DIY Beach Block Art

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Several weeks ago I featured Wilker Do's Scrap 2x4 Flag as a Bonus item on my Friday's Five Features. First of all, I love the patriotism. Second of all, I love the fact that she reused end pieces from other projects. I've been saving all my little end pieces and finally had a something I could do with them.

Materials:
End Pieces - Most of my scrap pieces are from 1x4s
Paint - I went with a beach theme, creams, greens and blues
Scrap board - size of your choosing
1x4" boards for frame
E6000 epoxy
Stain - steel pads, apple cider vinegar and tea {or store bought}

I started by lining up by scrap pieces by height.

I painted the blocks with various shades of cream, blue and green to fit with our Beach Bedroom

I also painted the scrap board just in case there was any extra spacing between the blocks

I randomly lined up all the blocks and glued them to the spare board with the E6000 epoxy

Once all the blocks were glued in place I built a custom frame around them using my 1x4 boards.

I wanted to give one of my homemade stains a try again. I went with the apple cider vinegar and tea stain {letting the steel and vinegar sit for one day}. The next few pics show the transformation. Below is a pic after I've covered the frame in the tea {you won't notice much change}.

This is immediately after coating the frame with the vinegar {again, you won't notice a lot of change}.

A 1/2 hour later and the frame wasn't as dark as I wanted so I repeated my steps. First, I coated the frame with tea and then again with the vinegar.

I waited about an hour this time and it was quite a bit darker. Success!

Next I tacked the frame together and then tacked it to my scrap board.

Placed a few picture hangers on the back and it was ready to go! Looks nice and beachy hanging next to my Beach Signs!

Side view. Loving the way it looks. And loving my first real attempt at a custom frame!

As much as I love it, one of my favorite parts has nothing to do with the beach blocks. It's the top part of the frame. There's a really great knot in the wood that I think is fantastic!

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***While I'm thrilled to share my step-by-step directions, the good and the bad, these are intended for your personal use. I'm always happy to hear and see what my bloggers have been working on. BUT a lot of work goes into these creations and while I have no issues sharing so you are able to create the work for your precious homes please understand that selling an exact duplication of my designs is highly frowned upon. :( Please always be considerate of another artists work. Thank you!***