countdown to star wars Archives - Handmade with Ashley

DIY Star Wars Marquee Wall Art Tutorial

Ashley — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 04:30:53 +0000

Make this DIY Star Wars Marquee sign for a fraction of the cost of purchasing it.

DIY Star Wars Marquee Wall Art Sign

I love Star Wars, and I love making things. Combine the two and we have this homemade Star Wars Marquee sign! Follow along for steps on how to make one for yourself, or the Star Wars fan in your life!

Star Wars Marquee Sign with lights off

(For sneak peeks on upcoming projects follow me on Facebook and Instagram!)

If you like this DIY, check out my tutorial on how to make a Star Wars TIE Fighter bookshelf!

Build a Star Wars TIE Fighter Bookshelf

Or this tutorial on how to make a BB-8 push toy!

BB-8 Push Toy in action!

Inspiration for this DIY comes from Pottery Barn Kids. I was browsing their catalog and spotted this beauty!

Pottery Barn Kids Star Wars Marquee Sign | Source

Unfortunately, the price tag on the sign is $300 and thus way out of my price range.

I made my version of the sign over the course of a weekend, and I was able to make my version for a tenth of the price!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item via one of these links, I’ll receive a small commission at no added cost to you. This helps keep the content on the site free and I appreciate the support!

What You Will Need

The following items are some of the tools and supplies I gathered to create the Star Wars marquee:

Tools

Circular Saw
Brad Nailer
Silhouette (for creating the Star Wars stencil)
Drill (equipped with a 3/4 inch wood spade bit)
Staple Gun
Parallel clamps
Sander
Ruler
Pencil

Supplies

String Globe Lights (I purchased them here!)
2 – 6″ long cedar fence picket* (~ $2.50 each)
2 – 8″ long 1×2 furring strips (~ $1.25 each)
Black Spray paint
ECOS Paints Woodshield Stain (Golden Oak)
ECOS Paints Woodshield Varnish (Satin)
Contact Paper (for Silhouette stencil)
Wood glue

*Version 2 of the sign I made use of some scrap 1×6 whitewood boards. The first version of the marquee sign, I used cedar fence pickets that have been sitting in my garage for a few months. They were nice and dry. Unfortunately, while I was in the home stretch for finishing this project my son managed to destroy the sign. I visited my local hardware store to purchase some more cedar fence pickets, but the boards in their stock were very damp.

*You could save a few steps and use a piece of plywood or MDF (33″ x 22″). I glued up boards to create a wood panel because I wanted to make use of lumber from my scrap wood pile.

How to Make a Star Wars Marquee

Step 1: Cut the fence pickets in half and create a panel from the four boards.

If you are not using cedar picket fences, cut 4 – 36 inches long 1×6 pieces.

Cedar pickets cut in half

Otherwise, cut each cedar fence picket in half. Edge glue the boards together. Wait for the glue to dry before moving onto the next step.

Edge glue joints with the Damstom 38″ panel clamp

Gluing up the boards for version two

Step 2: Trim the edges of the wood panel.

Panel with uneven ends

Trim about an inch off the ends of the panel to create a straight edge. The length of the panel should be about 33″ inches long.

Using the Rockwell Versa Cut saw (with track guide) to trim up the boards

Step 3: Cut the furring strips and attach strips to each side of the wood panel.

Make 4 cuts from the 1×2 furring strips. Each piece will cover a side of the wood panel. Attach the pieces to the panel with a brad nailer and wood glue.

I recommend that you cut the trim to size. My measurements were:

33 inches (2x)
23.5 inches (2x)

The trim measured and cut

Trim attached to the four sides of the panel

Step 4: Sand the surface of the panel.

I recently witness the ill effects of not wearing a mask while sanding (it wasn’t pretty). Wear a dust mask and sand the panel until the surface is smooth. Clear the panel of sawdust before starting the next step.

I used my belt sander for the rough sanding and followed up with my orbital sander.

Sanding the surface of the panel with a Ryobi Belt Sander

Step 5: Stain the surface of the wood panel.

