How to Turn Salvage Into Art

A 50th wedding anniversary gift to a life long friend….and the memory of their wedding song hand painted as the message……

Above is the salvage piece before I painted it. The first thing, I did was prime the old dry wood….and to prevent any bleed through from old stains or wood tannins.

I then grabbed my Dixie Belle Paint to get started. I painted one solid coat of a soft off-white that always serves as a great backdrop for any words or fancy designs that are planned.

Then I measured off a space around the edge to serve as a frame….and taped off my stripe design. I used my favorite black to create a bold stripe pattern.

I used this gorgeous dusty rose color you see above as the diamond shape pattern…. These three colors together remain sort of muted and neutral….but still make a statement!

You created molds that I used around the edge of the frame - you can see them in the picture below. I made these molds myself....with hot glue!!! Let me tell y’all…using hot glue to make furniture molds has been a complete game changer!!

I painted my molds with a single coat of off-white and once dry….I glued them in place as if they had always been there! I finished them off with gold gilding wax. I also applied a decor transfer….to the bottom half of the sign. I love these transfers….as they add the perfect enhancement to projects without having to be truly artistic!!!

I glazed the entire piece in a brown glaze …..and finally hand painted the song title. Once dry…..I sealed the project with spray wax. I sprayed it on….and wiped it away….and done!

I am so so so in love with this little sign!!! I used many different techniques to create this one tiny piece. I promise you it is something you can do for yourself!!! Once you add these techniques to your own bag of tricks….you can create pieces just like this for those close to you as gifts….or offer them as a product in your shop or boutique! They are original and one of a kind….and so very personal!

Take a look at the my full blog post (link below) for a detailed list of the specific paint colors used!

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