Barnwood Crosses - (or..... crosses I made from some wood I found on the side of the road)

“Sunlight dusts them; Water is damp; Crosses pain them; And beheadings cause cramps—” ― Thomm Quackenbush, Danse Macabre (Night's Dream, #2)   

When looking for a quote about crosses, what could be better than cramps and beheadings I say!

I collect cool crosses and when thinking of what I like and what Muriel likes, I figured I could make my own pretty easy, and that's what I did!

First things first.  I needed wood.  Preferably aged barnwood.  Though I live in a place where there are actually quite a few old barns, the thought of trespassing and then basically stealing wood from the walls of one made me nervous.  So, plan B.  On my commute to work everyday I pass a business that has a wood scrap pile with a spray painted, "FREE" sign.  Sold!  Stopped one day and not only found the wood, but they were already in the sizes I envisioned for my crosses, so I didn't even need to "saw" stuff!  The pieces were old and aged and had rusty nails in them to boot!  Wall Ah!  Faux Aged Barnwood!

Next, I gathered my supplies:  my cool drill from IKEA, wood screws, acrylic paint, magnets, E6000, wax varnish, sandpaper and.... at my local craft store I came across these tin flowers with magnets on the back.  They were sold to stick on cute little tin trays...They were cheap and looked cool and were under $4 bucks so I snagged a few.  Wow, what a perfect accent to go in the middle of the cross!

 

 

WHAT I DID:  Removed the rusty nails, sanded the wood and slapped some paint on there. I watered the acrylic paint a bit and dry brushed the wood to retain the aged look.  Once dried, I sanded a bit more, then added the satin wax, which really made the wood "pop!" 

After everything was dry, whipped out my cool IKEA drill and drilled the pieces together with wood screws, Used E6000 to glue the magnet on the wood, then stuck the tin flower on!  I also did put a metal hanger on the back.  I can't believe how cool these things turned out!