Good Morning Pumpkin Wood Pallet

Hello Clear Scraps friends!  Is your social media feed full of pumpkin spiced coffee advertisements yet?  There are lots of coffee places advertising the tastes of Fall right now!  Since it is the season for PSLs...I thought I'd join in on the fun by making a sign that you can display at home, nearby your home beverage area.  Perhaps it will inspire you to set up your very own Fall coffee bar!

I've started with the Pumpkin Wood Pallet shape and painted a base coat in a cream colored acrylic paint.  I actually applied 2 coats here - one as a base, then I sanded the pallet nice and smooth, and then another coat.  I find that sanding after a first coat helps to give it a more even texture faster.

Next, I've taken the 6" Houndstooth Masking Stencil and sponged an even pattern of a sage colored stamping ink across the surface.  I was sure to line up the pattern both vertically and horizontally so it was nice and straight.  Let this ink dry thoroughly.

With a forest green and pumpkin colored paint, I chose a few of the houndstooth patterns to hand-paint over.  In retrospect, I would have invested in some stamping inks to do this instead, because painting over these required a steady hand.  These required a couple coats.  If you mess up, don't worry!  You can always go back over the lines with the cream background color again!

To paint the stem and give it some dimension, I started with the forest green as a base.  I then dipped a small brush into the cream color paint and brushed most of the excess paint off.  Choose a couple spots to dry-brush this on as dimensional lines, then let dry.

While this part of the project dried, I prepared my Mini Shaker Coffee Cup by separating the pieces and painting the top chipboard piece the same forest green.  Next, I traced the cup onto a Fall plaid paper, and cut out the shape.  This becomes the background of the shaker, and I glued this to the bottom chipboard piece.

To assemble the shaker, I layered a chipboard piece over the bottom, then sprinkled in some Fall Sequins inside.  Next came the acrylic clear shape (make sure to remove the film!), and then the green top piece.  Finally, I traced the shape of a matching houndstooth card stock that was the inspiration for my color scheme, and glued it to the middle.  I left out one of the supplied chipboard pieces intentionally because...well, you never know when you might want another coffee-themed project! Glue all these layers together - I use a general clear tacky glue from my local craft store.

The lid is another piece of card stock, in black.  I took a toothbrush and a fine mist of white acrylic paint to it to give it a speckled appearance.  Glue this to the top.

Now I was ready for the vinyl message.  I chose 2 different fonts on my electronic cutting machine, and applied them to the pallet.  If you've not done this before, the steps are quite easy.  After you print, pull the excess vinyl off your cut.  Then weed out any small pieces with a weeding tool.

Next, rub some transfer paper over the top.  This ensures your message will stay straight when you apply it.  Pull the backing off the message and be careful to go slowly.  If it doesn't stay, rub it down again or use your weeding tool to loosen it.

Finally, rub the message on to your Pumpkin Pallet and gently pull off the transfer paper.

My final touches are to glue the shaker on to the side of the pallet and set it up in an easel.  It is so cute next to my collection of coffee mugs! 

My additional products are below...I hope this project will give you the 'morning motivation' you need this Fall.  See you next time!

Maureen

Additional supplies:

Acrylic paint:  pumpkin, forest green, cream; Distress Oxide in Sage Green; Recollections Harvest Paper in Plaid; black card stock; burlap ribbon; black vinyl and electronic cutting machine (Cricut Joy)