Tea Light Candle Holder

My favorite Christmas project so far this year has been my wood tea light holders.  I love the way they turned out, but I also love that they were completely free!  Everything I needed, I already had in my garage.

I used leftover 4x4 blocks from when we built our new fence a couple years ago.  I drilled the holes using a 1 1/2 inch drill bit (like this) for the tea lights, then stained the block of wood with a dark ebony stain.

When the stain was dry, I painted two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White.

I printed the words onto a piece of paper, then traced over them with a ballpoint pen.  I pressed just hard enough to see an outline of the letters in my wood.  Then I used a tiny paintbrush and filled it in.

I don't have a very steady hand, so I was really disappointed with my paint job.  However, a little distressing takes care of all the painting outside the lines.  It also took care of all the paint marks when I dropped my brush!

I let everything dry, then started sanding away with my sanding block.  I love how soft this paint is after you distress it.  So soft and smooth.  My girls kept "petting" the wood because they loved the way it felt.

I think this will make perfect hostess gifts this season.

Linking to:
Elizabeth & Co., A Bowl Full of Lemons, Coastal Charm
Blackberry Vine

DIY Growth Charts with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I have always loved growth charts.  So when I saw all the distressed growth charts on Pinterest, I knew I would eventually make one. 

They are so easy and inexpensive to make.  It took me a couple days to complete because of drying time, but the actual work is quick.

 

I used a 1x6 from Home Depot, sanded all the edges and corners and then stained it.  I let it dry overnight and then lightly sanded it again so it was nice and smooth.

 

I marked every six inches and then taped my squares so I could apply paint.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint because it dries quickly and distress easily. 

 

After the painted squares were dry, I used a plastic stencil from Michaels to paint the numbers.  I did get a lot of bleeding from the paint under the stencil, but once everything was distressed, it was not noticeable. 

 

 

 

I did two coats of white paint and only one coat of the blue paint before distressing.  I definitely like it better with two coats of paint.  The blue looked too washed out, not really distressed.

 

I love the way these turned out.  I can't wait until I can actually starting marking both my girls' heights!

 



 

 

Linking to:

DIY Showoff, Elizabeth & Co., A Bowl Full of Lemons

Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Blackberry Vine, Sugar Bee Crafts, Hope Studios