table numbers

i saw these table numbers in a blog post and thought they were awesome!!  we decided to tackle the project but havent quite completed it.  we bought posts from home depot.  about two 8 ft posts.  stephen's dad has a saw in fremont that he used to cut them into 1 foot pieces and also power sanded them

i then went ahead and stained them but of course i didnt read the directions on the stain before proceeding.  the stain came out a bit more than a stain and more like a paint.  stephen plans on sanding them down again and then putting the nails in.  i actually tried to hamme the nails in but they came out crooked and terrible.  so im leaving the job to him.

i actually tried to hand sand it but stain is really tough to sand.  its thick and not meant to fade with a little wear.  i freehanded the numbers but ive seen some DIYs where they nail on a printout or create a carbon copy etc