Metal Clad Furniture

I went to Brimfield (a huge out-door antique market in Massachusetts) and found a booth selling metal covered furniture. The metal, which I assume is zinc, had the patina of an old watering can. The parts of the furniture that couldn't be covered, like the moldings, were faux finished to look like the metal. I had to have this, but look at the price!

Must be a way to make this.

Materials

piece of furniture

shellac based stain blocker spray paint (Bin or Kilz)

galvanized metal

Contact Cement

19 x 1/2" wire brads

black and white acrylic paint

clear spray paint

tools

strong scissors

butane or propane torch

pliers

rolling pin

hammer

paint brush

I found a wooden jewelry box.
Since zinc is not readily available in my neighborhood, I opted for galvanized roof flashing (which is steel covered in a zinc coating) at Home Depot. Ten feet for under $10. Beware that most of the roof flashing is aluminum. You have to look for a galvanized one.

*note. Look in the plumbing department for sheets of thin galvanized metal if you can't find the flashing. Look for metal thin enough to be cut with strong scissors.

I tried every way I could to age the flashing; vinegar, salt water, lemon juice, various acids. Nothing. Then I tried my butane torch that I use for creme brulee. Perfect. A propane torch would work just as well but that meant a trip to my workshop and this torch was in my kitchen. Easy choice. Cut the metal to size and hold it with a pair of pliers while heating it with the torch.

*note. Be careful of the sharp edges of the metal and wear gloves. I think the heating dulls the sharpness because I tested my finished piece of furniture and the edges weren't sharp at all.

Paint the jewelry box with a white shellac stain blocker spray paint and then cover the backs of the pieces of metal with Contact Cement. Paint corresponding areas on the box with Contact Cement too. Wait 15 minutes until the glue dries and then carefully place the metal pieces on the box. Press the metal with a rolling pin. Nail the edges with small wire brad nails.

*note - start holes for the brads by either drilling small holes in the metal or tapping with a slightly larger nail. The brads may not be strong enough to pierce the metal. Also, hold the brads with needle nose pliers while you begin to hammer them. This will save you from banging your little fingers.

Paint the non-covered areas of the box with gray acrylic paint. Mix white and black paint on a piece of waxed paper but don't mix it thoroughly. You'll end up with a mottled gray paint on the box which matches the mottled metal. Spray your finished project with clear spray paint to prevent any rust.

Aluminum cabinet knobs, found at HD were added.

Since I just saved you over $1200, I give you permission to spend it any way you like.

PVC Bracelet

I love it when you can make something that bears no relationship to its origin. This is one of those crafts. A 2 foot PVC pipe that costs less than $5.00 will yield 24 bracelets. Guess what all my girlfriends are getting this holiday.

Materials

3" PVC pipe

acetone

StazOn ink pad (black)

rubber stamps

brown shoe polish

metal button with shank

gel super glue

Tools

toaster oven

saw

sand paper (various grits)

files (optional)

belt sander (optional)

drill and bit

Cut an inch slice off the end of a PVC pipe. Saw a 2 1/2" piece out of the slice. Remove any lettering with acetone.
Heat in a 250 degree toaster oven until soft and very flexible. (use a dedicated craft oven) This will take just a few minutes. Wear gloves to take it out of the oven and bend it to form the correct shape. (copy a bracelet you already have) You may eyeball it or wrap it around a can or bottle. Allow to cool. If you don't like the shape, reheat and try again.

I used a small belt sander (easy does it) to shape my bracelet, but files, rasps and various grits of sandpaper will do as well.

Stamp on the bracelet with StazOn black ink. I used unmounted stamps, but mounted work as well. Since you are embellishing a small surface, choose stamps with small details.

Rub brown shoe polish all over then buff it off. It will show darker in the areas where the surface was removed.

Drill a small hole in the center of the bracelet and squeeze a drop of gel super glue into the hole. Push the shank of the button (it should be a snug fit) into the hole and hold for a few seconds.
Now tell me that anyone would know that this started out as a piece of plumbing pipe!

Letters from Home

This project was inspired by a piece done by a New York City photographer who took pictures of neon signs. She cropped each letter and displayed them somewhat the way I have here. As we have no neon where I live, I photographed mail boxes, gravestones, plaques, etc. and made a poster out of the result. I used a close-up setting on my camera, cropped each letter then placed them on a black background.

*note - "Antiques" is good for the "Q". Railroad Crossings are good for the "X", but I had to go to the cemetery for "Z" as in "Ezekiel"

To make it easier I have made a grid template that you can download here.

Crop your letter and copy.

Go to the downloaded grid and with the magic wand in Photoshop, select the small rectangle that corresponds to the placement of your letter (1st rectangle for "A", etc.)

Go to EDIT>PASTE INTO SELECTION to place your letter

With the move tool, resize your letter

Do this for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet

Add the name of your town or city under "Letters From Home"

Tip:

If the letter won't fit into the gridded rectangle; i.e. it is too thin like the "i", place it on a black background, then use move tool to fit it into grid.

Send this to your college bound kid to remind him of his roots or use your letters to form a font by going to:

this website

or

this website

Message on a Tile

I am forever trying to find a piece of paper to write down phone messages. Dry erase boards just don't look nice enough and take up too much room. When I found these 48 cent tiles at Home Depot, an idea was formed. Download this pattern here.

Materials:

6 x 8" ceramic tile

pebeo porcelaine china paint marker (available at Michael's)

dry erase pen

Tools:

tape

pencil

graphite paper

oven

drill

ceramic drill bit

Cut out the pattern and tape it to the top of the tile. Slip a piece of graphite paper between the pattern and the tile. If you can't find graphite paper (it's available at Michael's), scribble pencil on the back of the pattern. Trace over the pattern. I did mine somewhat freehand as I like the handmade look, but you can use a ruler if you'd like.
Copy over your traced lines with a pebeo marker. Use a ruler if you want perfectly straight lines. Do not attempt to erase any penciled lines that show at this time. You can erase mistakes with a damp Q-tip. Allow to dry for 24 hours then place in a cold oven. Turn the heat to 300 degrees and bake for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool in the oven. Your inked lines will be permanent. You can wash off the excess pencil lines now.

Place your tile in a shallow container and fill with water.

*note - the water cools the drill bit - a hot drill bit may crack the tile.

don't worry about electricity and water as it is the drill bit in the water not the motor of the drill

Drill a hole in the tile with a ceramic drill bit large enough to accommodate a dry erase pen.

Dry off the tile and insert the dry-erase pen in the hole.
Write your message with a dry-erase pen. You can erase with a wet cloth. Now if only these tiles came in bright pink!