DIY! Wood-Dyed LOVE Banner

I have written about it before...Valentines and I have a love/hate relationship.
I love the sweet nostalgic details
but I hate the hype associated with it
and in my family nothing good happens on Valentines day.
This means every year I procrastinate when it comes to this special day.

Late the other night I had inspiration - more like I just had to try something and I had to try it NOW (yep, it was 1 am, but I knew I could not sleep until I knew the answer!).

I already had cut the shapes with  my Jigsaw that I recently received from Rockler, but decided to use them for this experiment.

Supplies:

• 1/4" sheet thing wood (at craft stores) or thin plywood. I used the basswood I had on hand...cut very slowly with the jigsaw - this wood does not hold up well to the saw - the edges chip and split - which is OK for this project. The slower I went, the "smoother" the cut. HOWEVER I wanted a more rustic look for this, so it was fine. I have since cut more shapes out in a better quality thicker wood (from hardware store) and the edges are clean and lovely. (more on that very soon!)

        OR
        Precut shapes of your choosing from the craft store (circles, hearts, etc.)

• Sand paper/sanding block
• Jigsaw, Rockler
• Drill, Rockler
• Transtint (red) from Rockler (and water)
• Bucket or I used a clear plastic show box
• Twine or cord
• Masking tape - real masking tape - not painters tape, etc.

DIY IT!
This is a concentrated tint - it will stain - be sure to protect your work area and wear gloves (I did not wear gloves - I had red fingers for days)

• Cut shapes- I cut triangles that measure 5" across the top and are 6" long I just marked them directly on my board and cut with my jigsaw (make a 5" straight line; find center (2.5"); make a perpendicular line that measures 6" down from the center point; connect the two outer points to the bottom of the center point. If cutting on a large sheet of wood, you can line these up side-by-side). (I will try to add photo tomorrow)
• Sand edges
• Drill holes in both top corners of the triangles (NOTE: I drilled my holes when I was all finished, but drilling them now is a better idea); sand
• Using masking tape I applied it to the triangles, centered, to spell LOVE. (NOTE: I assume you could use stickers or cut letters too). This was an experiment to see how it the tape would work - I ended up loving the effect.. I chose LOVE because the letters were straight. for the O I used small pieces and (1/4 to 1/2 inch) and placed them into an O.

• Press down tape so it is very secure (NOTE: My E was not as secure and some tint leaked, but it is OK for me).
• Prepare tint - the direction say 1 ounce to 1 quart of water. I did not need that much. I used more like 1/2 ounce to 1 quart water using the plastic shoe box.

• Dip each triangle in the tint. You can let it sit for a few minutes.

• Pull out, then run a thing line) along the top edge of the triangle and then stand up straight holding over the plastic box. The wood is wet enough so that it drips down and creates an slight "ombre" or dip dyed effect. I then dipped it back in the tint really quick.

• Let dry.

• Once all dry, peel off the masking tape.

• Run twine through the drill holes.  Here is a visual of how I did the knots - they are all on the front of the banner. Ties 2-3 knots in the same place; thread through and come up the other hole; tie 2-3 knots; measure over about 3-4 inches (just be consistent) tie 2-3 knots and repeat.

So, there is my eclectic, rustic,

very handmade wood dyed LOVE banner.

 

This post is written and created at 504 Main by Holly Lefevre