Skip to main content

Im the Third...and I am an anglophile.

By


What do you do with a used cabinet door that you bought at a thrift store for $1?

There was only one, so unfortunately, I cannot replace the cabinet doors in my kitchen.

At first, I thought I would paint it, distress it and paint some crazy sign to sell at the Antique Show.

But then, I thought I had one more space on my wall that I could use a sign.

I am an anglophile. I love most all things British (though in fairness, I also love the Irish. I also consider "British" in this sense to include Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.) I have visited many times and can never get enough. And yes, I think often of visiting my pals in Northern Ireland. I enjoy the traditional music, the culture, the people, the food, the styles, many of the authors, and the ease of travel (with or without a car).
So lots of sanding took place!

 And what is better than using my favorite phrase while showing some British love at the same time?

I started with the white background and added a red stripe.

Can I just say, thank God for painter's tape? :-)


Then I added some fun blue stripe and added and antique knob.

Then came the fun part. Stenciling on the phrase!

For those of you that know me: "Keep calm and carry on" is often my go to phrase. I like to repeat it to myself as a comfort in stressfull situations. As an event planner, it comes in handy.

The stenciling phase saw me stenciling one letter at a time, whiping it off if it didnt look right or letting it dry if it was straight. Then, moving on the the next letter.


It shows up better in person than here in the pic, but it is really a nice little thing to have. Many of you may notice a missing crown that goes above the phrase in most prints. I do not have one for two reasons: 1. I could not find a stencil of a crown that looked right and was the right size. 2. I tried to make one and it failed. I tried to hand paint it, and I failed. :-)

I still love it as it is.

Comments

Parson's Wife said…
I know a mom who would love this!!! You could sell those on Etsy like crazy-future idea when you have time!
June 4, 2012 at 6:15 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Labor of Love (Part 1 of 3)

By
I love lace. I love the delicacy with which it presents itself to the world. That being said, I dont really use it very much. I do have some family doilies, and my wedding dress has some lace, but I dont go too crazy. I like to be able to clean things, and not have dust mites clinging to every available piece of cloth (they cling to everything else anyway.) So, I decided to try a painting technique. Why not paint the lace on the object? Easy to clean, lovely design, what could be better? We got this child's vanity in an old attic pick. Yes, we went into someone's hot and muggy attic for several hours. Yes, they let us jsut dig through things (can you believe it?!?!) unsupervised. Yes, we had to take our own flashlights. And yes, there was mouse droppings and dead birds up there. It was gross, but worth it. My boy LOVED it! American Pickers is his favorite tv show. So this school bus yellow vanity sat there looking at us. Begging for new life! I knew if we left ...
5 comments
Read more

Blind Man Stood on the Road and he

By
First, I need to say that every time I think of this song, I think of one man: Don Strunk. He shaped my middle school years and beyond by singing this song....alot :-) On my way to work yesterday I passed by the subway stop. Usually there is a man with a mohawk at this corner passing out free newspapers. I realized as I was crossing the street that it was a different man (also signaling that it was a different free paper). I also noticed the man had a cane, a cane like blind people normally walk with. As I got onto the sidewalk I was going to continue down the avenue (as opposed to into the train like most people would be doing) and the man asked me if I'd like a newspaper. I was pretty amazed that he heard me walking by in tennis shoes while big trucks zoomed past us. I'm lucky if I can hear the conversation that's meant for me to hear it in these situations.
2 comments
Read more

Me and my shadow!

By
Please feel free to listen (or watch!) this song while reading this post. :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyEf1Lp7Byk I have always thought silhouettes were such lovely and understated works of art. I would be fascinated by the people who did it at Disney World, Kings Island, or Central Park. They could cut your silhouette out in minutes! I decided I thought it would be fun art to hang in our humble bedroom. Our bedroom is a work in progress. These silhouettes are only the second thing I have hung on the wall, so I am taking my time with it. We did get around to painting in over the summer. It went from drab and boring, to vibrant and living. It was amazing to me how the paint actually made the room look much bigger! In a house cursed with small rooms, that is indeed a blessing. I started out with some frames and material. The frames were fine as they were, but several accent things in our bedroom are white, so I opted to paint them. The material...well, I want to use it behin...
4 comments
Read more