THE CARIBBEAN CRAFT CORNER
Let’s take a little trip back. Remember the Field Trip: The BIG Chessboard? If you haven’t seen it, take a moment and refresh your memory of Casa de Vista’s front lawn and what exactly was in that area.
The front lawn clean-up with the dismantling of the wooden decks was quite an improvement. Thank you, Blake (our son) & Mark (our daughter, Brooke’s boyfriend)! Brian and I were glad that they were visiting us on island. It’s great having strong young men to help tear out things! However, I’m not sure they were overly excited when I told them “not to destroy things … I have an idea!”
We had so many pieces of wood planks – all different lengths now – just sitting around screaming to be used. I was beyond excited! What could be done with these pieces of old weathered wood? Casa de Vista is a casual and comfortable home; could they be used with its decor? One particular piece caught my eye. It was lying diagonal across a couple of other pieces of wood. I started to move more pieces around – adding and taking away. Then I laid that one piece across diagonally AGAIN … And there it was … I saw it … A DIVE SIGN. But, it was going to need something more. Now, it was just weather-beaten old wood that should have been tossed away. But what could it be? Could I make an upcycled “Diver Down Sign” with some of these pieces of old planks? It really would be the perfect addition to Casa de Vista’s walls. OK then – let’s get this Caribbean Craft started!
Recipe for an Upcycled Diver Down Sign
Needed Materials:
- Scrap Wood (old deck boards from the front lawn area)
- Paint (red & white) that I already had in “My Extra Paint” Box
- Stain – also had this from another project
- Paintbrush(s)
- Saw (if needed) and a Brian to help you (I can rent him out)
- Sandpaper
- Cardboard Piece/Drop Cloth (No messes on the floor – Please!)
- Screwdriver & Screws or Hammer & Nails (whatever you have)
- Jute Chord
- Drill to put holes in the wood for the Jute Chord hanger
- Felt (picture/furniture) pads
- Wall anchor
- And … a Fun Hook!!
Upcycling Diver Down Sign Assembly:
- How about some color?? Dive Signs/Diver Down Signs are red & white in color; they have a specific look to notify nearby boaters that divers are in the water in the immediate area. I went to “My Extra Paint” Box and BINGO – some extra red & white paint for the Upcycled Diver Down Sign.
- A saw – used to shorten up a couple of the boards. (But remember – I didn’t want Upcycled Diver Down Signs perfect. Looking for the character here.)
- I painted my wood pieces. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just cover the boards.
4. Then, we assembled our project. (Thanks, Brian, for help on this part too!) Four red pieces lay parallel to each other, and Brian anchored (screwed/nailed) them all together on the back with two perpendicular boards. These don’t need to be painted; they will not be seen.
5. I used sandpaper to make distressed areas on the painted boards by removing some of the paint.
6. Flip the attached boards over, lay the white board diagonally across your red rectangle, and attach.
7. Now take a look at the piece …
It doesn’t need to be perfect! … Remember that! I loved the fact that the wood was old, weathered, and misshapen. So, thinking about that and realizing that the paint should not be perfect, I grabbed sandpaper (again) and began to distress the piece a bit more. Taking more paint off in areas to make it look older and more worn. I also sanded the sides and corners to give those a more worn look too.
8. Next, I introduced some stain (that I had) to darken certain areas on the boards. Why not add to the age and distressed look, right?!
9. No Rules Here – Creativity Was Flowing!
10. Finally, let your sign dry in the Caribbean sun.
11. An idea came to mind after I saw the finished project: Jute Chord (doubled/tripled over – to make it strong!) to be used for my hanger. I had some in my stash. Brian drilled two holes, and we tied on the hanging cord.
Upcycling the Diver Down Sign – Finished …
It was perfect! The Dive Sign would go in Blake’s Room – The Turtle Room. I had just the spot. But we discovered that our Diver Down Sign was very heavy when we picked it off the floor, and we couldn’t have it falling down … especially on a guest.
We hadn’t really even thought about how we were going to attach it to the wall. Well, to my defense, that’s not my job. I was here to create, and Brian is the hanger and figure-outer of (ALL) my project ideas.
Problem Solved …
Brian grabbed a heavy-duty wall anchor and hook and secured them on the wall. (You will need to do what works for you and your project – depending upon the size, weight, and area that you encounter.)
Because of the two boards that are on the back, our Upcycled Diver Down Sign was not going to lay flush against the wall. But that’s okay … I kind of liked it being semi-three-dimensional looking. And to keep the piece from swinging and scratching the wall, I did put felt pads on the back for protection just in case the Dive Sign were to get bumped.
FINISHED
So Super Cool! It is one more piece of art to brighten things up, and it fits with the house’s theme. It’s a unique piece because it’s not perfect. And it fits into Casa de Vista because Casa de Vista is a comfortable and casual Vacation Rental Home – ready for your visit.
Cost of Project: $0.00
… only time and energy. I had everything that was needed on hand.
CARIBBEAN CRAFT CORNER Takeaways:
- Up-cycled Something … turn Trash into Treasure … it’s worth a shot for inexpensive/low-cost decorations. Remember to use things that you already have at your disposal.
- Perfect for the Theme … If you don’t know me by now – you know how much I like a good theme!
- While surfing the internet, I came across some more Caribbean craft ideas. (Also, look where these ideas are from.)
- WALLA … It’s a unique (no two Dive/Diver Down Signs will look alike) weathered-looking piece, and it’s our very own one-of-a-kind Casa de Vista Dive Sign!
And …
