B...I...N G O

I have this smal addiction to decorating blogs.  I don't think the list is as exhaustive as it could be, but I can easily add to it each week.  One of my favorite sites is funkyjunkinteriors.  I don't know that I would say my style is exactly hers.  She thrifts a lot.  Me?  Not so much.  But, she really thinks outside the box when it comes to using items around the house and it's made me look at objects differently as well.

Funky Junk Donna also builds a lot of things.  And that I am willing to do.  I have a husband who is very handy and owns many tools that he not only isn't afraid to let me use, but is willing to spend time teaching me how to use them on my own.  Recently I saw this post on a tray she made and I loved it!  I spent a lot of time thinking about it and looked up a few other boards online.  But Mike and I both liked the mono-color on this one (and quite frankly, I had this paint already).  So, I started coming up with a plan and got to work on Saturday afternoon...two hours before we left for a party. 

I headed out to the garage where Mike was cleaning up his workshop area.  He knew something was up when I asked if he had any long boards I could have.  He helped me pull out a 1x6 from the bottom of his pile.  Without me even asking he started settng up his circular saw for me.  I had to do some recalculations after remembering that a 1x6 is actually only 5 1/2 inches wide.

(Did the original wood-worker who came up with this naming system have a distorted ruler?  Was "1 x 5 1/2" just too many syllables?  Questions I constantly ask myself and Mike.  He's been trying to dodge them for 13+ years.)

This is what I had after cutting:

Those other two wide pieces of wood are what I was going to use to hold the main pieces together.  I found them in Mike's other wood stash.  Mike suggested I glue them on, but that would involve waiting and I have this disorder called "Instant-Gratification-Need" (IGN for short). But he does tend to know what he's talking about.  So, I glued AND nailed. 

In heels.  And wearing a tennis bracelet.

This is probably not the most correct stance to take when nailing wood pieces together, but I needed a clamp for all of 10 seconds and didn't want to waste time finding one.

Then things slowed down.  I realized I didn't actually have my bingo board setup yet.  So I hopped on Photoshop Elements and came up with a board sized 16 1/2 by 16 1/2.

This actually took longer than I expected.  I wanted to have all numbers that related to our family of four.  By the time I was down to the last three I was getting desperate.  Maddie was on the phone and just kept leaning over whispering numbers to me.  Random numbers. 

"Pssst...55." 

"Maddie...that has nothing to do with us."

"Oh...okay.  Pssst...37"

"Please just finish that conversation before you start this one."

In the end the other three came up with great numbers for us and each square was filled.  I realize this isn't in the exact configuration of a regulation bingo board, but I love that it relates to us.

I copied each section onto different papers and taped them together.

The next step didn't take as long as I anticipated, but it wasn't the most fun I've ever had.  I had to cut the numbers out by hand with an exacto knife.  I believe Funky Junk Donna actually used a vinyl-cut system which would have been FAR simpler, but I was making this on the cheap and didn't have such a system.  I looked at my Cricut cutting system, but didn't have a font I liked.  Once everything was cut I taped it to the board and traced the letters/numbers.

Then it was time to finally start painting.  I would have used the above as a stencil, but I didn't have any spray adhesive (this relates to IGN and cheapness).  I actually didn't mind painting once I found the right brush.  It was mildly relaxing, actually.

Can I just say that one of the greatest moments for me with any paint job is pulling off the tape.  It goes from looking so messy to so crisp and clean instantly. 

This morning I headed to Lowe's and picked up two handles that I love.  They were $4.50 each, which was more than I wanted to spend, but I got them.  Then I went to Home Depot to see if they had any cheaper selections.  I could get the same handles, special order, for $3.89.  IGN ruled and I decided that the extra $1.22 was worth being finished with this project now.

I got home just in time for Mike's lunch break.  He helped me find the right drill bit and walaa....

Our new tray that will never be used as a tray, but will sit on a table and look pretty.

All for $9.62 and maybe three hours of my time.

I tried to play around with some extra accessories, but this was the best I could come up with.  I still have to work on my layering techniques. 

I guess I'll just have to visit more decorating blogs.