Image Map

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Amanda vs. Pinterest

I decided that I was going to start a tradition this year that every Christmas I would make one homemade gift for Logan (and any other future children) and one homemade decoration for our humble abode.  I'm hopeful that it will make Christmas an even more special time of year in our home.

So of course, where did I turn for Christmas DIY ideas?  None other than my favorite place on the www.... Pinterest!

This year I chose this latches board for Logan's gift.  I saw the pin and just knew my little boy would love it.  You'll probably remember that I haven't had the greatest luck with homemade toys in the past, but I was hopeful that this time it'd be different!  And I was right!  Logan loves this toy and plays with it often.  If it hadn't been for Kermit and an electric keyboard Christmas morning it could have been the hit of the Christmas!  Anyway, here's Pinterest's version and mine (yes, I'm upping my game and going with side by side photos!)


I guess I didn't realize that my board looked so barren until I looked at the original pin... but I've got over $30 of hardware on this baby!  It's enough to keep even my busy toddler interested, so I think it's sufficient.  So what do you think of my masterpiece?  I think it's my favorite thing that I've made so far.  I'm super happy with how it turned out.  Here's the step by step of how I did it!

1.  Buy board and all latches you want to use.  I got the board at Michael's and all the hardware at Home Depot.  I think the board was about $9 and as aforementioned all other parts were about $30.  So this craft isn't cheap, but it's solid and will last!  It is also bigger than it looks.  The board is 11" x 13" so it's pretty hefty as well.

2.  Print off letters for name.  I knew I wanted my letters to be bigger than the Pinterest board's letters.  I originally planned on putting latches over-top of the letters but it turned out that I didn't need to.  

3. Trace around letters.  This will help you when you paint.  I learned this technique from a different pin on Pinterest.  See it here.  


4.  CAREFULLY paint the letters.  Luckily, I didn't make any mistakes.  But go slowly and use a small brush!


5.  Arrange your latches and screw!  The back of the packaging for pretty much all of the hardware is going to tell you that you need to drill a hole first..... but remember these latches are designed for being screwed into doors, windows, gates, etc. not sissy craft wood.  I had no problem screwing in all the latches with just a regular screwdriver and some elbow grease.  One thing I would watch out for is that the screws don't pop out on the other side, since the board is relatively thin.  I almost used a screw that would have been too long, but luckily caught myself.  


6.  Stand back and admire (and post a pic to Instagram)!  And imagine your little man (or lady) playing with it.  I know they will love it just like my son does!

No comments:

Post a Comment