Sign, Sealed, Delivered!

I'm ashamed.... I did not get around to painting the beloved nightstands this weekend. Partly because I didn't have time (lie), but mostly because it was so windy. Who am I kidding, the weather was absolutely beautiful this weekend! And while I was busy all day Saturday throwing a bridal shower (which seriously took all day long), Sunday was a bit too windy and spray painting outside on a windy day seems awfully counterproductive. Am I right? So, I worked on another project that desperately needed to get done. I guess the weekend wasn't totally wasted...

To the few of you that actually read this thing and attended my wedding (thank you for the support!), do you remember signing this board?

Well, guess what... It wasn't just a board. Nope. It was the top to a bench!

I only brought the top of the bench to the wedding for everyone to sign because I didn't want people signing down the legs and in crazy places. Knowing our friends, that totally would have happened. For our wedding, I wanted something different for everyone to sign, something that we'll be able to see everyday and something we'll be able to use (yay for a little extra storage!). I really love how it turned out, too. It really finishes off this particular corner of our living room.

Please excuse the crappy phone pics!

I found the bench on Craigslist. It's actually an old piano bench that these people refinished and gave an antique/shabby-chic sort of look to it. The top flips up and provides a little bit of storage. I keep all of our table runners and centerpieces that I decorate our table with for the different seasons/holidays in there. The grey and white bench matches our house perfectly and I had vinyl decals made for the top to symbolize the start to our new chapter in life :)

Here's where the project part came in... After having the bench signed by everyone, we obviously want to preserve the memories and lovely messages that everyone wrote to us. It needed to be sealed. And what better/easier/cheaper way to do it than by using my trusty Modge Podge!

Modge Podge is pretty much a glue, sealant and varnish all in one. As my girl Bethenny Frankel would say, it's amazeballs. You can use this stuff for a ton of different craft projects you can even spread it on toast!

So, outside I went. Since it was gusty out, and spraying painting in windy conditions is just plain dumb, I brought out the board, flipped up a bucket and put my horrible paint skills to good use.

This stuff is practically fool proof. Why, you ask? Because it dries perfectly clear. Any horrible painter (like myself) can use this stuff and look like Picasso. You can do a few thin coats, or just slap it on like you would put apple butter on a biscuit.

*** 7 gnats died in the sealing of this project. I think the wind blew them into the sticky substance...plus gnats are just plain dumb. They were easily scraped from the surface with no buggy remains left on our bench. RIP you stupid bugs.

It takes a while to dry and it puts a milky film over whatever you're painting, but, have no fear! It'll dry clear :)

See the streaks over the black letters? 

After letting it dry overnight, I took some horrible pictures with my phone to show you how it turned out.

See the subtle sheen it put on it? Not only are these memories sealed, but it makes it easier to clean! Tad bit dusty? No big deal, just wipe it off.

So, there it sits. Sign is sealed and delivered and back in its spot. This project is officially marked off the list :)

P.S. - I'm silently celebrating the fact that this is my fiftieth post! Yippee!

-C Doc