In which we purchase a jig saw

A post also known as-A DIY bean bag toss

An old sheet  of faux wood paneling and some craft paint conspired together to become this

Stop admiring my gorgeously patchy grass, we have had some interesting weather around here. What you see isn't even the worst looking section of our yard:(

Want to make one too? Here is how I did it-

1. grab an old piece of plywood or whatever else you may have laying around the house. We found an old sheet of faux wood paneling the previous owners left in our garage. 

2. Paint the entire sheet the color of your choice. I used what I had around the house and could only find leftover chalkboard paint. I went with it, which made tracing the image onto the wood quite easy. Erasing mistakes made with chalk is a snap.

3. While paint is drying find the image you want to use. I went back to my obsession Matthew Mead and chose this

4. Using a projector, or going freehand if you are able, trace the image on the wood. Here is where the use of chalkboard paint really paid off. The chalk slid over the wood with ease and it was simple to erase any areas I didn't like. 

5. Use a jig saw to cut out the areas you plan to throw bean bags through.

6. Fill in with craft paint. I used acrylics approved for outdoor use. I also added polka dots, cause what doesn't look better with polka dots?

I also made the bean bags to go with the game. You can see them all perched and ready to go at the base of the game.  I made a simple candy corn shape out of paper and used that as a template to cut the felt. I used felt I already had left over from a-yet-to-be shown project and stitched it together by hand. I attempted to make them look vintage by using contrasting thread and obvious stitch lines, trying to make my rudimentary sewing skills work to my advantage.(or is that just what I have told myself?) I filled them with dried kidney beans because that's what was cheapest at the grocery store, but I am not sure how they will hold up over time. Anyone know?

Close ups of bean bags, and yes that is grass on them. Maybe I forgot to take pictures of these until after they had been used. Maybe.  

As you can tell from the photos, I used a variety of stitches to drive home that vintage look. Or maybe it was because I am ADD and wanted to whip these together as quickly as possible. Jury's still out.

Anyway, the hardest part of the whole project was getting the courage up to do it in the first place, I mean a saw was required and that's a bit scary. It was much less trouble than I thought it would be, and was a big hit at the Halloween party we had over the weekend. Details to follow...

next up- more felt lovin'