The Decoration

That's our number.

918

It represents September 18th, which is the day, waaay back in 1993, that we started dating.


So when I was looking for a way to add a little visual interest to one of the oars I got while thrifting this summer, it hit me...

918

perfect!


Remember the oars?

They were just meant to be in my house. It was pure luck that no one had swiped them before I got to the Garage Sale...

One of the oars found a home in our entryway from the garage, but the other has been leaning in a corner of our living room, waiting to be put in just the right spot.

As I said a few days ago, final details are being worked out in our Master Bedroom...

this oar was one of them.

It just needed a little extra something to make it special.

That's where 918 comes in.



Since many of you have asked in the past just how I get my letters and numbers on signs and furniture, I thought I would take this opportunity to show you.

First, I find my font on the computer and then size it to fit my project...

(make sure you change the character setting to "outline" - no need to waste black ink printing out solid numbers)

After I print them out, I cut it down to size so that it will fit on the area to be painted. This will be my tracing paper...

(the G.I. Joe figures were left out from Owen's birthday party the night before...a common accessory found on our counters, tables, floors...)



Once I have my tracing paper spaced just right, I tape it down only on the top side...

For your project you will need white or black transfer paper depending on the base color of your project and the color of paint for your lettering. In this case, I was going for white letters and my project surface was fairly dark, so I went with white transfer paper...

I slide my transfer paper under my taped down tracing paper...

and start tracing...

It is worth it to stop and check that your numbers are transferring onto your project surface. I learned this the hard way, on a sign that had a whole lot of letters! It only took once to learn that lesson!

After my tracing is done and I am sure that my lines are clearly visible, I remove the transfer paper and take off my tracing paper...

Now it will be a cinch to fill in the numbers...

I use a paint pen for all of my lettering. You can find them at Michael's, JoAnne Etc, even most of the one-stop shopping grocery stores. To see an example, click here.


The paint pen that I used for this was on it's last leg. Not much ink left in it at all...but, it ended up working to my advantage! It just meant that I wouldn't have to do any sanding to remove some of the paint. I was going for old and aged, and that's what my nearly empty paint pen gave me...

Now...to hang the 7 foot tall oar vertically on the wall...

I had Will drill a hole through the handle and then I strung thick rope through it. I wrapped the handle in a haphazard way (I liked the look!) and then just hung it on a nail.

And there 918 hangs...

Just a number on an oar.

A random number to those who see it,

but a visual reminder of our beginning, for us.

Before and After pictures of our Master Bedroom are coming soon.

I promise!





P.S. I will posting this for DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land
and Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch

Story of my life --
I just needed to solve a small problem - no biggie - and it turned into a full fledged makeover...

Last week we noticed that we suddenly have a key snatcher in our house.

While she's super cute, she's also super sneaky!

We always hang our keys up on the hooks just inside of our garage door. They are always there. That way we don't place them somewhere (wherever they land) and lose them.

But Ellison has put a few inches on her height and suddenly her little arms can grab our keys right off the hooks, only to be left....who knows where?

I needed to make new hooks that I could hang higher -
waaaay out of Ellison's reach!

I grabbed a piece of scrap wood out of the garage, found two hooks that were waiting to be used in my toolbox, snagged a few letters from a really old game of Scrabble, and got to work...

It took no time at all and solved the problem!

I loved it!

It was cute, it was easy and I had everything I needed on hand, so...it was free!

However, standing back and looking at the whole picture...

(that's the key snatcher there, jumping into the picture)

...all it managed to do was bring to the forefront of my mind, just how ignored and boring this spot in our home really was.

So, thanks to my new DIY key holder, our most-used entry was on it's way to a makeover...

I have no idea why I hadn't paid more attention to this spot before. It is right off of our garage and it is the door that we use all day, everyday!

Of course, I made sure to dress up our front door as soon as we moved in! I wanted it to be inviting and decorated, so that our friends and family would feel welcome as they entered, all while giving the house some much needed curb appeal!

But why did I not make the entry that the five of us use, feel just as loved and inviting?

I have no idea!

But, those days are gone and I was on a mission...

I started "shopping" my house and after I had everything in place, I stepped back to take a look. I LOVED it! But there was something missing...

I found another piece of scrap wood in the garage. This piece was too perfect! Like it was just waiting for me to realize what I was going to use it for...

I gave it a quick coat of one of my favorite Benjamin Moore colors...

