A Valentine Project

Good morning everyone!!

This week has actually been a very productive week at Second Chances. I am trying to work on finishing up anything in progress and cleaning up my inventory a little. 



Today I have for you a Valentine Decor item for your home!
During my hours upon hours of Pinterest I find so many different projects for inspiration. This Valentine project is called a string heart. I found lots of tutorials online, and it's very simple - you could do it on your own as well! Here is a step by step tutorial of my own project!

I had scrap plywood and had the hubby cut me two 11x11 squares. I just picked a random size that I thought was not too big, and not too small.

I then sanded the square smooth (both sides). I love my little Skil Octo Sander. The sand paper velcro's on and off! I sanded with 80 grit, then 120 grit, then 220 grit.


Then I stained the squares with Varathane Espresso. (I had this stain leftover from a table I refinished. Note - a little stain, goes a LOONG way!)  I used an old t-shirt to apply the stain - I love to apply stain this way, as it lets me to control how much stain is applied.

                                

Next, I printed off a heart from my computer, cut it out and taped it on the square. That's as technical as I can make it sound.



I didn't get super specific and measure out how far apart I wanted the nails to be, I just started nailing.  






I bought my nails at the local Wal-Mart (the only retail store in my small town). 

After all the hammering, I pulled the paper off and this is what I was left with. Not that exciting yet...but now for the fun part. 





For the string - some tutorials say to use embroidery floss, another said thin yarn...I found crochet yarn - which is a cross between the two, and the most economical. I bought this entire spool for $2.74 and even after two hearts, I still have lot left over. You can't beat that price. 



So to begin stringing I tied a knot around the center nail.
Then just zig zag all over the place. I tried to get to each nail at least once. Then I also outlined the heart to give it a better definition. I did this by zig-zag around the entire edge. 

For some added flair, I decided to write the word "love" on the bottom right of the board. I absolutely love the color copper so I wanted to use this Folk Art Metallic Antique Copper.


Here is my finished product!

Complete!!

 I made two of these and will be selling the other one. It was so simple and easy, but adds something special to my mantle. 

I will be making a blog post showing a few of my past projects. They will not be a step by step, but they will be able to show you what is possible. I have been trying to get better at taking before/after pictures, but sometimes I just get so excited and carried away. 

Yesterday was also very very exciting. I made a trip over to DePere to go to That Covers It - the only Annie Sloan stockist nearby me. In fact there are only 8 in the state of Wisconsin! I have to mention that they were incredibly helpful and the store is just amazing. They have a chip board to show the endless possibilities of color mixing, along with a station to try your own mixing. They also have a wall showing the layering capabilities. I cannot sing their praises enough. I wish I would've gotten the name of the delightful woman that was helping me - she was completely helpful to ALL of the customers in the store. I cannot wait to try these paints/wax out. There will definitely be projects galore coming!

Until next time everyone! It's almost time for the big Packer playoff game - GO PACK GO!

Happy Crafting!

Second Chances Design
Sarah