American Crafters

A couple weeks ago, Michael left to go on a weekend camping trip with the Men's Ministry from our church.  I was excited for him to go and do some manly things -whatever those might be.  I imagine it was mainly just a bunch of guys sitting around a campfire, (hairy) bare chested, whittling sticks, and spitting.  I never checked with Michael to see if that is an accurate rundown of their activities but, for the purposes of this blog post, we will assume that is correct.  Anyway, that left me all by my lonesome.  So I called up one of my besties, Kelly. 

Kelly and I have been friends since her very first day at Purdue.  I was on my way to my Anatomy Lab Recitation and Kelly was right in front of me - headed to the same place.  We met and bonded over our mutual love for farmer dads, 4-H, and nursing.  We lived together for two years and then stood in the living room of our Brownstone apartment and cried the day I moved out because I was getting married and now I "had to live with a boy."  Now, we are collagues at the same hospital but don't get to see much of each other because we work such different schedules.  So when I knew Michael was going to be away, I texted Kelly, and told her to get her craftin' pants on, grab her pillow, and come on over for a fun filled, and much needed, girly weekend. 

Friday night we enjoyed a classic Kelly-Laura-Low-Key-Evening - like back during our Purdue Days.  We made dinner together (pizza casserole), watched a couple episodes of Friends (pivot!!), and drank Smirnoff Ice.  

Then we went to bed at 10:30.  And good thing too because the next day we had a lot to get done.  Mainly, crafting!

Kelly and I love to craft.  We are constantly sending pins to each other on pinterest and when we get a chance, we get together and craft. 

So on Saturday, we started crafting.  Kelly wanted to make an American Flag out of a pallet.....ok....


Thankfully, she sent me this pin to show me what she was hoping to recreate.  It's super simple and it turned out really cool.

 

 Here's how ya do it:

1. Grab a pallet
2. Mark off your area for the blue square in the upper left hand corner and paint that first.
Note on paint: I recommended her to buy outdoor paint since she would be keeping it on her porch.

ACE Royal Outdoor Matte Paint in Red Tulip, Dark Diversion, and Natural White

3. Starting at the top right, paint red on every other slat

4. Paint the remaining slats white.

5. If you are a patient person (we are not), wait for the first coats of paint to dry before applying a second.  But if you are not a patient person (us) grab your hair drier and expedite the process.  

Kelly says, "ain't nobody got time to watch paint dry."

6. Apply the second coat - it took two coats for full coverage. 

7. Make a star stencil. You could easily do this by printing one off your computer and cutting it out. -We made three to make it easier to even out the spacing.  - This here is an easy project, there is no reason you should have to do any measuring or math.
8. Trace the stars onto the blue square all in a row - spacing them evenly.  Fill it in with the white paint (again, two coats for good coverage).

9. Let it dry. (or blow dry)

Voila! 

(Well, that's not a very American thing to say, let me try that again) Holla! It's totes amaze. #merica

 Here it is displayed on Kelly's adorable white farmhouse that she renovated a little over a year ago.  

It's just so stinkin' cute! Don'cha think?

And when we were all done, we met our other partner in crime Lindsey for some pizza and ice cream.  It was such a refreshing time to spend with some beautiful sisters of mine.

Look at those girls... they know how to have a good time...

Really, is there anything you can't build out of pallet wood? Probably, but I wouldn't want to build that anyway.  

So this post was going to be a lot longer because I was going to write about what I crafted that weekend with Kelly.  But this seems like a perfect place to stop.  So I will be posting a bonus post on Wednesday evening.  So don't forget to come'on back here on Wednesday to see what little project I have been working on.  I'll give you a hint.... It's our dining room table! 

I'm sorry, I just blurted that out, didn't I?  I just can't ever stand it, I'm excited!

Anyway.

You. Me. This Blog. Wednesday.  See you there!

Don't miss a beat.  

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