I got caught up this past weekend doing some fun projects that I really wanted to do. In fact, I got so caught up doing projects that I wanted to do, that I forgot about an important project that I had to do...before next weekend.
A little backstory:
My wife and I are heading to a wedding next weekend for a friend of hers, and she asked me if I had given any thought to what I was going to make as a wedding gift or if I had started anything. We discussed this a while back, but not since then..
I completely forgot...
So, my wife jumped on Pinterest looking for inspiration. We were looking, but we weren't really getting anywhere. We didn't know what decor the couple were doing in their home, or what color scheme to use. I don't really like doing wall hangings as gifts unless I am given some direction first anyways.
Then, she remembered the "Gather" circular serving tray I made for her for Christmas (check out the blog post!). While surfing Pinterest, she found some customized serving trays with last names for newlyweds with the "established year" on them as well to commemorate the occasion.
Excellent idea!
Because of the short window for this project, I had to work smarter, not harder. I also had to take some shortcuts that I wouldn't really need to take on a project where time is not a factor. But bear with me! I'm only human!
Leggo!
Jumping right into it with a shortcut!
So, I normally would never buy a pre-cut wood round for a project. They are more expensive, and I don't have scrap-wood left over afterwards to use on other projects. I would prefer to just cut the circle out using my scroll saw.
On the flip side though...
Cutting out a circle is tedious and very time consuming to do. I have to cut it out first, then sand down the edges, and then round the edges, making sure it's as close as possible to perfectly round.
Regrettably, I don't have time for that this time!
So, pre-cut wood round it is! I got the round at Lowe's for around 10 dollars. It's 1-inch, stain-grade spruce in an 18-inch circle. No prep required at all, so I stained it later that evening!
I used 2 coats of Minwax Early American stain, letting it fully dry before applying the next coat. It's a lighter stain the the Dark Walnut, and I think the color will be richer when it's all said and done.
Next, I found the fonts and letters I wanted to use. The wife-to-be's new last name will be "Carlson," so I mixed up a few fonts and combinations before arriving at what I wanted. I printed them out and laid it out to preview...
I really like all the fonts I picked; the design looks modern with a touch of traditional. This isn't how it will be laid out, but I just wanted to get a general idea.
The large "C" was he first to paint!
I traced the "C" lightly with pencil and painted it using my white Sharpie paint pen. Like I mentioned before, because I like to draw, painting between the lines using a pen is much easier than a paintbrush for me!
I painted the "C" just above the center point of the tray because I wanted to make sure I left enough room for the "established year" on the bottom. Next comes the last name that lays across the "C"
This was surprisingly difficult, as the font I picked had a great deal of skinny lines and curves. But it's going to look AMAZING when it's all said and done!
The last name was overlapping the last initial in ALL the examples I saw, so I used the homemade cardstock "stencil" and marked the board accordingly with the last name outline. I was advised to use only black and white on this project! Since it's a wedding gift, it'll be a nice, formal touch to only use these two contrasting colors!
After making absolutely sure that the white paint dried, I used black Sharpie paint pen to write out the last name.
Looking good!
On to the "established year" font...
I wrote the "established 2019" in black Sharpie paint pen. This was tricky, as this font was smaller and even more difficult to stay inside the lines! I think the hardest part was making sure the words sat on a straight line before painting and that they all lined up properly.
I let the tray dry completely overnight.
First thing in the morning, I flipped the sign over and stained the backside; something I was too impatient to do early on in the process.
The next step is the poly on each side...
I went with water-based polycrylic with a clear matte finish. The poly will protect the wood, while the matte finish will keep that unfinished, farmhouse look I'm going for.
I love the effect that poly has on a wood piece. It brings out the grain and really creates a nice contrast between the lights and darks of the project.
The poly dried pretty quickly, so I immediately flipped it and sealed the other side as well. Once the poly was fully dried on both sides, it was time to pull some drawer pulls from my stash!
A lot of the drawer pulls I had were too small for this project, until I came across these!
I picked these up for $2 a piece at Hobby Lobby in the clearance section. They are quite big, but I think they will work extremely well!
I positioned them where I wanted them on the tray, marked the holes, and drilled them out. Pretty simple from there, just installing the handles one screw at a time!
And it's done!
The drawer pulls worked out perfectly! They give the tray a more professional look; less DIY, more store bought. The tray, when taken in as a whole, looks really nice with all the components. It's extremely durable and the handles provide a nice, sturdy spot to grab on to!
I think that the happy couple will get plenty of use from this project. Whether they plan to use it as a tray, or display it in their home and never use it, I can rest easy knowing that I made a one-of-a-kind piece that they won't be able to find in stores!
As I mentioned earlier in the post, I'm not a huge fan of cutting corners. But maybe I should occasionally in the future...The step of cutting out the circle from a solid piece of wood takes quite a long time! With the time I saved, I turned my attention to other projects. Added bonus: I was able to finish it in plenty of time for the wedding this weekend!
Definitely some food for thought...
Oh, who am I kidding! This is probably the last time I'll cut corners like this unless absolutely necessary! Making something out of wood when starting from it's most raw form has a different feel, and definitely makes the process more rewarding (for me).
Congrats to the happy couple! Many years of happiness and prosperity to come!
-Kevin
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