DIY Checker Board Table

Living with MS there are times when you just have to lay low. Take a break so to speak. These past few weeks have been one of those times. Over the years I have noticed that the beginning of Fall is always hard on me. It’s my favorite time of year but for some reason I always seem to have a relapse between October and November.

I’m not saying I check out altogether but I do seek more quiet time. During these times I like to have projects I can work on a little at a time. The projects vary depending on how severe symptoms are at the time.

The most prevalent symptoms right now are fatigue, loss of strength, (more so than my normal loss) vertigo, migraine, vision loss, and spasticity.

It gives me a quiet calm place to focus. Helps pass time and I feel like I have at least accomplished something when I’m done. 🙂

It helps that I love creating things any way. I’ve always got some kind of project going on in my head. My favorite ones are turning trash into something new! I just chuckled a bit right here as I was writing because I remember a post my sister recently shared with me. The post had a pic of a lady yelling at the person she was with to stop so she could pick up furniture left out for trash. That’s so me!

So here it is! The trash.

Some one left this table out by the trash. Their loss. I have to give credit to the man in my life for spotting this one.

In This House We

Love Hug

Laugh A Lot

Dream Big

are grateful

Have Fun

Cheer for the Cowboys

So as soon as I saw it I knew exactly what I was going to do with it!

Cowboys Checker Board Table

Pretty simple project

• Wipe the piece down thoroughly
•  Sand it down
• Measure out your checkerboard ( Mine is 16 x 16 )
• Measure out your squares ( 64 squares 2 inches each)
• Choose your theme or colors
• Tape off the outline of the checker board
• Apply your base color
  

  

   

• Now that the base is painted tape off the squares of the checker board and paint the alternating colors.
  

  

  

 

• When all of the squares have been painted and you have added any other designs you want apply a sealer over the entire table top.

For the Cowboys name and stars I used pictures I already had from a previous project. Cowboys Wine bottle light. I just resized them to fit the area I wanted to place them on the table. Print them on regular paper. After printing them bake them in the oven on 185 degrees for about 20 minutes. This sets the ink so it won’t bleed.

Make a mixture of equal parts regular school glue and water. Gently apply the mixture to the printed side of your print outs and put back in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Repeat this procedure 2 more times. This seals your print out. After it is completely sealed cut the designs out and apply the same glue mixture to the back of the designs and place them where you want them. Gently smooth them out. Apply another layer of the glue mixture over the entire design sealing it to your project. Let that dry completely before applying your sealer.

 

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Well this is what I spent my week working on. It was fun and kept my mind off of how I was feeling. 🙂

Now I just have to see if it passes the test for my Cowboys Fan!