TNT: Home Depot Alteration

On the odd Saturday morning about every two weeks or so, I am probably off teaching a class somewhere.  And so my husband was shepherding the kids around to their activities.  Well a couple weeks ago it was Cameron's Boy Scouts trip to the Home Depot for the 9:00am kids' workshop.  Can I tell you my daughters were not amused?

Courtney and Brianna of course pride themselves in doing everything better, faster, etc. than any boy - and I must admit Courtney's little birdhouse, rainfall catcher looked very well put together.  But that victory aside - it lost all its charm as soon as it got home.  So this morning, I saw the sad little project sitting on the catchall front entrance hall table and asked Courtney if I could do some real home improvement on it.  She didn't care what I did with it - because she was done with it. 

I don't consider myself handy either.  I have a little bin of this and that which I keep in the laundry room.  First I found the hammer and pounded in the nails on the roof so they were flat to the surface.  Then I put glue on one side of the roof.  Now I know some of my altering friends like to use adhesive sheets for this step - but they are too ONE SHOT for me.  I like a liquid glue that gives me a little wiggle room.  So I outlined and 'squiggled' some Fabritac onto the surface.

I invert this onto the wrong side of my cardstock and hold in place for about thirty seconds.  Make sure the edge of the paper is just barely visible. Loose paper edges sink altered projects.  :)

Now the scary Xacto knife comes out.  Just make sure you have the blade against the paper, not the wood.  We aren't doing wood-shaving today.  A fresh blade and a glass cutting mat are your friends.

Do this for all the edges you can get at easily.  Obviously, it would be better to do these steps before the piece was glued together - but it is completely doable.

 
For the front, there is a little screw there, to hold the rain catcher.  I'm going to leave it, because I feel like a little basket or something is going to hang there in the future.  I cut a small v-notch in my cardstock, measuring from the straight edge of the paper and placing it alongside the screw.

 
The piece of paper was cut larger than the wood piece, and I use my fingers to bend it into corners and around the edges to create a cutting guide. 

 
Once you've got this sized perfectly, use it to create a pattern for the other side and back of the shape.

And glue them on.  After the glue has dried, you can use a nail file, pushing towards the unfinished edge, not pulling the paper away from the edge; to sand down any loose pieces.  In this project, I had to loosly cut out the circle after the fact, and so this was very handy.  Note: glittery nail files aren't required, but hey, they are fun to use.  This is just me asserting my girly-girl self into the project at hand.

Now, I decided to apply some 'gingerbread' style trim to the house. 

I used some Glimmer Mist and Glimmer Glam to color it to coordinate with my project and make it sparkle.

A little Fabritace along the edges, and the gingerbread lace is attached.  And now I wanted to bedeck my house with climbing vines of pearls and roses too.  But don't those roses scream 'color me!' ?  At least that was what they were saying to me from the moment I saw them at CHA.

So a Copic Marker (V17) does the trick.  It's an Alice in Wonderland moment.  I'm painting the roses... purple.

 
I decided to add a Petite Floral Vine along the roofline.  And a mini-clamp was just the trick to make sure it adhered in place with my Fabritac.  Yes, girls - the mini-clamp is another thing I found at Home Depot that is indispensable for altering things.

And that's it!  I decided in the end that this would make a darling placecard holder for my dining room table when we have Easter dinner.  Of course that means I will need more... but it will suit at the dinner table tonight for Ms. Courtney.  So I took the packaging from the Say It in Pearls and cut it down to size for a placecard.

As a last step, I sanded all the edges with my nail file and put a light spray of Marshmallow Glimmer Mist to give it an overall shabby chic look.  I glued on a little butterfly wire card holder I had on hand for holding class sample placards.  Perfect!

Make sure to click on the picture for a closer look.

As if the staff at my Home Depot doesn't already scatter when I enter the building.  Someone once had the nerve to tell me something was in 'the hardware section'.  Can you tell me what part of that store does not qualify as the hardware section?  Puh-lease!  To which I countered that I was looking for somethng, like copper pipe that could be cut down to make a petit four cutter, but I wanted it to be square. Thank you for returning the blank stare...take that, Home Depot.

Well let me tell you, after today - I hope the crafters descend upon the Home Depot - because girls... this house it haute! 

