Painting A Houndstooth Pattern.....

Cornhole....Bama Style!!!!!  

Everyone has "that" project that they really really want to create, however they keep procrastinating because they think it will take forever!!  Well, this was it for me!!  We have been playing on a raw wood cornhole game for over a year now, and I have finally decided it was time to give it some life! I knew I wanted to paint a houndstooth pattern on it, however the thought slightly intimated me!   My initial goal was to complete this BEFORE football season began!!!  I guess I'm ONLY ten weeks behind! hha 

Daddy K built these two beauties last October!  So this was my starting point!!

First I put the base colors on!  This was easy!  I taped off each side so I would have a perfectly straight line between the two colors!  I used a quick dry spray paint for this!

Next, I gathered the tools for the houndstooth pattern.  Because I did not want to "hand paint" every shape, I decided to make a stamp!  What you will need:  a pattern reference (mine came from google images), carving block, pencil, and xacto knife.

Trace the houndstooth shape with your pencil.  Go over it several times to make a very dark outline.

Place your carving block on top of the outline, and press down firmly.

When you lift up the block you will have a nice outline transfer.

Cut out the shape with your xacto knife.

This is what you are left with.  I drew a little star on the top side of mine so I would not stamp the wrong side.

Pour out a good bit of paint.

Place a piece of felt on top of it and use your stamp to press the felt into the paint.  You will have to press down a few times before the paint starts to seep through the felt.  This is a great technique so you will not have too much paint on the stamp.

Now it's time to practice.  I wanted to get a feel for how much paint needed to be on it, how hard to press down, and how often I needed to reapply the paint.  I also needed to figure out how to connect the corners to properly make the pattern!  Once you get a feel for the look you want, then you can go to town.....

As my hands are sweating, I placed my first stamp!!  

Within ten minutes I had two rows!  This was not bad at all!!  I absolutely love the stamped look!  Because all of the paint is uneven, it gives more of a vintage look....and we all know I love vintage things!!

After about 3 hours I had both boards complete!!  Aren't they fabulous!!  I am so proud of how they turned out!  I don't know why I waited so long to attempt this....it was sooo easy!!!  Of course they are not perfect, and yes there are areas that I would love to "do over"....but I bet I am the only one that would be able to locate the flaws.....I'm not even gonna call them a flaw....they are "beauty marks"......they remind me that I created this from scratch, and it turned out beautifully!!

Here is an up close shot of the pattern.  After I completed both boards I sprayed a paint sealant over the top!  I wanted to make sure the paint did not all chip away after our first game!

Julia showing us how it's done!!

Our little cornhole master!!

So the moral of this project??  Quit procrastinating, and go make "that" project!! It probably will not be as difficult as you think, and it will be sooo rewarding when it's completed!!

To see the parties I'm linking to go HERE!!