How to Distress Wood to get Farmhouse Look

     The “farmhouse” look has become popular in home decor and fits in well with the Americana style that I love. Here is the link to a video that I made awhile back for my Instagram account on how I get the white, aged, distressed farmhouse look. In the video, I use two pieces that I made using this technique. One with a barn star that I made and one with a card modpodged to the base.  I commonly pick up used cutting boards for cheap at the Goodwill and other thrift stores and use them as a base for my pieces. On the video I show a barn star that I made with my Sizzix but you can buy them on Amazon or sometimes Hobby Lobby. 

DIY Farmhouse Distressed Look

DIY Dollar Tree Patriotic House Decor

    I just love these cute little houses you can buy at the Dollar Tree and the possibilities of what designs to put on them are endless! I have put together this little video of how I made this one. 

Supplies:

Wood House Cutout (I usually get mine at the Dollar Tree

Napkin or tissue paper of choice

White paint (I used spray paint)

Modpodge  (Dollar Tree, Walmart, any craft store)

Jumbo Craft Sticks

Brown Paint or stain

Black ink

Small paint brush

Medium paint brush for applying Modpodge 

Cricut supplies if you want to apply lettering OR store bought lettering

DIY Americana Wall Decor Upcycled from Cabinet Door

Check out this beautiful Americana piece of wall decor that I made from upcycling an old cabinet door! I actually made it some time ago and it is still one of my favorite pieces that I have made. 

     I found the cabinet door at a Habitat for Humanity Restore. Before you do anything, go ahead and put hooks on the back for hanging it on the wall. I started off by wiping it down real good and then I applied sander / deglosser according to the instructions on the bottle. After that I sprayed a couple coats of Rustoleum Colonial Red satin finish spray paint, letting it dry thoroughly in between coats. Then I used fine grit sandpaper to sand off the paint in certain areas to help the distressed look. You want to do this in areas that natural wear would normally occur, like edges, corners, where a handle might be. I actually went a little overboard on this piece but still love how it turned out. Then using a paintbrush, I applied stain to the entire surface after which I wiped it down with a rag, leaving stain in the crevices. The stain I used was Minwax, Honey. Finally, I applied a polyurethane finish. Here is the link that I got the instructions on how to distress from. https://www.addicted2decorating.com/diy-project-accent-furniture-how-to-paint-distress-and-antique-a-piece-of-furniture After that, to add a bit more distressing, I took stiff small paint brush and went around the edges and other areas with some black ink (like you use for stamping).

     Once the distressing was complete, I got to add the decorations! I got burlap ribbon from the Dollar Tree, placed it where I wanted it, wrapping the ends around the back and hot gluing them. I got the red berry garland at Hobby Lobby and the red barn star off of Amazon. I make my own barn stars now but when I made this piece, I did not have the tools to do so. Certain times of year you can also get them at Hobby Lobby. To distress the burlap ribbon, I used the same small paint brush and black ink.  And voila there you have it!