Trash to Functional & Fabulous Message Board

My sister asked me to make her a note board with chicken wire on the back for her classroom and of course I said I would. The one I'm about to share with you isn't what I made her, I will share that with you another time. So....I had already been thinking for quite some time about what I can do with the wooden frames that are behind a stretched canvas. There are many canvases that for many reasons I've ripped off the wooden framing and well....I just couldn't bring myself to throwing them away. You know that thinking...."I can make something with that!"  Last year I did actually use them and made up some signs for the holiday booth I do with a friend each year. They turned out really cool and were the perfect, lightweight framing that we needed.

Here are the steps I took to create it and at the very end, I list all of the supplies I used.

Well, of course the framing is just that ~ plain wood ~ so of course it needed some sprucing up!
I gave the frame a very thin coating of DecoArt Media Modeling Paste and let that completely dry. Next, I took a DecoArt Americana Stencil ~ Brocade and Berries and using a palette knife applied modeling paste over the stencil, onto the frame and TA DA!! SO love the way it turned out. Added the design around the entire frame and let that dry completely. Don't try and speed up the process with a heat gun or blow dryer - it really is just best to go get busy on the next project and leave this to dry.



























 Next, I painted it with DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint - Escape using a 1" Faux Squirrel brush by Dynasty. It only took one coat and covered beautifully! Let it completely dry and then....














I painted a very watery layer of DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint - Rustic over the top. Mix the water and paint on a palette until you get an inky/watery consistency. After I quickly painted over the entire frame, I took a soft cloth and wiped a lot of the watery paint away.  The longer you leave it the darker the color will stain the blue paint already on the frame. If you wipe too much away, reload the brush with the watery paint, reapply and wipe back off with the soft cloth.  Let completely dry!















































For the next step I highly recommend wearing really sturdy working gloves. The chicken wire likes to knick ya and make you bleed :(   They sell Hardware Cloth that is in the shape of squares and would work great. You could attach a sheet of cork to the back and make it into a cork board or even a dry erase board if you don't want to mess with the chicken wire.
I cut to shape with wire cutters (very important - don't use your really good scissors), turned the frame over and stapled in place. Staple one side, stretch the wire across to the other side and staple in a couple of places. Repeat for the top and bottom as you stretch the wire so that it doesn't sag in the center.  Once I stapled the entire piece down, I cut strips of foam (you can get sheets of it in the kids section at any craft store) and hot glued them to the back of the frame. I wanted to make sure I protected my wall and fingers from the wires.

Well.....in true "Sandy Style" it just had to have more! So, using my finger I rubbed some DecoArt Metallic Lustre - Silver Spark over the frame lightly and let it pick up on the raised design I created with the stencil. LOVED it ~ so LEFT it! Next, I buffed it with a soft towel and brought up more of the Lustre shine.
Next, I tied a brown organza ribbon to the top (attached to the top of the chicken wire) and it was ready to hang! Now, I have to find an empty space on my wall in my studio to hang it!

 

 











SUPPLIES:
Wooden Frame that I took an ugly painting off of (yes it was mine and a very old one that just needed to go)

Brushes: 1" Flat
DecoArt Media Modeling Paste
DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint: Escape & Rustic
DecoArt Metallic Lustre - Silver Spark
Chicken Wire
Soft Cloth
Wire Cutters
Ribbon
Bandaids - yes I used 4
Heavy work gloves (if I had used them I wouldn't have needed 4 bandaids)
Clothespins

Hope you ENJOY creating a message board of your own! I'll share the one I made for my sister once I've given it to her! Have a great weekend and Happy Painting!
Sandy

Oh how I wish all the pre-planning I did in 2014 to keep up with everything was working out but to put it simply ~ it just isn't! I finally realized I can only do so much in a day!



2015 Sure has started out with a BANG and I'm loving every minute of it - just wish some of those minutes were available to keep up with posting on my blog, FB, Instagram, website, etc. Trying to remind myself to not be so hard on "ME" and do things when I can ~ like now!!




I actually have some really exciting news and since I mentioned it in my upcoming editorial in Interactive Artist Magazine (coming out April 1st)  I thought I'd share it with before it comes out on Wednesday!!




I've been invited to teach in TAIPEI, TAIWAN this summer!!
I will be teaching two Martin/F. Weber wOil projects - poppies and hydrangeas!!
I'm incredibly humbled and so appreciative of this opportunity and can't wait to share all of the pictures with you from my time in Taiwan!
Beyond blessed to do what I love ~ painting and creating! To be able to share that with others too is icing on the cake!!




Was trying to add a great picture of a Hello Kitty plane but it wouldn't let me add pics to my blog
:( not sure what is up with that but it could possibly be related to why I can't open Google Chrome on my computer - insert sad face here!


Have so much more to write but have to finish some details with the magazine coming out Wednesday!! Hope you'll check out all of the amazing projects in the April/May issue!

Sick in bed, bloggin, classes and more!!

Guess since the mack truck knocked me over with a ton of bricks and I'm not feeling so great I'll write a post - FINALLY - I know!!

I really do hate laying around during the day - not my style and with so much to do it's even harder. However, I have rested for the most part today and trying my hardest not to get sicker as I have way too many things coming up!!

Have so loved the classes I've been teaching so far this year!! What a great group that comes out and paints with me! Always eager to learn and ready to create!!

We painted vine wreaths with spring flowers and ribbon with acrylics and peaches with wOils. 

Yesterday we painted grapes and I'll get those pictures up soon and this week we'll be painting Roses in my all day rose painting workshop!!

two of my silly students not wanting their picture online. 

I was lucky and won a FB giveaway by the talented Tracy Weinzapfel Stratton!! I got two of her amazing stamp sets and couldn't wait to create with them. I loved them so much I did a product review for them in the current issue of Interactive Artist Magazine!

I sealed them yesterday and have them in my studio!! They are also too cute to use and actually thought about gluing them to a board just like I have them above. 

Lots of drawing, painting and organizing going on and I just signed on to be a teacher for an online painting course! Super excited about that and how could I almost forget.....VEGAS!! Creative Painting Convention is coming up the end of the month and I am so looking forward to taking an Oils class with artist - Robert Warren and Color Penciled class with Paula Leopold. 

Okay....best get back to resting!!

Have a great day!
Sandy

Happy New Year!!

New Year and a New LOOK!

Wanted to let you know that I have a new website!! www.sandymctierdesigns.com 

You can click on the picture below to visit as well!!

I've been trying to plan and organize so that I can keep things up a bit better in 2015!! 

As you'll notice my last blog post was the end of August 2014 - lame I know!

Life just got crazy busy from then to the end of the year and as usual my blog suffered.

I did keep words in my journal for each week and maybe periodically, I will post about one and what I was thinking about at the time!

Back to working on the New Website! Hope you'll come by and visit!!

Blessings,
Sandy