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Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn"--Creedence Clearwater Revival's whimsical song about a yard filled with garden gnomes and other decorations brings a smile anytime it is heard. Although it is easy to overdo it, decorating a yard with wood cutouts creates a playful zone of relaxation in an otherwise overstressed world. Whether you choose a theme or simply fill the yard with whatever wood decorations strike your fancy, the result charms the spirit as it thumbs its nose at conventional gardens. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Make outlines of anything that would make a fun garden scene if you are comfortable creating your own drawings. Or, search online and through children's coloring books for simple line drawings of flowers, gnomes, fairies, farm animals, forest creatures and anything else that fits your chosen theme or strikes your sense of whimsy. Save and print the images.
2. Transfer each line drawing to a clear plastic overhead sheet. Choose a design to enlarge and place it on the overhead projector. Trace the outline onto a sheet of 1/2-inch thick plywood. Position additional drawings, without overlapping, until all available space has been used. Use a woodburning tool to engrave the outline of each drawing into the wood.
3. Cut out each figure with a jigsaw. Sand all surfaces of each cutout using coarse, medium, fine and extra fine sandpaper, in that order.
4. Measure the width of each cutout. Cut a 1-by-6 inch piece of stock wood to that width for the base of each wooden lawn decoration.
5. Cut a piece of 1-by-4 inch stock wood to use as a brace between the base and the cutout. Miter across the 4-inch ends to a 45-degree angle. Coat the length of the 1-inch edge of the 1-by-6 inch base with carpenter's glue. Allow the glue to dry until it is sticky. Butt the glued side of the base against the back of the cutout and press firmly.
6. Coat the mitered ends of the brace with carpenter's glue and allow it to dry until it is sticky. Press the brace into place as shown in the diagram. Drill 1/8-inch diameter pilot holes as shown in the diagram and countersink the holes. Screw the brace firmly to both the cutout and the base.
7. Paint the cutout as desired with bright, acrylic colors. Allow paint to dry 24 hours and then apply several coats of clear acrylic deck treatment. Allow acrylic to dry between coats.
Tags: 1-by-6 inch, carpenter glue, each cutout, shown diagram, stock wood