VALANCE SIGNAGE

One month after we moved into this house, back in 2013, we were hit by a huge winter storm, and were out of power for EIGHT DAYS.  On day two, our new neighbor, whom we had just met, showed up with a trailer full of wood so we'd be able to stay warm by having a fire in our kitchen fireplace.

But it wasn't just any old firewood, it was this gorgeous old solid oak that had nicely weathered over the years.  Of course, at the time, we didn't realize this, or care - we were just trying to stay warm.  But once Winter finally faded into Spring, we re-evaluted what we had left.  Then that summer, we used some of it to build this amazing wall/potting table out on our carport.

And even after that, we still had a little bit of it left.  So this past Saturday, I ventured out into the shed to see if any of it would work for a little project I was conjuring up.  And we did!  YAY!!  

 Just enough for this....

 A valance for my youngest sons room.  We had just recently painted his room, and it just needed this one final little touch.

I had seen this "definition" on Pinterest way back when I first started pinning in October of 2011.  It "defines" him to a tee!

I think what inspired me to finally get it made, was the fact that I had just acquired this amazing antique oak desk.  It was my first CraigsList purchase, and it was the perfect piece for him to sit at and do his homework.

 He LOVES the desk, but HATES the "definition".

NEW KITCHEN ISLAND

Since we've moved into this house almost three years ago, we've had a couple of different set ups in the middle of our Eat In Kitchen.  The first being a simple table, the second being this...

A 30" x 60" stainless steel restaurant table.  

Then my husband's friend helped him acquire a 7' stainless steel table with a nice deep sink in the middle of it.  See, nice and deep!

The table came with a built in stainless backsplash, which made it a little awkward to sit at, so we decided to build a nice overhang.  I didn't think we needed the overhang to run the entire 7' length, so we added some shelving at the end.  Here it is after being built, but before it was finished.

And here's the finished product.  We used a transparent gray stain, and polyurethaned the top so it would hold up to being used as a breakfast bar by my two little guys.

This project was completed last October.  It's now September of 2015, and the sink has never been hooked up.  UGH!

MY NEW FAVORITE...

Seriously? How freakin' cool is this?

Image transfer to wood..

I found this idea, where else of course, but on Pinterest.

After watching the Way Cute Tutorial Video, I knew I had to try it.

So I went and got my supplies...

Mod Podge and Gel Medium were found at Joann Fabrics.  

I had a 40% and 50% coupon, so I got both for a little under $10.

The wood came from Lowes - 16x36x21/32.  It's pine and was just under $7.

My husband cut the sizes I needed.

The photos are from Staples.  

Three 11x17 copies,which is their largest size, each $.98.

 The key to the photo is that they need to be on regular copy paper,

and done with a laser printer, not ink jet.

You should definitely watch the video and give this a try your self.

A simple piece of customized artwork like this would make 

the Perfect Christmas gift.