Once upon a time at Hobby Lobby, I saw a chunk of wood. It was black with white “No. 1” and distressed and I wanted it, but then the thrifty DIY girl in me decided – “I can make that from scrap wood easily”! AND make it to look however I want and so my DIY brain got to thinking and this is what I came up with…

I cut a piece of 2 x 4.5 into a square and sanded the edges using my Dremel Multi-Max.

I gave it a white base coat using Deco Art Americana “White Wash”. 

I was going to do a No. 1 but then when I started looking around the Silhouette America Online Store, I came across a vintage crown image and decided I’d like that better. Using my Silhouette Cameo, I cut out the crown shape and used the negative part as a stencil…

I had Americana – Traditional Burnt Umber craft paint on hand…

Added a little ‘bling’ using Deco Art’s Glamour Dust (Ice Crystal)…

Then I peeled away the vinyl while paint was still wet.

I sanded the block edges again and a little bit of the wet paint to give it a worn look or maybe even because I lacked patience…but it’s all good and works out.  😉

Using TransTint dye from Rockler (I love this stuff! A little goes a long way!), I dry brushed a glaze effect…

{Mix with water according to instructions or ‘guestimate’ for small projects. Set left over and brush aside/uncovered where it won’t be disturbed to store. Water will evaporate. Use again by adding water! No wasting! Or mix in a sealable container and save.}

Super cute, huh?

See that beautiful rustic/vintage picture of me with the girls?

It’s all one piece {image transferred to wood + frame}. It looks like it, but there’s no glass! Here’s a closer look:

I LOVE it! That’s the awesome work of Dennis from Double D’s Workshop! Yes, he made it using digital image! The quality is amazing! It’s such a great gift idea (Valentine’s day for your significant other IS coming up!). Get more info at Double D’s Workshop! {Thanks for the beautiful gift, Dennis!}

Stay tuned tomorrow when I show you the other side of my little wood chunk (may as well get 2 looks from 1 piece, right?) and a few other projects I did to create a blue Valentine vignette.  🙂 What’s that? You want a little sneak peek?  Okay then, here you go:

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Let’s see what you’ve been up to this week!