I {Heart} U Boards

I am really getting into the Valentine's Day spirit this year.

I saw these boards and knew I wanted to make some for myself!

These were my first project in my new work space. :)

And to make it better, it was basically free!

I did spend $2.00 on a heart stencil that I can now use forever and ever...

But we had everything else!

Hubby cut the wood from a scrap we had. (My boards are about 11 inches tall and 5.5 wide.) I printed the letters on the computer and cut them out with an exacto knife to make my own stencil. I haven't ever stenciled before. I think next time I will buy the stencil adhesive. :) These bled a bit, but not too bad. I touched up the really, really bad spots.

To get the weathered look, I stained the edges first and then painted the middle with several coats of paint to get rid of the light pine color of the wood. I painted over some of the stain with a more dry brush. (If I did this again, I would have used even less paint on the edges.)

After the stain and paint were dry, I did the stenciling and touch ups. When that was dry I used a cloth with just a bit of stain on it to go back over the boards to give them an antique finish. At this point I was just winging it! The first coat of stain really took to the second coat of stain and made those spots stand out. That is why if I could do it again, I would have allowed more stain to show.

Oh well, in the end I like it! I might embellish with some ribbon or buttons or something. I haven't decided yet. I'll let you know!

Scroll down to see my clean craft space! I am so excited!