DIY Faux Clock

I have mentioned before that I want to create a gallery wall in our living room.  Right now there is a single mirror that sits on this long wall and it feels so empty.  With the holidays coming up and family coming in from out of town, it is giving me motivation to decorate the house for our guests.  

On pinterest, I found a great tutorial on how to make a faux clock.

I took some good ideas from this tutorial and mixed them with my own to make my own version of a faux clock.  I had a rough time with this project...I re-painted over ideas, changed my mind several times, and never felt quite right about the outcome until the end.  Now I feel at peace with the clock and think it will be a great addition to our family room wall.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

2'X2' Piece of Plywood

Jig Saw

Sander

Roman Numeral Letter Stencils

Paint - Brown, Cream, Yellow

Gel Gloss Medium

Tissue Paper

Modge Podge

Black Sharpie

Ruler

Step 1:  Buy a piece of plywood 2 feet X 2 feet and cut a circle the full size of wood.

Step 2:  Sand down the clock to give a smooth finish to top and edges.

Step 3:  Prime the clock with two coats of white primer.

Step 4:  To add a distressed look, take modge podge and coat the entire front side of the clock.  Crinkle up tissue paper and lay across the modge podge.

Step 5:  Apply a layer of modge podge to top of tissue paper once it has been laid on the clock.  Let it dry.

Step 6:  Make a gloss based mixture combining the gel medium with your base color of paint (in my case brown).  If you want more of a subtle color, mix 3/4 gloss with 1/4 paint.  I split it down the middle - half gloss, half paint.

Step 7:  Paint of the clock with your mixture.

Step 8:  Create Roman Numeral Stencils.  I used Times New Roman Font, size 200, and cut out each individual number, 1-12. Trace around the EXACT edges of the I, V, and X.  These are the three you will use for tracing.  The others I cut more carelessly since I wanted them as placeholders to get an idea of the look on the clock.

Step 9:  Lay out all numbers 1-12 on the clock and get an idea for placement.  Take your ruler and measure the height and width from the center to find the middle point.  Measure from here to find the placement for all your numbers.

Step 10:  Once you have your numbers laid out, start tracing.  Since the tissue and dark color paint was already on the clock, it was hard to see pencil.  I traced it with the cream color paint and fine brush.

Step 11:  Leave your placement numbers in place as you are tracing. Remove each one once you have come to that number and use the since I, V, and X to trace.

Step 12:  Once all the numbers have been traced, go back through and paint solid.

**After the numbers were painted, I stated experimenting.  I thought the clock needed something extra.  I decided to paint HOME SWEET HOME on the clock in the center.  I didn't like it AT ALL!  Since I colored it in with black, it was too dark and it just didn't seem to fit right in the space provided.  I even added a scroll design to the stop of the phrase to take up some blank space, but I still didn't care for it.  I painted over the letters with brown...a couple coats...to cover it up.  I left the scroll at the top.**

EWW

Step 13:  Outline the Roman Numeral Numbers with a black sharpie so they stand out against the background.

Step 14: Once the letters were covered up as best as I could get them, I took the cream, brown and a deep yellow paint and sponged them onto the board using a paper towel.  I did the brown and cream first, then went through and lightly added in the yellow on top.

Step 15:  I made sure to spread the sponging throughout the entire board, not just in the center so it looked proportional.

Step 16:  Add a picture hook to the back of the clock.  In this case, you may need two depending on the weight of plywood used.


Step 17:  First step of the gallery wall complete!!

I can't wait to get some other projects going and finally get the gallery wall completed!  Stay tuned to see other projects that are apart of the gallery wall.

Cardinals Jersey Shadow Box

For my birthday this year I received an AMAZING gift from my dad and uncle...a SIGNED Yadiar Molina Jersey (catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals...who were WORLD SERIES CHAMPS).  I have loved Yadi from the get go and always wanted a jersey of his to wear.  My dad and uncle took this one step further and got it signed for me...how great are they!  Of course I won't be wearing it with a signature on it...instead I want to display it in my home and keep it nice and clean.  

My dad is an amazing builder, has every tool known to man, and just has great ideas when it comes to projects.  Therefore, we decided it would be a fun project to build a shadow box for my jersey!  

Now I am not doing a step by step tutorial because there are so MANY different tools used that I have NO clue what they are and I don't have my dad here writing it :)  However, I do have lots of fabulous pictures for you!!

BUILDING THE FRAME:

We looked up online the standard size of a shadow box for a baseball jersey in order to determine the measurements needed for this project.  We picked out some wood from my dad's garage FULL of scrap pieces (LOVE IT) and got to work.

PUTTING IN SLITS FOR THE GLASS AND BACK:

We made one slit in frame pieces for the glass so we could easily slide it into place.  We also indented the back of the frame pieces so that the back piece of the box would fit nicely against the frame.