Stain the top surface of the wood panel. I used ECOS Paints Woodshield in Golden Oak. You will want to pick a color that contrasts well with your second color.

Staining wood with ECOS Paints Woodshield – Golden Oak

Step 6: Create a Star Wars stencil.

Creating the Star Wars stencil with the Silhouette Studio Editor

I created a Star Wars stencil with my Silhouette. I imported an image of the Star Wars logo into Silhouette Studio editor and used the trace tool to capture the outline. I used Contact paper to create the stencil. I followed the Shanty sister’s tutorial on creating a stencil with contact paper to get the perfect cut setting on my Silhouette.

You can download the Silhouette cut file I created here!

Star Wars logo stencil from Contact paper

Step 7: Attach the Star Wars logo stencil and spray paint the sign.

I carefully transferred each letter to the board, and applied a couple of coats of black spray paint.

Spray painting the sign black

Step 8: Seal the Star Wars sign with varnish.

Next, I applied two coats of ECOS Paints Woodshield Satin Varnish.

The sign is pretty large and a little heavy.

Varnish applied and dried

Step 9: Drill holes for the globe light sockets.

Before drilling holes for the globe light sockets, take care and plan where to position each hole. The lights I purchased came with 25 sockets. I planned for each letter to have 3 bulbs.

I equipped my drill with a 3/4″ wood spade drill bit and drilled 24 holes. (Heh, I missed one.)

Drilling 3/4″ holes

Step 10: Install the string globe lights.

Push each socket into the holes and secure the wire with a staple gun. Take great care during this step and avoid stapling the wire.

Secured the lights with a staple gun

Flip over the sign and install the light bulbs.

Screwed in the globe lights

Attach hardware to hang the sign or lean on a wall.

DIY Star Wars Marquee Wall Art

I am really happy with how the sign turned out. The lights give off a really nice, warm glow. If you build the this Star Wars Marquee sign, please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @handmadewithashley or Twitter @handmadewithash. I’d love to see your pictures!

Marquee lights off

Star Wars Marquee Wall Art Sign

Check out my other Star Wars projects here!

Pin it!

FOLLOW ME on Pinterest.

DIY Star Wars Marquee Sign Tutorial

I’m linking up to:

Reader Projects <3

Vintage style Star Wars Marquee sign by @crouch17

The post DIY Star Wars Marquee Wall Art Tutorial appeared first on Handmade with Ashley.

How to build a Star Wars TIE Fighter Bookshelf (Tutorial)

Ashley — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 04:55:44 +0000

Step by step tutorial on how to build a Star Wars TIE fighter bookshelf. This geeky woodworking project will make the perfect gift for the Star Wars fan in your life. It is a great beginner project that can be completed within a day.

Build a Star Wars TIE Fighter Bookshelf

Since the release of The Force Awakens, whenever I brainstorm new project ideas a Star Wars related idea always comes up! Today’s project just so happens to be another Star Wars themed project; it’s a TIE fighter bookshelf! I was able to make use of some scrap lumber I already owned. Paint was the only item I purchased for the project. Everything else I had on hand. Follow along and build one for yourself or the Star Wars fan in your life.

And, if you like this DIY, check out my tutorial for a Star Wars Marquee Wall Art Sign!

DIY Star Wars Marquee Wall Art Sign

Or this tutorial on how to make a BB-8 push toy!

BB-8 Push Toy in action!

A TIE fighter bookshelf

TIE Fighter Bookshelf

Star Wars Bookshelf

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Tools and Supplies

The following items are some of the tools and supplies I gathered to create the TIE fighter bookshelf.

Tools

Circular saw
Jigsaw
Kreg Jig (for joining boards, love this tool)
JawHorse (for securing the lumber for cutting, it’s an awesome 2nd pair of hands)
Ruler / Straight edge
Orbital Sander

Supplies

Scrap lumber
- 3/4 thick plywood 13 inches x 26 inches
- 1×8 board 48 inches long
Gray paint (1 pint)
Black paint (1 pint)
1″ thick painter’s tape
1/2″ thick washi tape (I used this in place of painter’s tape)
Wood glue
Wood filler
1 1/4 inch pocket hole screws

How to build a TIE Fighter Bookshelf

One of my goals for 2016 is to learn how to use SketchUp so I can share pretty woodworking plans and diagrams.

