I am going to show you a fun, fast, LOVE LOVE LOVE those Typewriter Keys PROJECT

If you don’t want to make one yourself I am selling them–more on that at the bottom of the post.

Its So Very Thrifty linky party is at the bottom

Aren’t they ADORABLE?

not the Typewriter Keys–my kiddos

(want to see a super cute video of G3 and G4 go HERE

Some of you think you are following me-because you used to follow me (I have received message saying I FOLLOW you but they are following the OLD BLOG) BUT Google doesn’t let you take your followers with you (what they think they are going to do with MY FOLLOWERS, I don’t know) so hate GOOGLE not me.  If you don’t resign up

YOU ARE NOT GETTING MY UPDATES.

You would Tickle me SHABBY CHIC PINK ( otherwise known as ” I’d be honored”) to have you  RE-SIGN UP  to follow me.

On a side note-I am trying to make each post shorter so many days I do multiple posts, if you came by the day before but only check the most recent post–you are most likely missing out on a lot of info.

Since moving to this new blog-I have had a give-a-way going on every week, so be sure to sign up for those.

So let me show you my project.

I don’t know if you have heard me mention before but I am a DIY kind of girl.

I just love to work on things.  I see something and think “I can make that”.  I get the occasional eye roll from Prince Charming but all in all he still thinks I am pretty wonderful.

I love working on projects with my sweet husband but he is super busy too and if I waited for him to get all my projects done I wouldn’t get many accomplished.

I originally  saw this over at Pottery Barn but I didn’t like the price. I even posted about it.  (I would show you the picture but they don’t have it on their website anymore.)

So I went and bought the wood but with all the craziness I had not worked on it.

Then Susie posted one she did on her blog.  Here is how hers turned out.

Today she has a reverse up on her blog.

She talked about the length of time it took to paint each circle and each letter and I even commented to her about another possible way that would take less time.

I did this project in one day, with 2 sick kids (just bad colds) and 2 nights of very little sleep (sick kids).

I had the BIG BOX  hardware store cut the board 3 feet by 3 feet so that was done.

I sanded over the board and all the edges.

THEN I grabbed my board and stained it.

I went with a darker stain than Susie chose but it is all about your personal taste.

I did not stain the back because I had a plan.

My 2 big boys were playing outside with a neighbor kids and my little guy had crashed from his cold.

I grabbed the chalkboard I made and some chalk and let my little girl play with it while I worked on a grid for the board.  I marked it off –with chalk–it was handy and would come off very easily.  It didn’t have to be perfect, I just wanted a guide.

I had picked up this package of chip board letters.  It didn’t have everything I needed for my project, but I had a good start.

HERE IS WHERE a Cricut would have been even faster and if you have one-I am super jealous.  It  isn’t in the College going hubby BUDGET. I have some money set aside and I keep looking for a FABULOUS DEAL.  I dream-Oh I dream of the day I own a Cricut.

Did I mention how much I want a Cricut Expression.

So far all I have done is -sand the edges of my board and sand over the board a little, rub stain on and wipe off the excess, and make a super easy chalk grid.  Here is where my plan and Susie’s plan are totally different.  If it will save me time and or money, I am ALL FOR IT.  So rather than hand paint each circle and number I put another FABULOUS, EASY and TIME SAVING plan into action.

Have you ever seen this paper?-I love it.

You can paint it, rip it, sand it.  It is just plain ol’ wonderful.

It is with all the paper for scrapbooking.

It comes in all kinds of colors.

I bought one sheet of the white wash and 6 sheets of the

black brown but then painted over it in a black.

On the 6 pieces of black paper, I took a disposable bowl and drew 6 circles per sheet of paper, cut them out-all 36 of them (26 for the alphabet and 10 for the numbers 0-9).

Here is where that Cricut would have saved me a ton of time. UPDATE—I now have a CRICUT, so making these will be so much easier.

I then found the font, of the lettering I had purchased, and printed off the other number and symbol keys I would need onto the white wash paper.  I made them half the size of the letters because the number and symbol went on one key.  I cut these all out with my handy dandy Exacto Knife–can you SCREAM say Cricut.  Oh how much time it would have saved me.  (EVEN cutting out my numbers and symbols still got this project done quicker than hand painting so all in all I can’t complain.)

