Crafty Project #2

I am currently at one of my absolute most favourite places on earth. And I've been to some pretty great places. A couple years ago, when my parents bought this place, it was just about the most disgusting, barely inhabitable place I had ever seen. Please feel free to reacquaint yourself with the "Cottage: The Before" album on my facebook page. Yes, the shower was in the shed. After two years and a lot of hard work, the cottage has become an oasis. I love waking up with the sun streaming into my window. Walking out onto the deck and watching the loons learn to fly. Waving to random boaters as they float by. Attempting to break the world record of the most mosquitos killed in one day. I love it all!!

One day last fall, I took the dog for a walk. Now I specifically remember this walk because I put my shoes on without any socks, thinking that I was just going to let the dog quickly do his business. He was in one of his "let's sniff the entire world to ensure that my deposit is going to be made in the absolute most perfect spot" moods, so we ended up on an extended walk. This, of course, resulted in blisters on my ankles.

Anyway...during this walk, I became inspired by the fallen trees with their bark peeling off that I passed on the side of the road. I managed to secure several samples of birch bark, as well as a couple others that I could not name if my life depended on it. Since, as we all know, I am a procrastinator, they sat in the shed all winter, untouched. Or I could say, they were strategically placed in the shed so that they could properly dry out before serving the purpose that I intended. About a month ago, I finally decided to get started on this project.

I briefly soaked the bark in hot water to soften it up. I then laid it flat and put whatever heavy stuff I could find in the garage on top, letting them dry back out. I took pieces of 2x10 boards (which is not really 2" by 10" by they way. What's up with that?), and had my dad cut them into squares. I sanded the ends using a palm sander. That was an experience. Once they were all nice and smooth, I spray painted them dark grey. I made two holes in the back for hanging. At first, I tried chiseling the holes out, which took a ridiculous amount of time. Sometimes, I'm not that bright. At the kind suggestion of my family, I used a drill for the last few holes.

Once that was done, I cut the bark in squares to cover the face of the board. In a couple cases, I used extra bits to cover some holes so that the paint wouldn't actually show through. Using PL premium, I secured the bark onto the boards, and then again, used whatever heavy stuff I could find to clamp it down until it dried. With extreme precision and accuracy of measurement (okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration), I marked out on the wall where the screws needed to go. The boards are now hung on the kitchen wall and look pretty neat, if I do say so myself! And I have the blisters to thank for it!