Home is where your "base" is...

 So we've already established that I, Keva Bartnick, am a serious Pinterest JUNKIE. The first thing to do is admit that you have a problem right? Right. Or so I've been told...0.o In my Pinterest wanderings I came across this little gem. Okay, NOT MY STYLE, but me being the crafty sort of person that I am totally saw the potential in this to make something NOT so 0.o <--that's my one eye brow raised icon and more my speed. This below screams 2014. I go for the more classic approach. Something that won't go out of style so quickly.

SO 2014

So with the handy men in my family (AKA my father-in-law and Mitch) I said, "HEY! So I've got this idea. Can we do *insert showing them the picture above* this?!"<--this is how it always starts.  I'm just glad they like me a little bit to go ahead and amuse me. It also gives my dear father-in-law a fun project that drives him into the basement and my mother-in-law I'm quite sure might be a little happy about this herself. Don't quote me on that, but I can see how that might be the case. The second thing you have to do is make sure that it is to scale. So another conversation needs to take place. It usually goes something like this:

Me: Hey babe!? 

Mitch: Yeah........

Me: So you know that base thing? 

Mitch: Yeahhhhhh......

Me: How do you suggest we do that?

Mitch: I know a guy that I can borrow one from. 

It's the real deal, same size base, it'll work. We'll

make a cardboard cut out and take that to my dad, 

and that way he has a template to go off of.

ME: SWEET!

So once we got the wood cut out, painted with primer then it was time for the stitches.

If you've ever had to figure out how to get a perfect half circle for a home base plate, think no further. I have the solution. Took us a couple of minutes to figure out WHAT IN GOD'S GREEN EARTH would be THAT big that could we use?! Et Viola! One standing round fan cover; the isolating kind! Seriously, it was the only thing in the house that we had that was big and round and worked. Necessity is the mother of invention! Think outside the box... and we did. Now the stitching on this bad boy took some time. All, and I mean ALL of those stitches are the same width apart and the same length. Go big or go home when you do a project like this. If you are going to do it make it look REAL!

Next you have to add the HOME

Home is where your base is....

So to get this to look this way, you need a black and white printer, some paper, a word document, and a pencil. Type in the word home onto the Word doc, change the size to fit what you need, choose your font to suit your needs, and hit print. Then once you are done with that...take the piece of paper to the closest window and tape it so the printed side is facing outside. Your word "Home" will show up clear as day, just backwards. Start tracing around your backwards "Home" with your pencil. The graphite in the pencil is going to be what you use to transfer when your are done with all of your letters. So now that you've outlined all of our letters, go back to your base and place the sheet of paper facing right side up. Get it even and where you want your home to show up. Then trace over the "Home" again on the side facing right side up. When you press down the graphite from the first go around will transfer to your white surface. When you are finished and you remove your sheet of paper you will have the same font you just traced! Then all you have to do is lightly trace around it again and start painting! 

So I liked this, but it needed to POP!

Once I was done with the whole thing, all the letters were on this I realized it needed something. It needed to POP! So I grabbed what was around which was a fine tipped Sharpie marker. It did the trick!

This was the end result.

So this still needs a coat of polyurethane on it and some brackets on the back so they can hang it on the wall, but all in all I'd stay this project is done. It conveys a simplicity that I like and I truly believe that it will be loved by my bestie and her hubby for some years to come. PLUS it doesn't scream 2014 and I don't have to figure out how to put a damn bow on it! 0.o You're welcome Brad! LOL!

BTW, Happy 37th Birthday Jen! This is just one of your gifts. You know me I can't wait till the 9th!

I know you'll someday have a baseball room OR better yet you can hang this one on your door and you'll be the talk of the neighborhood when the Cardinals go to the Championships this year and hopefully the World SERIES! Love you Bestie!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

P.S. In doing this blogging thing I have realized that I NEED my own wood shop! JUST an observation.