My letters came with double sided sticky tape so I just got them centered and then I glued my numbers and symbols onto the black circles with Mod Podge.  While they were drying, I began Mod Podging (the back of the circles) of  my alphabet keys into each grid.

By the time I got to my numbers they were dry and I glued them in place.

I then took my disposable, reusable bowl and painted a portion of the trim in a cream paint and added the cream edges  around the typewriter key.  I didn’t care if it wasn’t perfect.  I wanted it to look like an old typewriter key.

Now I don’t want you to think that Miss Susie isn’t amazing–because she is and I can’t wait till the day I can e-mail her and place a special order sign for my home but I did something else a little different than Susie.

I added a little highlight above and sometimes below the letters/numbers/symbols to give it more of a rounded key look. I just mixed up a little brown and black and gray and a dab of cream and mixed it together, then I did little swooshes.

I rubbed stain over each letter/circle/swoosh to give it all a more weathered, antiqued  look.

Then I Mod Podged over the entire thing.

I have a wonderful advertiser on my blog and he sells the most amazing little things.

They are called DISC HANGERS.

They are the coolest thing since the ice cream truck.

I got on the scale with my sign to see how much it weighed.

I grabbed out my supply and went to the website to see what size I would need.

My sign weighed 5 lbs so I grabbed 2 of the 3″ ones  because they would each hold 3 lbs.

I rubbed water onto the backs of both and worked it in a little then set my timer for 5 minutes.

While the glue was activating

I measured where I wanted each one to go, then

I grabbed some of my Soft Scrub and  scrubbed that area, so there was no dirt or oil in that area.

I just followed their instructions on line.

I was done scrubbing and TIME WAS UP so I attached each hook.  It was Super Easy Peasy.  All I did was rub them in place.  You just stick it down and rub it,  just make sure you put the hook in the right direction.  I let it dry over night and WHA–LAH it is done.

These hooks are priced-amazingly low. STAN is a dream to work with.

You can also use them to hang plates without having to use those old plate hangers.  With the DISCHANGER your plate look like it is hanging in mid arm, no more of those ancient- things.  I can not tell you how much I love these.

I also used them on a decorative plate of Miss G4s.  The other day I was in her room and the DISC HANGER and part of the back of the plate was gone.  I asked Miss G4 if she ripped it off (they don’t come off easily, they can be soaked in water and removed) and she said no and her response made me think she had not done it.  I had asked all the boys earlier, while she was sleeping and they all said NO.  While I was asking Miss G4, G3 very innocently says

G3: “Mom, are you talking about that hard sticker than was stuck to it.

Me: “Yes and it had a hook on it.”

G3: Oh, I took it off because I thought it wasn’t supposed to be on there.”

Me: Sweety, please ask before you take something like that off, thankfully the plate didn’t break but it did take the back off the plate.

G3: I’m sorry, Mom, I thought I was helping.

Me: I know sweety, just ask next time.

WARNING: don’t let your SUPER STRONG little ones near them…they don’t take off the backing or markings of antique plates, if soaked off properly.

If you haven’t used them, they are SUPER AFFORDABLE.  I just LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

Seriously girls

they are the best things since ICE CREAM.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

My little ones love pointing out the numbers and letters.

I just love anything numbered or lettered so as soon as I saw this I knew I had to have one.

Maybe I should sell these–I just love them.

Here are a few of the projects I am working on:

A lampshade for my Pottery Barn Knock Off lamp

Slip covers for the 4 chairs I got for $3 each

A hand painted rug

And lots more.

Pottery Barn Knock Off

24 x 24 inch Knock Off

I also made these cute jewelry tiles–

IF you would like to participate in this weeks Mcklinky click Its So Very Creative March 28-2010

MY Current Give-a-way

I will post to some of these parties:

 

 

 

 

 

 

TUESDAY

 

 

a soft place to land DIY

reinvented

Get your Craft on

2nd time around tuesday

toot your horn Tues

Tackle it Tuesday

 

 

 

 

WEDNESDAY

 

 

Works For Me Wed