Menards Archives | Old Lake George

Flattery will get you….a Christmas Tree

by Wendy Scheel | Dec 18, 2015 | DIY

I have been looking for a quote to post that really spoke to me.

Although I truly believe in this quote, I soon realized that if I posted this:

The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. -Benjamin Mays

people would wonder who my guest blogger was today. I am not known to be a deep thinker. 🙂

So in the name of keeping it real, I chose this quote instead:

Imitation is the sincerest form of Flattery. -Charles Caleb Colton

The quote actually came to me after I read the BowerPower blog post yesterday. They shared how to cut a Christmas tree shaped cutting board from some left over butcher block.

Hold on for a bunch of flattery.

While finishing up some Christmas gift shopping in town, I swung by Menards and bought this 1″ oak board.

What I really wanted was some actual butcher block, but at $79 for a 4 foot section, I figured I had better start out smaller. Besides I didn’t have a cart and I couldn’t lift the butcher block. Totally justified my cheapness.

I chose a smaller oak board instead. Much easier to haul to the check out.

Wade had a jigsaw at home so I was in business, except for the fact that I have never used a jigsaw saw.

Ever.

What I lack in skill I make up for in creativity and enthusiasm. 🙂

Following the tutorial’s directions, I folded a piece of paper in half and drew half of a Christmas tree, cut it out, unfolded it and traced it onto my the oak board.

Have I ever mentioned that my husband is in the Safety and Compliance field? He is Mr. Safety, 24/7. That’s good, sometimes irritating, but good. 🙂

So for safety reasons I did not take any pictures of me cutting out my tree shape because that would’ve been a poor safety choice. And Wade, I did use eye and ear protection. But you know that because you walked into the garage to “get something” and noticed that I was OSHA approved. 🙂

Moving on. Here is my approximately 11″ x 11″ tree prior to being sanded.

Not bad for a newbie jigsawer! I like to think it has a touch of whimsy. Besides, the perfect Christmas tree is in the eye of the beholder.

(This next part I totally cheated on.)

I have had these wooden stars for, well, a long time. My guess would be that I inherited them from my Mom. Regardless they were sparkly, wood and whimsical and exactly what I would have made had I cut out my own stars.

I drilled a hole in the top of my tree and a matching hole in the star.

Now since this board is going to be used with food it needs to be treated. The Bower Power blog suggests using Mineral Oil.

Another option is Hemp Oil. I used the oil from the Miss Mustard Seed line of products.

No matter which product you choose be sure to read the label to make sure it is food safe.

I applied 3 coats of oil, letting the wood dry in-between each application.

Using decorative twine, my final step was to attach the golden wood star to the whimsical Christmas tree.

I tied a triple knot in the twine, inserted it thru the hole in the star and tree and tied another triple knot on the back side.

Not only can this be used as a cutting board but with the 1″ width of the tree it makes a great standing decoration OR a cheese and cracker plate.

So many options from one whimsical tree.

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend,

Wendy

Jumping Onto The Plank Wall Bandwagon

by Wendy Scheel | Dec 9, 2015 | DIY

I am not a morning person.

To get myself going in the morning before 7am is to me like fingernails on a chalkboard to others. Painful.

Every morning after exhausting every possibility that I could fall back asleep, I throw my feet out of bed onto the floor and grunt that it is morning. From there I zombie walk to the kitchen, get my Mt. Dew out of the refrigerator, grab a granola bar, fire up my phone and start reviewing emails, Etsy orders and check my favorite blogs.

Like the Groundhogs Day movie, this same thing happens every morning. Thank goodness my son is at school and my husband is already deep into his day of work.

Don’t look at me. Don’t talk to me.

Wait until I have had at least 3 sips of my morning Mt. Dew.

Once that jolt of caffeine kicks in I am ready to go. Happy as a clam and looking forward to the day.

Yesterday morning while sitting here, working on that third sip,

I decided that today was the day to re-decorate something. I had been itching to do something around the house and it was staring me right in the face.

This wall needed a makeover.

I went to my body pump class and afterwards to Home Depot, Joann Fabrics and finally Menards before I found what I was looking for.

I had painted and wallpapered our bedroom last summer with a faux brick effect.

The paper is very thick and forgiving of any nicks or nail holes that might be in your wall and very easy to hang. The instructions are included with the paper or you can find a ton of You Tube tutorials if you are new to wallpapering.

This is the brand I used.

The reason I had to go to 3 different stores is because these styles are being replaced. That was good news for me. Each roll, and I needed two, was on sale for $19.99. (Originally $60 a piece) 🙂

I have been wanting to jump onto the Plank Wall bandwagon, but I hesitated because I like to change my décor often and I didn’t want all of those nail holes in my wall.

Next best thing, wallpaper.

I cleared everything off of the wall, pulled the chair, the Christmas Tree and dresser away from the wall and began with a clean slate.