What to do with old barn wood?

Make signs of course!!
A friend of mine gave me a piece of the siding off one her family's old barns that was torn down. I debated forever on what to make with it! I knew it had to be a sign.... my original plans were to make a "welcome" sign. Then I saw the Paris sign in the Ballard Designs catalog and thought "A-Ha"! Wouldn't directional signs be a cool use?
The signs are 24" in length and approximately 7" high. I used the CraftRobo to cut out the stencil (I used shelf liner) and painted with acrylic white craft paint. I put two sawtooth hangers on the back and a piece of felt (to protect the wall). The first name is the town we live in, Casnovia, and the other two are the nearest cities.

Ballard Knock Off Components

Materials to make cube:
Stool ($1.00 from local thrift store)
Drop Cloth (under $10.00 from Home Depot)
Foam (left over from other project)
Batting (left overs)
Staple gun & staples
Acrylic paint & fabric medium
Craft Robo
Vinyl
2 yards of cording ($0.58 from Joann's)
Thread
Sewing Machine

Ballard Cube Knock Off

I completed my Ballard Designs "knock off"! Mine is not an exact replica as I wanted something I could throw in the washer if when it got dirty. Living with three males and two dogs....well, it's bound to happen! :)

A sewer I am not

I have always admired those who have the ability to look at a garment or project and recreate it. My sewing skills are not so refined. Don't get me wrong I can get by, but it's at a very slow pace and with my seam ripper nearby!
Well I am proud to say that I learned a new technique today. I made piping! I found an awesome video on You Tube that showed exactly how to do it. The video was about 9 minutes long and she made it look easy, so I decided to give it a whirl.
It wasn't too bad, and I am quite satisfied with my first attempt. I only had to rip out one short seam!!! I didn't take a pic of the piping by itself, but I will"show off" my newest project tomorrow featuring my piping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cy82Ga64Ys&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Loving the tags!

Who doesn't love Ballard Designs?? But seriously, sometimes their prices blow me away! If nothing else their items often encourage me to follow up on my own comment of "I could make that"!!
I've been on a tag "kick" lately and when the new catalog arrived with these in it I said "hmmm", then I saw the $25.00 price and said "I could make those!" LOL!




So again I go rummaging through my craft stash and come up with these items:





And the result is these: