Book Extract: How to Create a Beautiful Coastal-inspired Peg Rail
This beachy craft make is taken from ‘Creative Ideas to Organize Your Home’ by Linda Peterson
Linda Peterson demonstrates how to create a beautiful coastal-inspired peg rail in an edited extract from her book, ‘Creative Ideas to Organise Your Home’.
‘Use this rack to hang necklaces and keep them tidy, place it in the kitchen for small tools, or in a studio for chains and ribbons – the possible uses are endless really. The wooden base I used seemed a little boring, so I dressed it up with ice lolly sticks and gave it a little texture with chicken wire.’
‘Use this rack to hang necklaces and keep them tidy, place it in the kitchen for small tools, or in a studio for chains and ribbons – the possible uses are endless really. The wooden base I used seemed a little boring, so I dressed it up with ice lolly sticks and gave it a little texture with chicken wire.’
1 Glue nine of the ice lolly sticks onto the wooden base, using the photograph as a guide. Allow to dry.
2 Trim the remaining ice lolly sticks down with scissors to make two cross bars. Glue these over the joints where the ends of the ice lolly sticks meet.
See how to create beach hut display shelves
See how to create beach hut display shelves
3 Paint the wood and distress as described below.
Add antiquing finish as described below.
Measure out and drill three evenly spaced holes for the knobs. For extra security, glue in the knobs. Attach screw eyes into the top edge at each end to hang the rack.
Just a note:
• To make your own antique glaze, see instructions below.
• If the screw on the knob is too long, you can cut it down with bolt cutters or use a cutting blade with a Dremel tool. Always wear eye protection when working with these tools.
Check out 10 creative new uses for leftover materials
Add antiquing finish as described below.
Measure out and drill three evenly spaced holes for the knobs. For extra security, glue in the knobs. Attach screw eyes into the top edge at each end to hang the rack.
Just a note:
• To make your own antique glaze, see instructions below.
• If the screw on the knob is too long, you can cut it down with bolt cutters or use a cutting blade with a Dremel tool. Always wear eye protection when working with these tools.
Check out 10 creative new uses for leftover materials
‘I purchased these knobs already painted and distressed. Look for knobs that have a fun shape and texture even if they are not the right colour – you can always paint and distress them to match your project.’
Distressing wood
Paint wood in your desired colour and then place a piece of chicken wire mesh over the top and hammer lightly to add some distress patterning to the surface. You can also distress with other objects, such as nails, screws or any other object with a suitable texture that will withstand the hammer.
Experiment!
Make your own crackle glaze
Combine equal parts of decoupage medium to acrylic paint. You can adjust this recipe even further by adding more paint to make the glaze more opaque or less paint to make it even more transparent. Additionally, there are clear glazes available from home DIY stores that can be used.
Crackle glaze
This is a very easy way to get a weathered look, especially on wood. You need to work rather quickly when applying the top coat. I recommend practising on a piece of scrap wood or other suitable material first.
1 Paint the item with the base colour. Apply the crackle medium and allow it to dry slightly – not completely.
2 Apply the top colour over the top of the crackle glaze with a brush, being careful to apply in one direction. As the top coat dries, the crackle finish will appear; the thicker the coat the larger the crackle – I like to have random areas of thick and thin. Experiment with this technique to attain the look that most suits your taste.
See more projects like this in ‘Creative Ideas to Organize your Home’, available from Cico.
Distressing wood
Paint wood in your desired colour and then place a piece of chicken wire mesh over the top and hammer lightly to add some distress patterning to the surface. You can also distress with other objects, such as nails, screws or any other object with a suitable texture that will withstand the hammer.
Experiment!
Make your own crackle glaze
Combine equal parts of decoupage medium to acrylic paint. You can adjust this recipe even further by adding more paint to make the glaze more opaque or less paint to make it even more transparent. Additionally, there are clear glazes available from home DIY stores that can be used.
Crackle glaze
This is a very easy way to get a weathered look, especially on wood. You need to work rather quickly when applying the top coat. I recommend practising on a piece of scrap wood or other suitable material first.
1 Paint the item with the base colour. Apply the crackle medium and allow it to dry slightly – not completely.
2 Apply the top colour over the top of the crackle glaze with a brush, being careful to apply in one direction. As the top coat dries, the crackle finish will appear; the thicker the coat the larger the crackle – I like to have random areas of thick and thin. Experiment with this technique to attain the look that most suits your taste.
See more projects like this in ‘Creative Ideas to Organize your Home’, available from Cico.
• 11 ice lolly sticks
• Wood glue
• Piece of wood approx 2in (5cm) wide by 12in (30cm) long
• Scissors
• Acrylic paint in base colour
• Paintbrush
• Sanding sponge
• Chicken wire
• Hammer
• Antiquing colour
• Cosmetic sponge
• Drill and ¼in (6mm) drill bit
• 3 decorative knobs
• 2 screw eyes