Super Hero Wall Art

Here are the panels that were created for our friend Shannon's baby shower. We decided to use decor for the shower that she could use in her nursery.

To create the panels I picked up 2' x 4' MDF panels that were about a 1/4" thick and 1" x 2" x 8' pieces of wood to nail to the back.

I cut the panel in half so that it was square.

Nailed the 1x2"s to the back. This gave me something to nail the hooks into.

Then they were primed. If I did them again I would not use a spray paint primer. I did not like the coverage. Also, be prepared to sand after priming as it can raise the wood grain.

At this point I passed them off to my super talented friend Samara. She found some inspiration on Pinterest and got to work.

Love these panels!

A doll bed for Christmas

Using the plans from Ana-White.com, Cliff and I made Julia a new bed for her dolls. I cut all the pieces and then Cliff assembled them together for me. A fresh coat of paint and it was ready to go for Christmas.

But the bed also needed a mattress. I picked up foam from JoAnn's and cut it down to size.

Then dug through my fabric stash and found this quilted cream cotton. I thought it would make the mattress look a little more like a real mattress.

She loved it! The best part was that it only cost about 12 bucks to make!

Wrapping Paper Station

You might remember these pieces from a previous post. I had just gotten a new nail gun and couldn't wait to use it. the piece on the right is the one I'll be highlighting today.

I search for just the right wrapping station on various blogs and found that I like this one the best from Design Gal & Her Handyman.

After caulking and painting the piece it was time to put on the hardware. I started by putting the picture hanging saw tooth hangers on the back first. I knew it would be difficult once I put the cup hooks on the front.

To make sure that the cup hooks lined up from one side to the next I used a jig that I created myself. To make it even easier make your jig the same size as your frame. Then you can mark your center dot directly on the jig. My scrap piece is 3" long but too skinny so I used a ruler.

I put the jig directly up against the cup hook and the ruler up against the jig. Then I would remove the jig and mark my dot at the 1 1/4" mark.

You might be able to see my tiny dot at the 1 1/4" mark on the ruler.

I would mark a dot and install a cup hook. When my fingers started hurting from turning the cup hooks I used a tool to help me turn them. A screw driver works really well.

All done!

The dowels are 5/8" x 36" and were found at JoAnn Fabrics. I used a 50% off coupon to purchase each one so it was like getting 4 of them for free. The cup hooks I purchased at Home Depot. They are 1 1/2". Take your dowel with you to make sure that it will slip into the cup hook. I had read on another blog that she only painted to the ends of her dowels because it would just be covered up by the paper roll. It made it really quick and easy to paint.

The blank space

Newly installed! I used a ruler and level to make sure that I hung it up nice and straight.

I purposely left room at the bottom without cup hooks because I planned to hang tissue paper. I'm not sure I like it. I better save my jig just in case I want to add a few more hooks for more wrapping paper. It feels so nice to have my paper up off the bottom of the closet floor where I can get to it much easier.

All in a day's work

My mom is in town and my hubby bought a portable air compressor/nail gun combo.

What does this mean?

I got a lot of projects checked off my list. Almost.

I cut, glued, assembled, and caulked.

Now it is time for paint!

These future candlestick holders still need to be assembled.

We had a new staircase banister installed last year. I kept the newel posts after seeing these candlestick tutorial popping up. Yay for recycling! I'll post the finished products soon.