Damfino!

Ever since the Bitchin’ Kitchen Remodel of ’12, I’ve been looking for some art to hang above the beadboard by our kitchen table.

I really wanted four botanical prints, but just haven’t found anything I liked that wasn’t completely ridiculously beyond what I wanted to pay. Once you start DIYing, I think it gets harder to pay for stuff.

So this is an idea I stole shamelessly from Michael Wurm. Hey, that’s what happens when you post a tutorial! I practiced this sunburst a couple of times, once on a sign using leftover flooring that we ended up using for Vacation Bible School, and once on some beadboard for my sister in law, Jennifer. It’s now in her kitchen, and I realized it would look pretty good in my kitchen too.

I used pallet wood this time, faithfully collected by my father. I scrubbed it ruthlessly, sanded it with my Christmas present – an awesome orbital sander from the hubby, and painted it first with ASCP Old White. Then I used two mixing bowls to trace the sun itself and taped off the rays with frog tape. The ray colors were mixed from leftovers I had from other furniture projects.

I decided to add a boat to my version rather than text, just to make it different, and named it the “Damfino”- because we watch a lot of Buster Keaton in this household.

I initially tried another shade of blue to the bottom right area to serve as water, but didn’t like how it turned out. I’m not an artist, admittedly. I’m crafty and a hard worker, but elbow grease is my true medium, not paint.

So until that changes and I learn to paint my own botanicals, this will add some cheer to our cottage kitchen.

Hope you like!

Tracy