets

Some of these I’ve done tutorials on before, and a few I have yet to post on. I was in a bit of a hurry to get them all finished in time for the benefit, so I didn’t take the time to do step-by-step photos on the new ones. I will in the next few weeks though.

 Circle Inspiration Bracelet Circle Inspiration Bracelet
My friend, her daughter and their whole family have shown amazing strength through this whole process, so I thought the “strength” charm was very fitting.
 DIY Tube Wrap Bracelet DIY Tube Wrap Bracelet
This one was a great stylish addition, easy
to make and great for layering and blending
into a regular wardrobe.
 T-shirt finger weave bracelet  T-Shirt Finger Weave Bracelet
I made this bracelet for each of the girls.
For the one going through treatment, I
figured it would be comfortable to wear.
Because they are close in age, it seemed
like a good idea to have them get matching
ones.
 Macrame Knot & Bead Bracelet  Macrame Knot and Bead Bracelet
I haven’t posted a tutorial on this one yet,
but I will son and will update this post with
the links. I originally tried to make this for
my friend, but I cut the leather too short,
so it ended up being for her daughter.
 Paracord Bracelet  Paracord Bracelet
I made this one for my friend’s husband
It doubles as a survival bracelet since
it’s about 9 feet of parachute cord, so
I think that made it acceptable guy-wear.

I will say, orange is a tough color to find in leather cord. I was able to order it from LimaBeads.com. The parachute cord is a little easier to come by. I ordered mine from Amazon.

DIY Cause Bracelets

My friend’s family still has a long road ahead of them, so any positive thoughts and prayers you can send their way are appreciated. I pray their daughter continues to respond to treatment and they maintain the strength and amazing fighting spirit they’ve had in them since the start of this battle.

Linked Up At: 52 Mantels; Live Laugh Rowe; Shabby Creek Cottage; Craftberry Bush; Simply Designing; Thirty Handmade Days; Diana Rambles; Whipperberry; Tatertots and Jello; A Night Owl; Too Much Time On My Hands; DIY Showoff; Craft-O-Maniac

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