Sunday, December 15, 2019

Reclaimed Wood Christmas Art


I finished all of my shopping, shipping, wrapping and baking this week so I finally had some time for creating something and decided to dip into my stash of reclaimed fence boards to create a picture for Christmas.  I love this line from the carol O Holy Night so I decided it would be perfect for this large piece.


Once I decided on the size I wanted, I cut the boards and staggered them randomly.  I often do this because . . . no matter how much I measure and how careful I am, I can't seem to get my boards cut evenly/equally.  Staggering means . . . it doesn't matter haha!


Using a piece of 1/4" plywood, I used small nails to secure the plywood to the boards, holding them in place.


I chose a simple font and printed out the words to fit the boards.  You can play around with the arrangement and spacing before you being transferring and painting the letters onto the wood.  Typically, I will use graphite paper underneath and trace the letters, transferring the print onto the boards.  In this case, I wanted to paint the words on the plain wood in white so I used the old "rub chalk onto the back of the paper" method and then traced over the letters.


These boards were a bit tricky as they are rough and ridged, not smooth.  In the end, I didn't mind that the lines aren't perfectly smooth -- I wanted a more rustic look anyway.



The boards I chose had these lovely, smooth knot holes in them.  I wanted to do something a little special with them so I attached these piece of snowflake paper to the back so they show through the holes.


I lightly sanded the words once they were dry and then added a few snowflakes.


I needed something fairly large and substantial at the end of this hallway and I think this works nicely.  I may even leave this up for the winter months.


Two side notes:  This little table was my very first blog post project in 2011!  I've used it in many places in my house and I just love it.

Second note:  That's my mom in the photo on top - she passed away last year with dementia.  She LOVED birds and these ceramic ones were a few from her collection.  I found this oil painting of birds at an estate sale and think it makes the perfect 'back drop' here.


Then my brother found this cardinal Christmas lamp that was my mom's and gave it to me.  It completed the arrangement!


My mom always made every holiday special . . . even ones like St. Patrick's Day (and we're not Irish!) and Valentine's Day.  I inherited my love of holiday decorating from her for sure!  I miss her.  The other day it was so gray and dreary here (for like the 5th day in a row!) and when I walked in the house I said to my dog (yes, I talk to him haha!), "Hudson, this weather is the PITS".  Now I hadn't said or heard that in years but that was one of my mom's sayings!  I guess in many ways . . . we do become our mothers!

10 comments:

  1. What a lovely tribute to your Mom Lauren. And I love the look of your new creation. Barn boards are definitely high on my list of 'likes'.

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  2. Such a sweet post. Your mother is here in every word and photo. I know she would be so proud of you. Love how the little table and art all came together. You were blessed to have a mother who loved the holidays. My mother, bless her heart, has never liked the holidays and makes them very worrisome and weary to this day for all of us, her children.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. My mom and I were very different in most respects but in love for the holidays, we could agree lol.

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  3. I LOVE your Christmas wood art. Everything about it. I don't think it would have occurred to me before seeing it, but this is the perfect phrase to pull from a song and use. I also really like the vignette you've created with your mother's picture and other things. My mom's been gone for almost 26 years and I miss her, too. And yes, at just 8 years younger than my mother was when she died I do believe I've become her in many ways. It's been a while since I've had pictures of my mother and father (both deceased) on display. This post makes me want to do something about that. Thank you for this lovely post, Lauren.

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  4. This is so sweet Lauren. Love your little vignette dedicated to your memory of your mom. Love the sign you made too. All went together beautifully.
    Have a great week as we head on down to the big day.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  5. That's a beautiful piece. Pieces, really. And I love how you have a spot to memorialize your mom. Merriest.

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  6. Your wood art looks great! I agree that it can continue to be part of the winter decor after Christmas is over.

    The display featuring your mom's photo and cardinals are a lovely way to honour her memory.

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  7. Your art is just "wonderfully made", Lauren! Yes, you should leave it up through the winter. I agree, we do become our mothers. I hear myself quite often, saying things that my mom would say. I got my love of decorating from my mom, too. I've passed it on to my daughter.
    Thank you for visiting my post. Keep the microwave peanut brittle in mind for another time. Merry Christmas, Lauren!

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  8. A a lovely tribute to your Mom, Lauren, and a great recycled project. Happy holidays to you and yours.
    Amalia
    xo

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  9. I love it as well, Lauren. Wishing you all the best for the coming year, can't wait to see what you make.
    Amalia
    xo

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