Saturday, May 31, 2014

Resin Wall Plaque Goes Green

I've been slaving away over here giving our sunroom a refresh. I didn't originally set out to try to complete this re-do on a tag sale budget, but once I started getting on a roll I decided to challenge myself. After all, it is the season for finding "treasures" at rock-bottom prices, and I'm a lady who loves to spend my Saturday mornings on the hunt with a Frappuccino in one hand and a couple of dollars in the other! So very soon, I will reveal my sunroom in all of its newfound glory.

But, I did have this resin wall plaque just hanging around (an inexpensive tag sale find from long ago) so I did a little experimenting with it.


I took 3 different acrylic paint colors - 2 shades of green and a brown, and I alternately loaded my paintbrush with two or three colors at a time to get a varied effect. I painted the whole plaque this way and then finished with a walnut gel stain...I brushed that on in sections and immediately removed most of it with a paper towel.




The piece of art hanging below it is something I wish I could take some kind (ANY kind) of credit for. But that is a piece that I bought at a tag sale a couple of years ago for only $15. Yes, I remember how much I paid for it, because I think it may have been the bargain of the decade! And yes, I do spend a LOT of Saturday mornings at these sales :)


I am still finishing up some projects in the room and hope to have it wrapped up in a week or so.

And for those of you who have been following along with our bird soap opera, here is the final installment on that story...
Mrs. Finch kept trying to sit on the nest, even after it was apparent to the robins and the Reinwalds that the four baby robins were the only living inhabitants in there. It was overflowing with birds!



It is still a mystery to me what happened to that finch egg? And sadly, I think Mrs. Finch may have met her fate when the neighborhood cat left a "gift" for us on the porch.

Of the four baby robins, the first one left the nest a little prematurely, and after spending an entire day wandering around our front yard and being worried-over by its parents and us, its very short life ended. The next one left without our knowledge, so I can only hope it made it.

Baby #3 jumped, hopped across our driveway looking pretty strong and ready...and from there I hope it flew away.


And then there was one. Baby #4 seems perfectly content to stay in that roomy nest and let its mom bring all of the worms exclusively to it. It's been there all day today and doesn't seem to be in a rush to hit the road...


The clean-up crew is getting a little anxious, though...



Sharing at Pieced Pastimes, Nifty Thrifty Things, Twigg Studios
, Dwellings, Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, Domestically Speaking, A Stroll Thru Life, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Cozy Little House, Ivy and Elephants, Share Your Cup Thursday, Lamberts Lately, Paper Bag Styling, Life in Velvet, Shabby Art Boutique, Redoux Interiors

29 comments:

  1. Great job on the on the wall plaque and with that picture below, it looks fabulous...can't wait to see the completed project! Interesting happenings in that nest...hope you get your porch back soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jodee. Those little robins have made quite a mess out there! But it's been fun watching them this year.

      Delete
  2. I love what you did with the resin wall plaque!

    I have some birds on my house right now and when I go sit on the porch they attack me. I think they have some babies up there but I really need to be able to go outside.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carla, some of those birds can get quite aggressive! They think that they have squatter's rights, I guess ;)

      Delete
  3. Julie, I love what you did to that wall plaque. It's beautiful. 'Course, I do have a weakness for green.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Heather! You and I definitely love our greens :) and I never seem to tire of the color...

      Delete
  4. The plaque came out really pretty. I'm sorry about the birds, but the last one sounds promising.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The last one just flew away a few minutes ago! It seemed pretty strong and healthy...fingers crossed!

      Delete
  5. Julie I love love how that resin piece turned out! The color is amazing! I also happen to love that picture underneath it. The bird story reminds me of that childhood bird story of the babies trying to find their mom...asking..."are you my mom". I think that's how it went....my memory is not the best. lol Great job!
    leelee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved that story, too, LeeLee. I remember reading it to my kids. Thanks for putting a smile on my face with that memory :)

      Delete
  6. Your plaque turned out amazing - you'd never believe that was resin!
    We have a robin's nest outside but tucked on the side of the house and very high up so that I have to lean out of my bedroom window ( half dangling out and almost to the point of falling OUT the window ) and even then can barely see them lol
    XOXO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Suzan...and it's nice to "meet" you!

      Delete
  7. Kudos on your painting job! It looks beautiful~

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow the wall plaque looks amazing!
    Jennelise

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Jennelise. Love your name!

      Delete
  9. Awesome colors!Great job and photos too!!!
    congrats

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Julie: I just discovered your blog from Lil Huckelberries feature. I love your resin project, you would never know it is resin. Nice to meet you from a fellow Nebraskan (I was born there and moved to California when I was four).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, Cyndi, what a small world! I am assuming that you enjoy living in California...in the winter, for sure ;) Thanks for visiting my blog!

      Delete
  11. I love how you transformed your resin piece with paint...it's beautiful!!
    Thank you so much for visiting,
    Mary Alice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always enjoying visiting your blog, Mary Alice :)

      Delete
  12. I love how the plaque turned out! Great mixing of colors. Can't believe how full that nest was for a while. Poor birdies that met their demise. I know it happens sometimes. Just happy that some flew away! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  13. Turned out awesome! So cool how a little paint can entirely change the look of something. Love your mix of colors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I appreciate your compliment, Shelly. It means a lot coming from someone who knows so much about transforming something with paint!

      Delete
  14. Hey, Julie, I can't believe I didn't leave a comment on this great post yet. Such creativity!!! But I have to mention that one of your commenters above is my good friend, Cyndi!! Such a small world. Love how we discover each other. xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The blog world is indeed small, Dana. I love how supportive everyone is, too :)

      Delete