The awesome thing about being crafty is you can make gifts that cost very little. This works out great for me since I’m crafty(and cheap)!
You may remember the “Bless this Barn” sign I made out of my neighbor’s old gate. It was heading for the trash and I saved it’s life. Poor gate never saw it coming…the sign I made out of it was a Christmas gift for my husband’s parents. They have horses and I thought this would be a perfect gift to hang at the entrance to their barn.
You may also remember that my mom claimed what was left of that gate for a sign for herself and hinted that it could be for her birthday. Her birthday is February 5th so guess what? It’s all done and you get to be the first to see it!
What do you think? Her house is mostly black and neutrals with accents of dark red. I put it up on my mantle to take a picture and I kind of like it there. Plus, the saying is sweet and just in time for Valentine’s Day!
My mom loved the first sign so I made hers very similar.
Here is what I originally started with:
The first sign was made from the bottom portion of the gate. My husband just rounded the top off. The second sign needed a bit more work.
This was the original top portion of the gate but it needed a piece across the bottom to finish it off.
I used what I had on hand to attach a fence picket to the bottom. It was leftover from the same demo. I attached it with screws from the back so that they wouldn’t be seen from the front. I also added a couple of pieces of wood across the top for stability. Its not pretty but it won’t be seen when its up:)
Here it is ready to go after I attached the fence post to the bottom to finish it off.
After a quick clean up, I gave it two good coats of spraypaint.
While I was waiting for the paint to dry, I printed out the letters from my computer and cut them out. This made it easier to determine placement.
I traced around them in pencil and painted them in…the old fashioned way.
It took about three coats on the letters to cover the dark red. I free-handed “lives”. Then I added a bit of shadow in gold. Finally, I hauled its heavy tail back outside for a final coat of clear matte spray to seal it.
Voila:
I kept all the old hardware in tact. (And there’s me, good thing you can’t see my messy living room:)
I knew I would find a use for that gate! That’s two presents that cost me nothing but spray paint and hanging hardware so less than $10 each! See how well that works with my “I’m crafty (and cheap)!” theme?
Maybe my mom won’t mind if I hang on to it until after Valentine’s Day? It looks so nice on my mantel.
Thanks for stopping by, I’d love to know what you think!
XO,
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
Jennifer @ Decorated Chaos says
Oh wow. Your gate is gorgeous! I love how it turned out….you really did a great job at transforming it!
Christy K. James says
Thanks Jennifer:)
Christy K. James says
Thanks Pamela! Kinda wish I had one for me now! 🙂
Dana @ This Silly Girl's Life says
This is gorgeous, I wish I could get the courage to try it! We would love it if you would link up at our new linky party: Two Girls and a Party Hosted by:
Dana @ This Silly Girl’s Life
Parrish @ Life with the Crust Cut Off
We hope to see you there!
Christy K. James says
Thanks Dana! And thanks for the invite:)
Dana @ This Silly Girl's Life says
Thanks so much for linking up at Two Girls and a Party!
We hope to see you back every Wednesday to link up and check our featured blogs!
Marilyn says
I LOVE this …. I need to find me a door now! 😉
Christy K. James says
Thanks Marilyn! And thanks for taking the time to leave a sweet comment!
C says
I love what you did with the gate. It is so fun sto see how people repurpose things in such unexpected ways.
Christy K. James says
Thanks! I am impressed daily by what some of these ladies come up with!
Roeshel says
I love it! So sweet! You did a beautiful job. I love that it’s an old gate too. So creative!
Christy K. James says
Thanks Roeshel 🙂
Julie @ follow your heart woodworking says
Another one! Great!
Lucy Auburn says
Both your signs are gorgeous! Wish I could come across some old gates! I’ve pinned them both to my “PAINTED SIGNS” board.
http://pinterest.com/patinaparadise/painted-signs/
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Lucy! I wish I could come across some more!
Rebecca says
I am spending too much time looking at all of your projects. Love the signs and everything else.
Christy K. James says
Yay! I’m so glad you’re finding lots of things that you like! 🙂
Kelly @ The Moon and Me says
Very cool! I love it! Just in case your mom doesn’t like it…I’d be happy to take it off your hands. 😀
Kelly
Christy K. James says
Ha ha its funny you say that! My mom thought it felt too “heavy” for the space she wanted it for, so my MIL snapped it up! I loved it on my mantel for Valentines 🙂
Shelly- minettesmaze.blogspot.com/ says
Love this! This is great inspiration for a few things I got laying around. Thanks for sharing with us on DIY Sunday Showcase!
Cassia MyMommyStyle Blog says
I LOVE this!! I am pinning it for sure because I just have to create it for my home!! We would love for you to come link up at the Be.YOU.tiful link party here:
http://www.mymommystyle.com/2014/01/30/6862/
Christy K. James says
All linked up! Thanks for the invite 🙂
Paula@SweetPea says
I love this project! Thanks so much for sharing it with Throwback Thursday!
Denyse @ Glitter, Glue & Paint says
It’s always love at first site, Christy! Thanks for sharing at throwback Thursday. You are being featured this week.
xoxo
Denyse
Christy K. James says
Aww, you always make my day! Thanks, Denise…have a great week!! XO
Toodie says
Love those signs! The red one would go perfectly in my home.
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Toodie! I don’t have any red in my home, but I loved this pop of color on my mantel!
lynn says
i think it’s fabulous. =)
Christy K. James says
Thank you, Lynn! XO
Robin says
OMG! Really love both signs as I also have deep red accents throughout house, and a hint of black works in any room! Guess we’ll all be scouting for gates now! Really loved the Halloween sign, too! Will have to plan early for next year, but the mailbox post could work for any holiday minus the ravens….
Thanks for sharing all of your inspiring ideas!
Christy K. James says
So glad you enjoyed all my signs! They are such a simple way to add a huge impact! 🙂