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Saturday, October 22, 2011

31 Days: Day 22 - Lath Star

Today's Christmas Gift may seem like it's not very easy, but it is truly extremely simple to make.   I think it would make a great impression when you give it as a Christmas gift, too.  You will need:
  • 5 pieces of Lath - We were able buy it already cut down to the right size - 24 inches long.  I would have bought the longer because it was cheaper, but the longer kind looked awful and was falling apart - so we took the shorter, but better looking stuff and saved a little time cutting it up.
  • Bolts or screws and nuts
  • Drill with bit
  • Ivory Spray paint
  • Brown Acrylic Paint or stain
  • Paint brush
  • Polyurethane


Here's how we got the lath.  You could use scrap wood or the longer kind and cut it down to 24 inches.    Drill a hole in both ends about an inch from the end and in the center.  (This doesn't have to be measured, but try to put them in the same place.)

Next, order up a beautiful day like today, and spray a light coat of Ivory spray paint.  I used Krylon.  You want to cover it, but it doesn't have to be a thick coat.  I was able to only use some of one can for three stars.  I took a piece of sand paper at this point and sanded all the edges lightly.  It gave a base for the paint to soak into, and it took off quite a few of the little slivers on the edges, too.

After the paint is dry, take a small amount of the brown acrylic paint on a plate, and take just a tiny bit on a dry brush, so that it barely shows up.  When you dry brush on the edges and a little of the face of each board, it will age it and make it look antiqued a little.  Spray the polyurethane to coat both the back and front of the pieces of lath.  This way, you can hang it indoors or outdoors.

Now, you need a really smart teenager to take the nuts and bolts and fasten the ends together to form a star with the 5 pieces of lath.  Really, it's just like you draw a star - but Mr. Right couldn't figure it out like my 15 year old could!

Hang or put a ribbon on it to give as a gift!

A closer look at the dry brushing and the screw we used.

Check out the blogs I love to link up to in the right column.  Also, don't forget that you can get free shipping in my Etsy Shop here by using the code: 31 Days at checkout.

4 comments:

  1. That would make a brilliant present! You did a fabulous job.

    Best wishes,
    Natasha

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  2. Very creative! Great job. Thanks for sharing.
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

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  3. what a creative project. thanks for sharing. have a lovely sunday!


    ^^)lelanie

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