"DECORATING" THE FRAME:

My dad has this awesome set of tools that engraves and adds a decorative detail to the wood.  We used it to create a curved edge  along the outside of the frame.  

   

CUT THE FRAME PIECES DOWN TO SIZE:

We started with two long pieces for the frame to make the engraving easier. Then, we cut down to size into 4 pieces for the frame.  Dad cut at an angle so all the corners fit nicely together.

PUTTING THE FRAME TOGETHER:

Using wood glue and an air compressor/nail gun, we attached all four pieces to form the frame.

MAKING THE BACK OF THE BOX:

Using a piece of thin plywood, we cut the board down to size to fit into the frame.

my handsome dad :)

TEST TO SEE IF IT FITS...

and it does!! LOOKS BEAUTIFUL so far!

The last few steps I don't have pictures of but I can tell you what went down.

GLASS:

Next my dad and I went to Ace Hardware to get a piece of glass cut to fit the box.  While there, we discovered that it is very stressful to ask an older man (in 70's) who works at the glass counter/key making counter to cut a piece of glass while he has another person in line for a key...he was very stressed out that we needed glass cut...but we sat down, watched TV and had some popcorn (yes they have all of this at ACE).

FABRIC FOR BACK/ADHESIVE SPRAY TO APPLY:

After the glass we came to a stopping point for the day...the next thing we needed was some fabric for the back for the shirt to lay on.  I headed up to the fabric store and got some black fleece.  Next time I went to dads, we used spray adhesive to apply the fleece to the plywood back.  

**TIP** When using spray adhesive, spray both surfaces and let them dry, then give them both another coat and dry.  They dry "sticky" and it works as the glue to hold the two pieces together...I was not aware that it was necessary to let both pieces dry before attaching.

STAIN THE FRAME:

While we were waiting for the adhesive to dry in between "sprays", we stained the outside of the frame in a cherry wood color.

PIN THE JERSEY:

Hanging up the jersey was the tricky part.  We determined how we wanted it to lay, to my dad got a piece or cardboard and sprayed it white.  Then he pinned the jersey to the cardboard using sewing pins that I had brought over.  He pulled some through the plywood back as well for extra security.

FINISHED:

Here is the finished product!  Now it is hanging in my basement and looks awesome!  This frame is far better than anything I could have bought...especially since my dad and I made it together :)

LOVE YOU DAD!  

Happy Cyber Monday

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Mine was VERY nice!  I got to spend a lot of time with friends and family, ate delicious food, got some Christmas Shopping done, and most of all had some time to sleep in and relax!  

FAMILY

FRIENDS

On Thursday I mentioned FREE SHIPPING @ my ETSY shop.  Well it is STILL available through the end of the day today.

code = FABULOUS

Get free shipping on any amount of items, shipped to ANYWHERE!

Also, all items will come gift wrapped and with a personalized gift tag that you can customize! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/evannesimplyfab

Merry Shopping and hope you find some GREAT deals on Cyber MONDAY!

Etsy Store Coupon + Gift Wrapping

HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone! 

I hope all of your bellys are nice and full...I know mine is!  I will be using it as fuel for the early morning shopping and sales all weekend long.  In honor of the big weekend sales, I will be running a sale of my own at my ETSY shop. 

Use the code FABULOUS to get free shipping on any and all orders - no dollar amount restrictions, no location restrictions ... anywhere any item gets FREE SHIPPING.

  Get any of these fabulous items for that someone special while the sale lasts:

  I will also be personally gift wrapping all items purchased and pairing them with a handmade gift tag.  Customize gift tags to read anything you want...it's all about YOU!

Get your shopping started with a great gift from my shop. 

SHOP: http://www.etsy.com/shop/evannesimplyfab

CODE:  FABULOUS

MERRY SHOPPING!!

DIY Infinity Scarf

I LOVE warm cozy scarfs!! I am always freezing and this is the perfect accessory for the winter season.  

MATERIALS NEEDED:

1 yd flannel fabric

Fabric sheers

Pins

Sewing Machine

Step 1:  Cut 2 pieces of the fabric 10" wide by the length of the fabric (36").  

Step 2:  Turn both pieces over, right side facing down, and pin together the pieces at the 10" width side.  Sew.

Step 3:  Fold the long piece of fabric in half, right sides together, and sew.  Leave 2" open at each of the ends.

Step 4:  This is where the extra 2" left open at the ends will come in handy.  Take the inside (bottom) two ends of your opening (the 10" side), while the fabric is still inside out, and pin together. Sew.

Step 5:  Flip scarf right side out and sew the remaining two ends by folding over the frayed edges giving a clean hem to sew.

Now you have an infinity scarf!

You can triple it, double it, or wear it as a LONG single strand.  I like the tripled look seen below.