DIY Butterfly Cross Using DollarTree Frame

The other day I shared how I made a DIY sunflower cross using a Dollar Tree frame. Today I am sharing a “how to” tutorial on how to make a butterfly DIY cross. These have been real popular especially as we transition from winter to spring. 

DIY Sunflower Cross using DollarTree Frame

 

I am really excited to share this DIY tutorial with you guys! I make a wide variety of these crosses to sell and I use DollarTree cross frames to do it. Our DollarTree has carried them year round this year but in years past I have had to order them on their website. These handmade crosses are one of my best sellers and I enjoy making them. 

I got the sunflower for the middle at Hobby Lobby but the DollarTree and Walmart sometimes carries them too. Here are some other variations that I make to sell. 

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!

Distressed DIY Coat Rack

I love how this turned out! We do not have a coat closet in our new home so I decided to make a coat rack. I took a cabinet door I found at a Habitat for Humanity Restore. First, I put the hardware on the back for hanging it up. Then I cleaned it and applied sander/deglosser according to the instructions. I then spray painted it with a couple coats of Rustoleum spray paint in the color “seaside”. I then used sandpaper to distress the painted finish in certain areas. 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. I did the stain process a couple times. At the end I applied a polyurethane finish. I got the instructions for distressing furniture from this link. https://www.addicted2decorating.com/diy-project-accent-furniture-how-to-paint-distress-and-antique-a-piece-of-furniture I then glued the cross hooks on that I bought at Hobby Lobby. Wanting a very strong adhesive, I used Gorilla glue to do this but you have to be really careful with Gorilla glue. It expands so use it sparingly, otherwise it might overflow around the edges. I left the original door handle on the bottom right to hang our dog leash from.