Halloween craft

I should've posted this earlier.  Here is my blog post for the Wood Connection, which they never got around to posting it either because the person in charge just had a baby.  So here is my latest project...

Hi!  Mindy here from Savvy Sisters.  Who's already decorated for Halloween?  And who has been for a couple weeks?  I wasn't planning on decorating in mid September, but after doing this project, it made me want to get the rest of my stuff out.  My kids especially got excited and wanted me to get out all the Halloween stuff!  I'm glad I did, it's making me really excited for fall and Halloween, one of my most favorite times of the year! 

 I'm excited to share this project with you, it was a great addition to my fireplace!  Or you could put it outside on your porch on either side of your front door, would be really cute also!

Supplies needed:

2- framed planks 14"x24"

white paint

sanding block

regular paint brush (not foam)

contact paper (or vinyl)

wood stain (classic gray and black)

scissors

painters tape

computer/printer

First, lightly sand your wood.  Then put on the stain, I just use a foam brush and then wipe it off with paper towels or you can use an old rag.  I started with just the Classic Gray, but I didn't like how light it was, so I mixed some black with it.  A little bit of black can go a long way, so be careful and start small.  Then as you're waiting for it to dry you can work on the faces.

First get on your computer and search "jackolantern faces" in google images and pick out 4 faces you like.  I got all my images from there.  If you have a cutting machine like a Cricut or Silhouette by all means use those to cut your images.  If not, here is the way I did it.

Enlarge the images and print them out.  It doesn't matter if the image is blurry, you will just be cutting it out.  After you've printed them, rough cut around each image.   One of my images was larger than a sheet of paper so I had to print it on two and tape it together.

Then put tape on the back of the paper. 

Next, tape the images onto the contact paper.  I like to use contact paper because it's super cheap and you're just going to be throwing it away, so I don't like to waste my vinyl on projects like this.  Contact paper is like the stuff you use to line drawers and cupboards, you can find it at places like Target or Walmart.  

Then you just cut out each image and peel the sticker off to stick onto your board. 

Then I applied painters tape around all the edges so I didn't get paint on them.  Before you start painting be sure to press down all the contact paper edges firmly so you can have crisp clean lines.

Next, I am using a dry brush method, keyword DRY.  Put a little paint on your brush and then dab it off so your brush is mostly dry and then just start painting your board.  Keep dipping in paint and dabbing it off and going over your board over and over again until you achieve the look you are going for.  Again, start little and as you get used to it you can add more if needed.

Once you have achieved your look, just peel off your stickers and tape.  You can do this while the paint is still wet, just be careful.  And you're done!

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!