Products used in this project:

• Indeed Cardstock, #813161
• Say It In Pearls Swirls #535667
• Flutter Vine, Violet, #533748
• Lace #529451

And now, to add to the fun...simply leave a comment on this blog post for your chance to win a prize! We will randomly choose a winner on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010. Open to North American only for this drawing.  Check back every 4 weeks or so for a world-wide drawing!!

From the entries received on our last technique post, using Random.org's random integer generator -- the winner for our previous technique post drawing is:

What a great idea!

Posted by: Claude | March 11, 2010 at 08:05 PM

Claude!

Please contact me so we can mail out your lovely prize at sallylynn@primamarketinginc.com.  Prizes will be held for 7 days only.  Please contact us promptly.

Best of luck to each of you!  And I look forward to chatting with you today and every week with TNT.

P.S. Do you want a Prima Endorsed Artist-Educator to teach a workshop at your store or event?  Contact Lu at 909-627-5532 and dial 2 for more information.  The full schedule of upcoming workshops is online too.  Make sure to check out the current workshop listings on the Prima Artist-Educator blog.  We've got you covered from Kansas to Germany to New Zealand - and everywhere in-between.

 

Sally Lynn MacDonald
http://www.sallylynnmacdonald.com
http://www.facebook.com/sallylynn.macdonald

Products used in this project:

• Indeed Cardstock, #813161
• Say It In Pearls Swirls #535667
• Flutter Vine, Violet, #533748
• Lace #529451

Comments

[Sheila]

Beautiful work.....as always.

[Dani]

GORGEOUS! I keep coming back here simply because of all the inspiration I get! Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the chance. :)

[Shawna]

Really pretty! I love altering this kind of stuff.

[Joelle]

That is truly beautiful! Love this project :)

[Colleen]

Wow! this is gorgeous! I love the challenge of altering unusual things.

[Scrapycandy]

Oh, I want this on my fireplace mantel! I'll have to get this project started...thanks for the terrific idea! and the list of products.

[Lillian Child]

A simply stunning birdhouse creation!

[kip]

Wow, how creative!! I love it and I love the flowers esp!

[JPScraps]

For some reason I love birdhouses and this is Beautiful. I think I need to go to Michael's with a coupon & get a birdhouse;)

[Yeona McEntire]

OMG, this is soooo beautiful! I'll have to get this project started soon! TFS!

[Becky Elliott]

I love your altered birdhouse! I want to try one, and Prima is perfect for the project!! Thanks for the inspiration!

[Anne Thompson]

Love Love Love the altered birdhouse! I do this with other small boxes and cupboards but I've never done a birdhouse. Think it's time to head to Home Depot!! Anne, yourmainestamper

[Chris Aiton]

Beautiful and so clever - thanks for the chance to win - I love Prima!

[Melinda Wilson]

Love this cute birdhouse!

[Wendy Wirth]

Wow, I bet your daughter wishes she could have the birdhouse back now. Very nice.

[Sally Lynn MacDonald]

LOL, Wendy - when she gets home I cannot wait to show her what Mommy did with it...and you KNOW it will be hers once again. And I'll be doing Brianna's too. And possibly Camerons, with a boyish flair. We'll see!

[Lisa W]

Oh my, that is one beautiful birdhouse. To think,when I first say the birdhouse undone, I had no idea it would turn out so wonderful!

[Marylee]

Ah.h.h.h! The house that Courtney & Sally built! Beauti-mous! :)

[Melissa Sauls]

That is totally cool and thanks for the instructions!!

[Claude]

What a stunning, stunning birdhouse! I love the colours you chose for it.
I'm thrilled I was picked as a winner! :) Thanks!

[Lisa Barba]

I never realized how many things I can use my scrapbook supplies for that dont have to do with scrapbooks! Now i can tell my hubby its not just for scrapbooking :)

[ruth tacoma]

Gorgeous!

[Julie O.]

Very beautiful lil' house! The pearls just top it off!

[joparker]

What a transformation....that turned out totally absolutely gorgeous!!! I'm inspired to do an altered project now! TFS!!

[Kelli]

I really love this take on a birdhouse :o)

[Robin Wade]

ACK! OMGosh that is beautiful!! May have to visit Home Depot this weekend!! TFS!

[Michele K]

We have the exact same birdfeeder thingy from Home Depot. My husband takes them most months to make these projects. They are all sitting in the garage right now. Wow, have you given me some major inspiration. Thanks.

