DYI Disney Infinity Poster Art

 

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." 

- Walt Disney

   It's not a secret that our family has been wanting Disney Infinity in for home for nearly a year leading up to this past Christmas. The kids made no bones about it, and mom & dad masked their desire as "for the kids". We started the new year, defeating frost giants in the Marvel Avenger's play set. The kids got WAY creative in Toybox mode. Having come off a Guardians of the Galaxy high, we also delved into Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy play set. The game play is fun, the chance for both male and female gamers to be represented is cool, and the adventure seems endless. 

   One aspect that I hadn't anticipated is a little bonus gift that came with our starter kits. #DisneyInfinity starter kits include an incredibly cool 16" x 23" poster that features characters from that play set. I was tickled to have a few in our possession after the holidays and figured they'd be pinned up in the kids' room in no time. However, the creative side got a hold of me and I got to planning for a fun project with these awesome posters.

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A quick method to make these lovely bonus posters into a permanent art piece for the kids' room goes as follows:
1. I purchased a cedar tongue and groove board from Lowes, then sized and cut the wood to fit the size of the posters.
2. Assembly was easy with drilling pilot holes and putting both pieces together with wood screws.
3. I moved the project inside and prepped for the nest steps.
4. I adhered the posters to the wood with Modge Podge, working out the bubbles with a roller and my hands.
5. Once dry, I took the pieces outside for sanding.
6. Light sanding on the corners aged each piece. A small amount of dark finishing wax was used to age even more. An afternoon to dry, and they were ready for hanging.

    

   As Walt Disney's quotes says above, I talk a good talk, but need to do more. The Wife and I have SO many ideas that we want to see come to life, but when you boil down all the talk it comes time to actually do something about it. It was easier on this project, because our family is in the middle of a Disney Infinity REVOLUTION!!! These little posters are just simply the exclamation mark to highlight this moment in time. It adds something to the kids' room that they are passionate about (as well as mom & dad). The wood portion adds some dimension to already amazing artwork. The whole project was a creative outlet for dear old dad. Lastly, it's a way for me to show my love for the Disney brand, as it has brought us so much happiness and joy from when I was a boy, to the present day with our little family.

Happy gaming. 

J.

Wood Pallets Added Variety To Our Lives

“Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.” ― William Cowper

   When The Wife and I first started collecting old discarded wood pallets, we just looked at them all as uniformly delicious in their worn and distressed look. Our first several pieces were nearly untouched in preparation for their new life. Each board had been aged to perfection. The effect ended up being a double edged sword. True, our first several pieces were similar in their base look and feel. We couldn't have been more happy with the result. As soon as the supply ran out though, it was time to acquire a new collection of pallets to re-purpose. This is where the story takes an interesting turn.

   Each wood pallet has its own life. We noticed this immediately upon our fresh new supply of materials. Our next round of projects began with re-purposed pallet wood that was,....well,....not that old. It presented a momentary dilemma that got us talking about a solution. We researched some ideas and tried out some methods to "age" the wood. After some good results, we had a new perspective for our materials coming from anywhere, in any condition. 

   I think the analogy could be used in a lot of areas of life. As we try to encourage our children to make new friends, try new foods, and so forth, variety is essential. Now when it comes to the making of a favorite dish, I want no deviation in its taste, but that's different. In this case it's obvious I'm talking about variety being a good thing. Through a lesson learned, our decor pieces have gained variety and we've been introduced to new avenues for us to explore. We can all benefit from a little variety in our lives. Add some spice to yours. 

J. 



One Man's Trash - Wine Barrel Wood Projects

 

"One man's trash, is another man's treasure."

 

   The Wife and I have been working on some wood pallet projects lately. You can see some of what we have cooking on our Etsy shop. It's been a fun way to stay creative, pass time while watching the kids play out front, and so on which I've posted on Reclaimed Wood Projects. Our gardener saw us working in the garage one day and informed us that he did some landscape work at the local wine vineyards. He offered to bring us old wine barrels that were, in his words, "falling apart anyway, and just going to get thrown out." Enter The Cheeky Daddy.

 

   I had visions of weaving, lining them up for a new kind of canvas to paint on, etc. Then naturally I went on Pinterest to see what else inspired. I was not disappointed. Our gardener mentioned that he himself had made some benches out of them. The lids have the logo of the vineyard they are from on one end, and other cool looking text on the other. It set my creative mind ablaze and I haven't been able to get them out of my mind since.

 

   This illustrates the core of the "one man's trash" saying. Like discarded wood pallets, these wood barrel destined for landfill, inspire something more in people like us. I'm grateful that people we know see the potential and offer their "trash" to us to make something new out of it. The saga continues and be on the lookout for when we finally complete our first projects with these barrels of the forgotten. Geez, that sounds like a Nicholas Sparks novel.

 

J.