Recycled Wood Picture Project!!

Ok, I am really excited about this one! A few weeks ago I was in my second home, Lowes. I was looking for a free pallet and saw a pile laying next to the dumpster by the wood cutting section. They did not end up being free, so I passed. However, they told me I could take anything out of the wood dumpster. What?! Seriously?! How did I not know about this?! And it isn't like typical, nasty dumpster diving. It is inside and only has wood so you don't have to sort through Bobby's lunch scraps. It is only the scraps of what they cut. So I jumped in and found four already cut pieces of wood. Was it a coincidence I found 4 pieces of the same size wood and I have 4 beautiful faces to put on these? I think not! I grabbed them and brought them home.

Here is the finished product: (I didn't take pictures of the process since I didn't have this blog then, but it is super easy and I will explain)

Note to self: Learn to not have blurry pictures! Ahh!



What you will need:

1. Wood. It can be any size or thickness. The possibilities are endless. Go check out the dumpster at Lowes!!

2. Stain. I stained mine. You don't have to, I just like the look better than the original wood.

3. Paint. I didn't use paint, but you can if you want a certain color.

4. Mod Podge Matte. This is it:













5. Paint brush. Did you know Dollar Tree sells a pack of three paintbrushes for only a buck? And they are perfect for crafting. I like them way better than the cheapies at Lowes....

6. Pictures. It can be pictures of your babes, your pets, your flowers. Someone else's flowers. It is totally up to you!

Now that you have all of your supplies together, let's make something...

**If you need to cut your wood, do it now. Lowes will do it for free but don't forget to check that dumpster first!

**Stain or paint it. Or just leave it natural.

**After that has dried completely, take your picture and use your paintbrush to spread a thin layer of Mod Podge on the back of the picture. Turn the picture over and place it on the wood. I chose not to have my picture cover the entire piece of wood, but you can. Either way is fine. Make sure you have it just where you want it before you run your hands over it to seal it.

**Take your paintbrush and dip it in the Mod Podge. Gently brush a thin layer over the entire piece of wood, picture too. It will have a white film look over it. Don't worry, it will dry and have a nice look!

**After it dries, it is time to hang! I took mine to Hobby Lobby and had them put the hooks. They charged $1.00 a piece. I am sure you can buy these hooks for cheap at Lowes, I just didn't want to mess with drilling them in myself. They also added little rubber pieces at the bottom so it would hang just right and not rub the wall.

And there you go! A perfect way to display your pictures. My total cost for this was under $6.00! The most expensive part of it was the hooks.

Now hurry up and go dumpster diving at Lowes!! Or Home Depot. Or anywhere else that will let you.

Lenci