It’s project challenge time again and this one is a really fun one. They’ve all been fun but for this one I came up with something a bit unique.
Our category was ‘Reclaimed Wood’.
What’s so unique about that you say? Well, the wood I used is Reclaimed Cypress from the 1800’s! The actual age of the tree I don’t know, but this stuff comes out of the Mississippi Bayous and the logs have been underwater in the bayou since the 1800’s sometime. And the logs are HUGE. Hundreds of years old and preserved in the swamp for a couple hundred more!
A friend of ours has a woodworking business and he gets the most unique and amazing jobs. He does work on court houses, state buildings, large corporations like J.Jill, etc. This wood was used for at least one job and when I saw the scrap pieces he had left over I fell in love. This friend loves to pick on me about painting wood – he just cannot see any reason to ever paint wood and he lets me know quite often his opinion of painted wood. (all in good fun!) With this particular wood we agree – I couldn’t bring myself to paint it. The color, texture, grain, and obvious age it carries is so lovely how could I cover it up?!
I considered staining it but I couldn’t bring myself to do that either.
So I cut a stencil with my Silhouette, stenciled the saying on the board, and sanded lightly to distress the letters just a bit.
Viola and done. My husband had already cut a keyhole slot in the back so I can hang it if I want to.
I saw the saying ‘The Mountains are calling, and we must go… somewhere on pinterest or facebook or somewhere and thought it was fun. But I don’t love the mountains and they don’t particularly call to me. So I just changed the saying to fit what does call to me – the ocean.
I also made a stencil that said ‘the Beach is calling, and we must go… and made several painted signs that I took to my event last weekend. Everyone loved them and they sold very well.
See that lovely grain? It’s so tight and small – you don’t find that in the new wood you buy today. Only the really old stuff boasts this lovely look. Each of those rings they say is one year. These trees are said to have started growing 500 years before Christopher Columbus discovered America. Wow.
The cute feathers are also made of reclaimed wood but just lowly pallet wood. My husband used some cool pallets I got for free and made a bunch of fun arrows. He split the wood lengthwise to get more use out of it and he had just a few pieces of really thin stuff. I traced some feathers on them and he cut them out for me. I love the rough wood for these – it’s a bit ‘feathery’. I liked them tucked into this old spring and added to my vignette.
I really wish there were more of these thin pieces of wood cause these are just so fun!
And now you need to see my friends projects using reclaimed wood – they all did an amazing job!
You can also add your own link to a reclaimed wood project of your own!
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Love your sign and the feathers are adorable!
Thank you Angie I love them both too!
Wow, that wood is really a treasure! It was very clever of you to change the saying to fit your life and the sign is just so lovely! I adore the wood feathers too! I hope you’re able to get your hands on more of that thin wood!
Thanks so much Lisa!
You can buy veneer in all kinds of wood that would make great feathers!!! I was in the veneer business for 20 plus years and there are several companies that sell veneer. Probably need to go online and search. Just an idea!!!
That is a good idea Donna, I’ll have to take a look at veneer and see what I can find. These would be fun to use for name tags on Christmas gifts !
I love this, what beautiful wood with a great sentiment. Love the feathers too!
Thanks Becky
How amazing! I love that you left the wood natural. Such a history…and those feathers…so amazing!! 😉
Thanks Michele – I love the wood natural too. And I’m really glad I kept these feathers instead of selling them!
Such a gorgeous vignette, and lovely project, Jill. All you ladies have done so well! 🙂 Thank you for hosting.
Thanks Larissa! It was a fun one 🙂
The cypress that you used for your sign has such a gorgeous grain. It amazes me that water will preserve wood. The feathers that your husband made from pallet wood are unique and I love them. I think I’ll show them to my hubby and perhaps he will get the hint. 🙂
I agree Paula, I think too it’s amazing that these huge logs have been preserved under water! I would dearly love to have floors made out of it in a house someday – but there is no way I’d ever be able to afford it. I feel very lucky to have a few pieces of the scraps!
Jill….I love the color of the old cypress but I especially love the saying and how simple the fonts are that you used. I need that in my house!
Thanks Holly 🙂 I bet you could make one yourself!
You are so creative and you always inspire me, Jill. I love your sign and the feathers…I have a love of feathers but have never had wooden ones and yours are so lovely!
Thanks so much Mary Beth! You made my day!
Beautiful project Jill! Love the quote!
Thanks Susan! It was a fun one to do
Wow! I love those feathers! Very creative Jill…who would of thought to do that? Wow!
Thanks Cheryl, my hubby was the one who thought of doing the feathers on the really thin stuff. I had a feather pattern and was going to do a few feathers along with the arrows we made – and he pulled out this thin stuff 🙂
I loved reading about that old wood. If only it could talk, eh?
You’ve done a nice job honoring the integrity of the wood with both the quote sign and the feathers. Those are really something.
Delightful post and linkup. I wish I had all day to visit everyone of them. What fun you’re having here.
Oh wouldn’t it be fun if the wood could talk? Tell us who planted it and all the sights it saw in the hundreds of years it stood?!
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