okay...now it's thursday...

Hey there all you fabulous crafters!

Have you ever seen something and thought..."there is NO WAY I am paying that price for THAT!" It happens almost every time I look at the Pottery Barn catalog! So when I saw these adorable Hawaiian themed plaques I thought, "Hmmmm...maybe my mother in law could paint these for me!" I actually even called her, but she wasn't home...the more I looked at them I thought, "I bet I might be able to do it!" So I gave it a try! My favorites were the turtle one and the reef shark so that was my plan.

(image from Potter Barn kids)

I started with 2 12x12 boards that I had cut at Home Depot and then I had my friend use his router to knock off the edges a little so that they didn't look quite so "boardy".

Then I picked up some craft paint from the store....these are the colors I got...I tried to match the picture as closely as possible!

I painted each board the color of the background!

When my boards were dry I used a pencil to freehand the pictures on. It really wasn't too hard. The shapes are pretty basic. Then I used a small paint brush to start painting. The picture above is of the boards done, but not distressed and weathered.

Next step was to sand the boards A LOT! I did have to be careful not to sand off the eyes or too much of the words. So if you give this a go be careful! Then I rubbed them with a little Burnt Umber craft paint that I watered down. I applied it and then let it sit for a few seconds and wiped it off. Then I applied a coat or two of clear finish.

They aren't exactly like the ones in the origional picture, but I think I got close enough. I hope my nephews love them!

If you have something in the back of your mind that you have been wanting to copy...I say GO FOR IT!

-By Heather