(Stratton Blue)

And printed off my letters on the computer, to create my sign...

I needed to make some cuts on the end though...

Ughh.

I don't do power saws.

That's what the Carpenter is for, right?

Right.

Until yesterday, that is!!

The Carpenter was on a trip and coming home in a few short hours. I wanted to do my "big reveal", but it wasn't going to be complete without this sign!

So, with this post in mind, I headed out and took on the compound mitre saw!

Was I nervous?

YES

Did I do it anyway?

For sure!

And I am so glad that I did! It was a huge step for me! I can't tell you how proud I was of myself, and how proud my husband was of me!

And best of all, I was able to continue with the makeover...

After painting on my letters, I just had to wait for it to dry...

(insert sound of tapping fingers on the counter top, here)

After I hung up my sign, I gave everything a once over to make sure it was ready for my "big reveal"...

And "ta-da" - our once neglected, yet most used entryway, gained a new look and finally fit in with the rest of the house...

Remember the pair of oars that I bought from my friends garage sale?

I finally found a home for one of them and I love how it looks up there!

The table was built by my husband about a year and a half ago, but had always been sitting on the front porch. I like having it inside because now I get to appreciate it, instead of just the people passing by!

The best parts of this newly decorated space:

The keys are way out of Ellison's reach.

The mirror reflects the whole space back to us as we're walking through. We see glimpses of the front door entry, the dining room and the living room.

I used what I had! Nothing was purchased for this!
(that just might be the best part! As far as my husband is concerned, it IS!)

I got to use one of my oars!

The palm leaves in the striped vase hide the big, ugly box for the alarm system!
(Bonus!)

The space still functions exactly how we need it to (notice the shoe basket under the table? That has always been there), so it didn't require a change in habit to get used to it. It was strictly a chance to bring some beauty to a neglected space!

The absolute best moment of the entire makeover was when my husband walked through the door!

He loves it!

*sigh*

Don't you just love being able to do the "Big reveal"?


So, it all started with our keys, but it ended with a very happy makeover!

P.S. To see more makeover's, head over to Between Naps On The Porch where Susan hosts her weekly blog party!

And to see even more DIY inspiration, check out Kimba's "DIY Day" over at A Soft Place To Land!

We have a massive Cedar tree in our front yard....

Or, I should say, we had a massive Cedar tree in our front yard!

Last Tuesday a crew came to our neighborhood to do some tree removal!

It was really impressive!

They showed up in our front yard at 7:02 am...

...and immediately started tossing branches into their wood chipper!

Little by little the tree was starting to disappear...

Here is where it starts to fall...

TIMBER!!

This picture was taken at 7:08am!

That's only 6 minutes after they arrived!!

Here comes the machine that chips away the stump.

7:11am...

...and now at 7:15am.

And suddenly our overgrown Cedar is gone!

Vanished!

I can look out my front window and actually see parts of the neighborhood that I couldn't see before!

They also ground out a stump for us in our backyard. The previous owner's had cut the tree down, but just left the stump...

7:22am...

...and 7:26am.

They also took out a palm in the back corner of our yard. It used to have two taller sections, but they had grown so high that they were blocking our view of Mt. Rainier, so last summer I (yes, me!) sawed off the two tallest sections. We've had so much more snow than normal this year that the palms in our neighborhood are not faring well at all. It was time for this one to go.

7:56am.

Planning their attack...

8:00am.

No problem seeing Mt. Rainier now!

That is, when she shows her face!It all happened so fast!

And, they cut down three Cedars down the street at the in-laws house, another 7 trees across the street at the neighbor's house, and an overgrown Cherry tree at another neighbors house! The crew was here and gone within an hour and they took care of 4 houses!

Impressive, indeed!

While this doesn't fall in the category of "DIY makeover", it certainly is a note worthy one!

.........

The night before the crew showed up we were telling our boys what was going to be happening...our seven year old got a worried, confused and somewhat sad look on his face. I asked him what was wrong and he said
"Well, if we're cutting down a tree, are we going to plant a new one?"
It was very sweet. My little Arborist!

As we were cleaning up the debris from the tree removal we found a small Hemlock that had started to grow under the Cedar. I think we'll pot it and watch it grow - that way, when we move from this house he can take it with him. It will be his tree. That will make him happy!

.....................................................

To see more Metamorphosis Monday Makeovers head on over to Between Naps On The Porch and feel free to join in on the fun by posting your own makeover pictures!