[Jamie Dougherty]

That is adorable!!!

[Janette]

Beautiful work, fun bird house.

[Krystle]

I cannot believe how you took that simple birdhouse and turned it into a piece of art!

[Anna Koziarek]

gorgeous work!!! love it!

[Diana]

That turned out awesome! Love it! TFS!

[ArlaMo]

Cute project! I love Home Depot, but the guys there never can figure out my crafty/girly requests so I just set to searching all those orange shelves on my own.

[Robin H]

What an adorable birdhouse! Cute idea.

[Amber C]

Wow that is gorgeous! Who knew such pretty things could come out of a hardware store?!

[Nancy L.]

its so cute!!

[Charlotte D]

The birdhouse is beautiful! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

[Trish Garcia]

My husband worked for home depot for years, it's a great place to find things to alter, like empty paint cans, tiles, glass blocks, endless possibilities. Thanks for the fabulous birdhouse, to die for!

[Iris]

Love the bird house - beatiful.

[fong33]

That is absolutely beautiful. My niece is learning to birdwatch, so this birdhouse would be great to do with her.

[Lisa Henderson]

How cute!

[Summer Braxton]

What a show stopper! Wowza Kapowza!

[Sarah]

oh my heck did I REALLY need another project idea? Is there really space in my s-crap room for more? Oh yeah...totally.
Too dang cute for words!

[sandra m.]

my kids have made those little H.D. kits. I never thought of altering them. I sense some fun on the horizon...

[Ami Pilon]

What a great little project. The instructions were clear enough to make me think that I might be able to accomplish this. Thank you.

[Kim Larivière]

wow! This is an amazing bird house!

[paula]

that is totally amazing! what a complete makeover! heck, all WE did was paint.....this is something i will have to remmber for the next time! WOW!

[Jess]

Stunning project! Love the glimmer mist on ribbon technique!

[Cynthia B.]

My 7yo daughter came home with that exact birdhouse! Sadly, she won't let me touch it, except to give her more paint to slather on it. *sigh* How you've altered it is just gorgeous!!

[Lisa]

Just too freakin cute!!!!!!!!!!
I'm sure Courtney soon claimed it back for her room!

[Olivia L.]

That is Ah-mazing! so very chic, too :)

[Elaine Allen]

Sally -

I love this bird house! I can't believe how you transformed it, just amazing! And isn't Home Depot a great place to shop for craft supplies? I don't ask anymore - I just walk up and down the aisles and pickup whatever catches my fancy - LOL!

Elaine Allen

[Karrie]

Love the birdhouse, so pretty!!! And thank you for showing us how you put it together!!

[Joy]

Beautiful art work as always! Love it!

[Denise Jensen]

OMGoodness...this is just so beautiful. It reminds me of Spring!! So refreshing and pretty!!

[Bev]

You did an awsome job!!! Now tell me, does Courtney want her birdhouse now????...lol. I know I would!

[nitasha]

Too cute! My son made the raincatcher too, but I can't bling his out because he's been gradually putting his own decor on it with paint and stickers! Hmmm...depending on what they make next month I may make my older son go with us so I can have his project when we get home! LOL!

[catherinel]

This is so pretty

[Misty Willis]

The birdhouse is MAGNIFICENT! And...that is so funny about the blank stare thing...I get it all the time, too!! Those poor craft deprived people!!! LOL!!

[Juli C]

great project!! i love the outcome...
so birds are living large! hehe

hugs
juli

[Georgia]

Gorgeous...Home Depot, here i come!

[Diana B]

Totally gorgeous bird house!

[conniemelancon]

This is beautiful! thanks for the tutorial.

[craftlyn]

Love this little altered birdhouse! Great touches...the climbing vine is awesome on it!

[SuZeQ]

Woop. Woop. Booty Dance. Booty Dance. Rump-Shakin' Booty Dance. Oh yes, I'm doing all that over your birdhouse ... it ROCKS!

[Suzette]

wow, what a way to dress up the birdhouse. Amazing!!! Home Depot rocks!! Thanks for the awesome idea.

[Jodee]

Ooh! This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing how you did this.

[Keitha]

I love this project, and can certainly see one on display in my house. Thanks for continuting to provide such great inspiration!