Step 1: Cut the wood to the appropriate sizes

First up, take the piece of plywood and cut it in half. You should have two 13 inch squares. I used my mini circular with a track guide to cut the plywood down to the appropriate lengths.

You will also cut the 1×8 board in half. This will leave you with two pieces at 24 inches long.

Cutting the plywood in half

Step 2: Cut out the TIE fighter wing shape

The TIE fighter wings are shaped sorta like a hexagon. I used a jigsaw to cut out the shape. Draw a few lines on the pieces of plywood to mark where the jigsaw blade should follow along.

Draw a line from the mid-point of each side
Measure 2 inches from a corner, and create a line from that point to a mid-point

Cutting out the TIE fighter wings with a jigsaw

Step 3: Drill pocket holes.

I really like pocket hole joints. They’re really easy to make and very sturdy. I used my Kreg Jig to create several pocket holes.

I created 3 pocket holes on the length of one of the 1×8 boards.
I created 2 pocket holes on each side of the 1×8 boards.

Creating pocket holes with my Kreg Jig

Step 4: Sand the lumber!

Spend some time cycling through different grits of sand paper. I used my orbital sander equiped with sandpaper grits of 60, 80, 100, 120, and 220.

Step 5: Paint the bookshelf

Once sanding is complete, prime the bookshelf. Once the primer is dry, paint the shelf with a base coat of gray.

Painting the TIE Fighter Wings

With the 1 inch painter’s tape, tape the border of the TIE fighter wing.
Use the tape to connect opposing corners
Use the tape to create a small hexagon-like shape at the intersection of all the tape lines
Cover the uncovered areas with black paint

Repeat these steps for each side of the wings.

Painting the TIE Fighter Cockpit

Draw the shape of a semi-circle in the center of the 1×8 boards.
- Imagine the boards are joined at 90 degrees, the circle’s midpoint is at the center of the joint
- When the boards are joined, one side will be 3/4 longer than the other
- On the board that does not have pocket holes lengthwise, offset the semi-circle by 3/4 inch.
Draw the shape of a octagon in the center of the previously drawn circle
- On the board that does not have pocket holes lengthwise, offset the octagon by 3/4 inch as well.
With 1/2 thick painter’s tape (I actually used some washi tape) mask off from each point on the octagon to the outer circle. (See picture below)
Paint the uncovered areas within the circle with black paint

The diameter of the outer circle is 10″. The width of the inner octagon is 4 1/4″ and the length of each side is 1 5/8″.

You could skip this step because books will probably cover the cockpit, but I think it adds a really nice touch.

Painting the TIE fighter bookshelf

Step 6: Assemble the shelf

You can assemble the shelf before painting. I painted half, then assembled and painted the remaining half.

Join the 1×8 boards at 90 degrees. Attach the shelf to each wing. I winged it on joining the shelf to wings.

I covered my pocket holes with wood filler, but pocket holes are not visible from the front.

Joining the shelf to the TIE fighter wings

Step 7: Seal the project

Finally, coat the shelf with your favorite sealer.

The TIE Fighter Bookshelf

The bookshelf cost me roughly 7 bucks! That was the cost of the paint. This was great use of some leftover lumber and it’s bringing a bit of much needed order to my son’s book collection.

If you build a TIE fighter bookshelf, please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @handmadewithashley or Twitter @handmadewithash. I’d love to see your pictures!

DIY TIE Fighter Bookshelf

Build a TIE Fighter bookshelf

TIE Fighter Bookshelf

Star Wars TIE Fighter Bookshelf

Pin it!

FOLLOW ME on Pinterest.

DIY Star Wars Bookshelf Tutorial

Check out my other Star Wars themed projects!

