Saturday, October 18, 2014

The Story of Two Paddles


I bought two paddles at Michaels.  Always wanted an "established" sign to show who we were and when we were officially "established".  Because we live in a small port city, I thought boat paddles would look perfect along with the rest of my nautical theme decor.

 I stained both paddles with a dark wood stain by ACE named, Java Bean.  The bottom paddle in the picture above shows what the paddles looked like right off the shelf.

After the paddles dried (overnight), I whitewashed them using 1/8 cup white chalk paint to 1/2 cup of water.  I applied the whitewash haphazardly using a sponge brush.  I let them dry while I worked I prepared dinner. Whitewashing over the dark stain gives it an old age look which is what I wanted.

After the whitewash dried (and after dinner), I printed out the designs I wanted for both paddles.  I printed them backwards.

Trimmed it down and taped it to the paddle face down.

With a damp sponge brush, wet the design and then use a soft dull object to gently trace over the entire design.  I use the eraser end of a mechanical pencil.  I tried a wooden spoon, a plastic spatula and found the eraser easy to use.

I then removed the paper and voila!  There's the design transferred onto the paddle.  I then used an extra fine point black permanent marker to finish drawing in the design.  This was the hardest part of the whole project.  I had to keep my hand very steady, making sure I didn't slip.

Once the designs were painted in and dry, I took some rope I had on hand and glued and wound it around the neck of each paddle.  A perfect nautical touch!  I clamped each one and let it set overnight for added measure.

That's it!  Here's the final product and couldn't be happier :)





This is not their permanent spot as I have yet to attach their hooks in the back.  I just thought it would be cute to put them next to the "gnarly captain" wooden statue I also bought. :)

The end.

Have a great weekend.  Until next time,

10 comments:

  1. Great tutorial..They are lovely!
    There will be no stopping you now..
    I see hutches.. tables...in your future!You work very well.

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    1. LOL! You are so sweet. I'm on a roll baby!! I'm on a roll! :)

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  2. I must tell you..I think you are a good photographer too!

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    1. I'm just trying to reach your level and I do it with an amateur camera. I don't have a fancy schmancy one like you. xoxoxo :)

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  3. A clever and cute idea!!
    We've named our home Happy Acre and I've been kicking around some ideas on how to display it.
    This gives me another idea. : )

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    1. I love your Happy Acre name. I've been wanting an "established" sign for quite a while and when I saw this project somewhere on Pinterest, I just knew I had to copy it too. I've already had a friend order two to give away as Christmas gifts, how exciting! :)

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  4. Nicely done!
    The paddles are such a nice accent for your home.

    Smiles :)

    K.

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    1. Thank you maam! They were fun to make :) Have a blessed week! -Bev

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  5. Oh my goodness I love how these turned out! I didn't realize you were a crafter! Wonderful job!

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    1. I'm just full of surprises!! lol! Thank you Liz! :)

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