Friday, June 17, 2011

Faux Weathered Beach Sign

Since I did not make the "cut" for the next round of One Month To Win It (Sadness) . . . I did not get to enter this project.  The next round theme was 'beach' and I am so NOT a 'beachy' person so this was a real challenge for me but this is what I came up with! 

I started out with a package of 18" garden stakes from Home Depot ($4.99) and a bag of sea shells from the thrift store ($2.00).  I can't hammer a nail to save my life so I just laid out the stakes and attached the two support sticks using wood glue and that worked perfectly. 

To give the wood that "aged", look I filled a container with apple cider vinegar and threw in a few pieces of steel wool.  I let the wool soak for about an hour (you're supposed to let it set 24 hours but being lazy and impatient I didn't) and then began rubbing the pads over the wood.  
After about two hours, this is what it looked like!  The wood continued to 'age' even as the days went on and you'll see that the final product really DOES look like drift wood!

Using stencils and white acrylic paint, I added this Bible verse from Psalm 139.  Now you can probably see I made a few mistakes in the "were I to" section that show up in the photos but in person, you can't see them.  To correct them, I just sanded them out and rubbed a little bit of watered down wood stain to cover them.  I think the flash just highlights them in the pictures.

Using my favorite E6000 glue, I added the seashells and some pieces of wood mulch.


The large gray shell already had a row of naturally made holes so I threaded some twine through them and wrapped it around the upper support so this piece hangs freely. The final step was to give the entire piece a few heavy coats of polyurethane to protect the wood from the elements and rotting!
Here is the finished project out by my front porch.  
See how old and weathered it looks now?  






36 comments:

  1. That is really a great sign. I love the weathered look.

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  2. Beautiful sign,I am still trying to find a book for the 4th of July book.
    have a great day,
    Regina

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  3. Your sign turned out too cute! Thanks for dropping by and checking out my $2 stool!

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  4. Your sign is wonderful, you did a great job. My daughter would love it she lives at the beach.
    Hugs...Lu

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  5. Nice to see you♪
    I came your blog form romance-of-roses's site.
    I am amazed with your lovely sign. Really nice on your front porch.
    My husband who retied last year has some hobbies. And recently he made some Soba(buck-wheat)noodle plates and trays with cider.

    Love, xoxo Orchid from Japan

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  6. You are a winner in my book! The sign is wonderful!

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  7. Love the sign and especially the message. Who were those judges???? They surely made a mistake.
    Rhonda

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  8. Hello, Orchid again♡
    Oh, what a wonderful surprise♪♪♪
    Thank you SO much for following me and I'm really grateful for your LOVELY comments!!!
    I cannot thank you enough for your kind words, I was really heartened.
    I'm leaving with errand form now, but looking forward to reading your previous posts as well.

    Hugs, xoxo Orchid.

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  9. Very cute! LOVE the verse that you used on yours...perfect!

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  10. I love this Lauren!! Thanks so much for sharing with the kick off to the blog party summer series.

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  11. Hi Lauren! What a wonderful project - and you did a fantastic on it! I've never heard of the cider/steel wool pad recipe. What does the steel wool do to the cider to make it age wood? Soooo cool! Luv that scripture, too. ♥

    xoxo laurie

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  12. This turned out great, Lauren. Love the idea as well as the scripture.
    Happy Anniversary! We recently celebrated our 29th and I, too, wore a hat! Your pictures brought back memories! :)

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  13. Hi Lauren--How totally beautiful!!! And Happy Anniversary too!! This is such a gorgeous creation that you made!
    XO
    Cindy

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  14. Love this! And I LOVE your choice of scripture. It's so appropriate...I have never tried to "weather" wood. Thanks for the details. I'll have to try this soon...
    Jane (Artfully Graced)

    ps Thank you for visiting AG. It's so nice to "meet" you!

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  15. Terrific job! You captured that perfect weathered look using the vinegar. Thanks for sharing.

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  16. Hi I am coming over from So Very Cheri & I just wanted to let you know I LOVE your sign! Love your blog too!

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  17. Hi Lauren...

    Ohhh...I love your weathered beach sign, my friend! It turned out beautifully and looks fabulous by your porch! Thank you for sharing it with us...as well as the great tutorial! This was the first time that I heard of using vinegar and steel wool to age wood...love that idea! And...I love this scripture verse from Psalms! Sooo very true!!!

    I wanted to come by to say thank you for your recent visit to my Tea Rose bedroom! I sooo enjoyed your visit and sweet note, my friend! Thank you!!!

    Warmest wishes,
    Chari @Happy To Design

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  18. What a great beachy sign! Wonderful scripture, as well!

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  19. Thanks for stopping by my blog! It is ingenious that you made your sign out of garden stakes!

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  20. Love your finished product and the verse you added. Thank you for the great tip about the steel wool and vinegar; I'll have to try it sometime.

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  21. Love the sign and your blog. I'm a new "follower".

    Have a God Filled Day
    Shirley

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  22. Awesome sign, I love it!
    Have a great first day of summer!
    XXX Ido

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  23. I LOVE your sign! How clever you are to get that effect with the woood! It looks amazing! x

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  24. Hi Lauren, It's nice to meet you. This is a wonderful sign! Happy anniversary!
    Thanks for posting my giveaway on your blog.
    Have a great week!
    ~ Julie

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  25. Thanks for stopping by. Your sign turned out nice. Never heard of the cider vinegar/steel wool technique. Have to give it a try sometime.

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  26. First of all, that verse is one of my favorites! The sign is just perfect for it. Such a great idea!

    I'm your newest follower; found you via Kim.

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  27. Great sign with a beautiful message

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  28. It's adorable. great take on the beach theme!
    Kathleen
    http://adventuresingirlscouting.blogspot.com/

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  29. Love this!! What a beautiful idea! But...you surprised me. I never would have guessed this was you!

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  30. love this sign! It is such a great idea! Thanks so much for linking up to handmade tuesdays @ ladybug blessings! www.ladybug-blessings.com

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  31. Love this sign, it came out great! :) I've featured this post on Craft Gossip here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/diy-weathered-look-beach-sign/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

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  32. This is very cute! Sorry you didn't make it but at least you have a great sign! I like the name of your blog.

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