I’m linking up to:

Reader Projects

Tie Fighter bookshelves are perfect for DVD storage. Made enough pieces for 2 more, just saying….. Visit @handmadewithash for tutorial. #265design #starwars #tiefighter

A photo posted by J.Cammarata (@265design) on Sep 9, 2016 at 6:16pm PDT

The post How to build a Star Wars TIE Fighter Bookshelf (Tutorial) appeared first on Handmade with Ashley.

DIY Star Wars Jewelry: Darth Vader Necklace Tutorial

Ashley — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 04:56:50 +0000

DIY Star Wars Jewelry: Darth Vader Necklace

We are just 2 days away from the release of Star Wars Force Awakens, and today I’m continuing my “Countdown to Star Wars” series with a tutorial on how to make your own Star Wars jewelry!

(For sneak peaks on upcoming projects follow me on Facebook and Instagram!)

DIY Darth Vader Necklace

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Tools and Supplies

Here’s a list of items you’ll need to gather to create the Darth Vader necklaces:

Darth Vader Ice Mold

How to Make a Resin Darth Vader Necklace

Step 1: Mix together equal parts of resin and hardener.

This step may vary depending upon which brand of resin you choose. (My personal preference is Ice Resin, but EasyCast has worked well for me most of the time, and it’s cheaper.) Follow the box instructions and take the recommended safety precautions. I purchased a bag of disposable medicine cups and use the cups for both measuring and mixing together the resin.

It’s critical that you take care and ensure the resin is measured at the correct amounts. Also make sure the two parts are thoroughly mixed together. (I have ruined several pendants because the resin never hardened because of a misstep at this step.)

Once the resin is mixed, add in color. You can use resin dyes, but I think simple acrylic craft paint works very well. You do want to be careful. A little paint can go a long way for coloring the resin.

Mixing together resin

Step 2: Add in glitter.

To add a nice bit of sparkle, sprinkle in a bit of glitter.

Glitter

It is tempting to become very generous with glitter as you sprinkle it into the resin. A little glitter can go a long way as well. Too much glitter and you may end up with something like this:

Too much glitter

Although, it may be just the look you’re going for.

Step 3: Pour the resin into the mold.

Pour the resin mix into your silicon mold. Once your ice mold has come into contact with resin, it must never be used for food consumption again.

Pouring resin into a Darth Vader ice mold

Step 4: Remove air bubbles.

As you mixed your resin, you might have noticed air bubbles forming. You can remove the bubbles with heat. I used my Martha Stewart heat tool to remove all the air bubbles from my pendants.

Heat tool for removing air bubbles

Once you’ve removed the last air bubble, set the mold aside for 24 hours to allow for the resin to cure.

Step 5: De-mold the resin Darth Vader pendants.

After 24 hours have passed, your resin pendants should be cured. The cure times may vary depending upon which resin you use. Remove the pendants from the silicon mold.

Lots of Darth Vaders

At this point you may want to sand the edges down. Do this in a well ventilated room wearing a dust mask.

Step 6: Attach a leaf bail and string the pendant with a necklace chain.

Attach a leaf bail to the Darth Vader pendant with E6000 glue and allow it to dry. Now you ready to wear your piece of jewelry!

DIY Darth Vader Necklace

For sneak peaks on upcoming projects follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

To the theater!

Check out my other Star Wars themed projects!

The post DIY Star Wars Jewelry: Darth Vader Necklace Tutorial appeared first on Handmade with Ashley.

Crochet Princess Leia Hat

Ashley — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 07:21:36 +0000

Crochet Princess Leia HatWe are just 3 days away from the release of Star Wars Force Awakens! I am incredibly excited about the movie’s release. Today I’m kicking off a “Countdown to Star Wars” series. Each day leading up to the release of Force Awakens (and a few days following it), I’ll be sharing a Star Wars themed project. I have some fun projects in the works, but let’s start off with something that will keep you toasty as you journey to the movie theatre this week: a crochet Princess Leia Hat.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

To create the Leia hat, I followed AdairToCrochet’s Princess Leia Hat pattern. The pattern is very well written with lots of pictures. The project is easy and can be completed within a day.

To the theater!

There are some free versions of a crochet Princess Leia hat, but I really liked the finished look of AdairToCrochet’s version.