The Apple Street Cottage

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I've been working on a little project to honor the holiday: I've been playing with power tools and came up with these cute little plaques.  I started by cutting the wood to about 6 inches, dry-brushed some white paint on each one and let it dry.  Then I got out my vinegar/steel wool stain and brushed it on.  My jar has been sitting for a few months and looks like this: Pretty, huh? It looked like this when it was brushed on: I used a rag to wipe it off and let it dry overnight. This is what it looked like the next morning: I painted a heart, let it dry, scuffed it with sandpaper and gave the whole thing a quick spray of Krylon to protect it.  Two holes were drilled at the top for the jute hanger, and two more tiny holes for the wire to hold the antique key in place.  A dab of glue was also placed under the key. Done! I added a bow to this key.  What do you think? Here's one without ...

Are you ready to see a couple of cute signs?  I made these for my kids for Christmas and didn't want to ruin the surprise, so I couldn't post them before the holidays.   Here's the first one I made for my daughter: I used the same method for this sign that I used for the Broom Parking sign.  (See HERE )  I attached the bunches of grapes with fishing line strung through the same holes used for the wire.   For my son, I made this: I found the old license plate last fall in an antique shop.  Later on, I found the reclaimed wood frame at a flea market, and, wouldn't you know it, it fit the license plate perfectly!  I used four finishing nails in back to hold it in place.  After searching through shelves of "stuff" I came up with the two hooks for the front ( I think they're from a boat).  Soon after opening it, my son hung it on the wall and placed his baseball cap on one of the hooks.  I think he likes it! Now, you may hav...