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Thursday, February 17, 2011

**Guest Post by Amanda Carver Designs**

So, friends...I want to introduce you all to Amanda from Amanda Carver Designs! CLICK HERE to view her blog! She has an awesome eye for thrifty DIY projects! I met Amanda through the church that my husband and I attend and I have fallen in love with her blog (and her style!). SO! I asked Amanda to come up with a little sumthin' sumthin' to share with you! Visit her blog and give her some love! (Also...she makes the ca-uuuuutest headbands and hairclips! I have seen them firsthand and highly recommend them!)


I love the look of old letters on buildings..I often drive by an old building and dream of climbing to the top of the building and just quickly "borrowing" a letter or two. I never do..which leaves me shopping for them at the normal places (if you live in Lynchburg like me, you are limited to TJ Maxx or Ross (basically). I know you can buy them on etsy (vintage letters I have seen cost up to $1oo a piece, not my gig.) So, I decided to try to personalize and age a normal "Ross" letter. This "C" cost $12 and is about 1.5 feet tall.

My first attempt was to chalkboard it (partially). However, to be honest, lately, I am boring myself with the amount of items I have chalkboarded. Anyhow, I had it like this for a while..sometimes with patterns, sometimes not.
I then decided I wanted it to be in the teal family, so, I gathered my randomly aquired "mess up" paints and started by mixing two that would get me close to the color. I did one coat of that color and let it dry. These are the ones I ended up using...
Then I went back after the first coat was dry with a lighter teal and did a dry brush technique. The goal here was to get an uneven covering.

After that ,and while it was still tacky, I took my scissors (an old pair) and scraped off all the edges as well as some other spots to get the worn look. Here is a close up
And the final product...
I love it..I totally feel like it could have come up an old Heating and Cooling Shop or something random. This was so easy and quick. Highly recommend it!!
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21 comments:

  1. Funky Junk InteriorsFebruary 19, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    Fabulous! What a neat idea if you had a collection of all sizes and letters...

    Donna

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  2. Tracy's Trinkets and TreasuresFebruary 19, 2011 at 8:27 PM

    Love letters and numbers. The color is great on yours.

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  3. Queen Bee MediaFebruary 19, 2011 at 9:10 PM

    I love it! Where did you get your letter. I am looking for a big 'G'...

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  4. brookeFebruary 20, 2011 at 12:19 PM

    I am working on a an alphabet wall in our house. This is a great idea for one of the letters.

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  5. willowcreekFebruary 20, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    I love the color! I also love numbers/letters and the color just like Tracy! Great Job!

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  6. KatieFebruary 20, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    Love it! And clever idea using scissors to scrape the edges.

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  7. At The Picket FenceFebruary 20, 2011 at 7:19 PM

    Absolutely beautiful! It totally looks "vintage" and I think you achieved exactly the look you were going for. Thank you so much for linking this up to Inspiration Friday this week!
    Vanessa

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  8. SandyFebruary 20, 2011 at 7:36 PM

    Lovely shabby chic!

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  9. UnknownFebruary 20, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    Ohh Baby! This is such a fun idea. I will so have to visit Amanda's blog too. Thanks bunches for linking this up to my blog bash K.I.S.S., it's much appreciated. :)

    http://thetatteredtag.blogspot.com

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  10. UnknownFebruary 21, 2011 at 2:31 AM

    I love it!! That color is fantastic. :-) I would love it if you'd link this up to my Marvelous Mess party. I will be choosing one project to be featured on my sidebar for a week!! Here is the link: http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com/2011/02/marvelous-mess_20.html

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  11. extreme personal measuresFebruary 21, 2011 at 5:56 AM

    I love the use of letters in a room and really love it when we can find them other than Michael’s, etc. They have so much character and you added to that character!

    Denise
    Extreme Personal Measures

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  12. KirbyFebruary 21, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    Ohh I love the color you did with this! Very cute!

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  13. Tammy@Beatrice BanksFebruary 21, 2011 at 9:09 AM

    Love this! Thanks for sharing your tips!

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  14. Jamie @ DIY Home Sweet HomeFebruary 21, 2011 at 1:50 PM

    That looks great. I love the color. I'm your newest follower. I'm throwing my first link party today (Monday) it would be great if you would stop by and share your project.
    http://diyhshp.blogspot.com

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  15. UnknownFebruary 21, 2011 at 7:24 PM

    Love it!

    Laurie
    Tip Junkie

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  16. UnknownFebruary 21, 2011 at 7:32 PM

    Nice color and distressing! Love letters!

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  17. Shelley@1510farmhousefancyFebruary 21, 2011 at 7:49 PM

    Love the letter and what a great color!!!

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  18. Crafty HousewifeFebruary 21, 2011 at 7:59 PM

    Lovely! What a great idea! I am visiting from Debbiedoos newbie party.

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  19. {northern cottage}February 22, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    ohhhh this is the PERFECT color...love love love how it is graphic and yet still soothing. nice!

    www.northerncottage.blogspot.com

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  20. Deneen@dreaming-n-colorFebruary 22, 2011 at 8:28 AM

    I love letters! I recently went to Anthropologie and fell in love with a few. You can check out my post it reminds me of you letter.
    dreaming-n-color.blogspot.com

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  21. ArtfullyJuneFebruary 23, 2011 at 2:17 PM

    Very nice. I've been eyeing all the letters but haven't made a large one since I did my daughters name a couple years ago. I think I need to grab another letter and make one just for me.

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