I am always looking for different ways to make risers and tiered trays to display throughout my home. The Dollar Tree seems to have so many different items to create so many things. I recently purchased a few tin flower pots from the Dollar Tree and I knew they would be perfect for the base to a riser.
The supplies I will be using are:
At your local Dollar Tree, every item is $1 (or less) each! As North America's largest single-price-point retailer, we strive to keep our shelves stocked with extreme values on household items, cleaning supplies, vases and floral supplies, and more.
- ArtSkills Crafters Closet Paint Brush Premium, 6ct ArtSkills Crafters Closet assorted sizes of synthetic brushes Set includes 6 popular artist brush styles Great for use on multiple surfaces Mixed brush sizes for acry.
- Dollar Tree Clipboard Chalkpaint Spone paint brush (plus a small detail brush) Ruler Painter's Tape Pencil Black Sharpie Easel (Dollar Tree) Clear Spray Seal (optional) Letter Stamps and Ink (optional).
1. One metal tin flower pot from the Dollar Tree
2. One metal pie pan from the Dollar Tree
3. Nautical rope from the Dollar Tree
4. Glue gun
5. E6000 glue
6. Paint brush
7. Cream chalk paint
8. Antique wax (optional)
9. Sanding sponge (optional)
The first step is to paint the pie pan and the base to the flower pot. This might take a few coats.
I am using a chalk paint by DecoArt that I got from Michael’s.
Once the chalk paint is dry you can add an antique wax over it. This is optional but I love using an antique wax. You will brush the antique wax on and then wipe the excess off with a rag or paper towel.
I then glued the nautical rope around the outside rim of the pie pan.
You will then use the E6000 glue to attach the two pieces together. I placed the E6000 glue onto the bottom edge of the flower pot.
Place the flower pot onto the bottom of the pie pan. Flip them over and your riser is done. You will want to give the E6000 glue a good 48 hours to dry.
This is so pretty with a greenery and candle added to the top.
This riser can be painted any color and you can a variety of items to the top. I hope you will get creative and give this a try.
Transform a Dollar Tree sign into faux wood decor piece that you customized to suit your home.
Supplies
- A ready made sign from Dollar Tree.
- Acrylic Paint in three colors that would resemble a wood finish. For this project, I chose sunflower (FolkArt by Plaid), light mocha (Americana by DecoArt), dark brown (FolkArt Multi-surface by Plaid)
- Foam sponge brush
- Bristle brush 1 inch wide
- Various embellishments such as ribbon, twine, wooden cutouts
- Printed design or phrase. You can make one of your own or use my design. Click give_thanks to do download it for free.
- A black, fine tip Sharpie marker
- A pencil
- Masking or washi tape
Step 1 – Prep
Remove the twine from the top of your sign and set aside so you can reattach it later. I used the back of my sign, so there was no further prep needed. You can, however, use the front of your ready made sign from Dollar Tree. Just scrape off any glitter and embellishments already attached then sand it the surface smooth.
Step 2 – Painting the Faux Wood Base Coat
I used the light mocha and sunflower colors to create my base coat for the sign. In the following picture, you can see how I drizzled both colors vertically to mimic the look of wood grain.
Using a foam sponge brush, smooth out the paint in vertical strokes being careful not too over blend the two colors together. You want the colors to gently transition from one to the other without creating one solid base color. Never fear, though, if you blend too much, you can always add another vertical streak of paint while everything is still wet.
The finished base coat should look similar to the next picture.
Step 3 – Adding the Dark Paint for Faux Wood Grain
Using a dry brush technique add just a little of the dark brown color in vertical stroke again. To achieve this look, lightly dip your dry bristle brush into the paint picking up just a little bit of color.
Lightly brush the color across the board in a few random places.
The dry brush technique will leave a little bit of paint behind as you drag your brush across the surface. I like the look of darker edges so I make sure to apply the darker paint all the way around the board as well as lightly across the surface.
Step 4 – Transferring the Design
Download your free printable of this design by clicking give_thanks.
There are several ways to transfer a printed design on to another surface. The one I’m using here is very low-tech and likely to be one you used as a kid.
Turn your printed design over so you are looking at the back. Using a standard pencil scribble over the letters. You should easily be able to see them through the back and you will lay down plenty of graphite on the paper.
Note: in the picture above I cut the design to better fit the size of the board I was using. The design prints out on an 8.5×11 inch piece of paper so cut the elements out to fit in your space they way you like. You may also decide to leave elements out. I created a similar rustic fall sign for an article I wrote for the Michigan Mama News blog. I completely left out the pumpkins on that sign and opted to add painted wooden cutouts I found at Dollar Tree instead.
Turn your design right side up and arrange it on your board how you would like it to look. To keep it in place, apply masking tape or washi tape.
Go over the lines of the design with a pencil or ball point pen. The pressure from your tracing will leave a mark on the board from the graphite on the back side of the design.
I didn’t get a good picture of how the transferred graphite looks on this particular board, but here is an example of how it looks on a similar sign.
Step 5 – Fill in Design
Sharpie markers really come in handy for so many DIYs. This project is no different. You can paint in the design with acrylic ain’t if you would like. If you’re not steady with a brush, though, a fine tip black Sharpie will do the trick and look just as good. Don’t be afraid to go over it twice either, to get an even look.
Step 7 – Finishing Touches
YAY!! You’re almost done.
To finish this piece off, you can add as many embellishments as you would like. I kept it simple by adding a faux bow I made out of burlap ribbon layered with a wooden cut out on top. I hot glued the bow to the board and the leaf to the top of the bow.
The hanger holes may have gotten some paint in them back when you were base coating. Just open them back up with a push pin or something similar.
Thread the original twine back through the holes and secure the ends by knotting them.
You are now ready to hang your new faux wooden sign.
Dollar Tree Paint Rollers
Comments, Questions, Thoughts
Dollar Tree Paint Brush Holder
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