Belated Fall Decoration

Several weeks ago, I had an idea for a small project. Between my birthday and a bunch of stuff going on at work and with the kids, I only just now got around to working on it this past weekend.

At this point, it's about seeing if I could actually do it, not using it for decorations. But now I will have it for next year. So, YEAH! Go me! Ha!

I started off by cutting and sanding some scrap 2x4, then spray painting them. 

Sadly, the color I absolutely love, espresso (Wonder why), I ran out of on the first block. But since I had recently purchased some orange, I figured it would work to do the other three blocks.

Then I pulled out my stencils, and trusty sponge brush, and stenciled the letters onto the blocks. In my head, it seemed like a good idea to have the letters actually "falling"...so. I don't hate it. I just wish I had measured better. 

Then I put a clear coat of glow-in-the-dark paint over it all. 

I tied some ribbon around one block, in an attempt to make it look like it had a stem, and voilà!

Now I'm ready for Fall...just in time for Christmas. Ha!

Cost: materials on hand

Time: 1 hour

Outcome: Success

Fall decorating

Wow! I'm finally back to having energy for extra projects. 

I wanted to do something for my front poach, so I got out my favorite things-spray paint and letter stickers. 

Then I added in some fall themed items, and voila! 

Cost: $8 for pumpkins

Time: 30 minutes

Easiest Repurpose EVER!!

Some friends of mine had to downsize into a much smaller apartment last year, and I went to help them pack or sell things. 

When I pulled up to their house, I saw that they had already stuck a HUGE pile of stuff out by the curb for trash collection. One thing caught my eye. 

I quickly stuck it in my car and went on with the rest of my day. 

It has sat in my shed for almost a year, and I finally got the courage to work on it. I had been saving a bunch of plastic gift cards thinking I would cut them into pieces, spray paint them and create a glued mosaic onto the ball. As I stood there looking at it all, my eye caught on the gold spray paint and I thought, "Forget all that work! I'm doing this!". 

I wiped it down and started putting coats of gold spay paint on it, letting it dry between coats. 

After 3-4 coats, I decided it needed more shine, so I added a coat of spray glitter. Then started spraying it with a clear gloss enamel. 

I put on 5-6 coats of the clear, letting it dry between. 

Then I picked out a place in my garden. 

DONE! 

Cost: Materials in hand. 

Time: 1 day due to drying times. 

Outcome: SUCCESS!!

Side Note: I start a new job next week, PRAISE GOD! I'm not sure how often I will be able to create and post, though I'm working on one more project now. 

Pallet walkway

I really thought I had already talked about this. It was a very interesting project that I did last summer. But it turns out, I've not posted it. OOPS!

So, 4-years ago I bought this house. One of the big selling points was that it came with a really amazing shed that had electricity and storage and all kinds of interesting things already in residence. 

The issue was that I have two dogs, and getting to the shed in the dark or when it has rained was always a less than pleasant experience. 

I put down those cement stepping stones, but when I re-did the entire yard last summer (Wait, I haven't talked about that yet either? Double oops), the pavers became less than practical. 

I really have tried to use reclaimed resources as much as possible, because I don't have the $$ to spend, and I had found some really great old boards and talked a friend into helping me haul them home. But I was at a loss as to how to make them a raised walkway without spending tons of money on brick or rock or more wood. 

 

One day, I was staring at the pallets I had left from another project and an idea popped into my head. I quickly borrowed a truck and brought home more pallets and started to plan. 

First, I layed down some landscape fabric to stave off grass and weeds from growing up under my walkway. Then I started placing the pallets down, with an idea of them providing as much support as possible. 

It took some thinking to avoid big empty spaces, and since I wanted a clear boarder, I added in several 2x4s cut to length in spots, but finally I was able to lay my reclaimed planks. 

I did have to build a transition stoop at the shed doors, as the pallets were higher than the door clearance would allow. The previously mentioned stash in the shed provided excellent wood for that. 

I used long deck screws to connect the planks to the pallets, added in some old landscape border I pulled from another location in my yard, and used some bricks gifted from a friend to finish it out. 

I really like it, actually. It is very functional, and the wood was already weathered, so the look was right. 

NOTE: As you can see, a couple of boards were pretty warped, and over the last year, as I have seen long boards laying around, I have hauled them home and used them to replace those warped boards.

I've also added in some of those Dollar Tree solar stake lights so I can see the path in the dark. I need to get out there and mow so I can post an after-after picture. 

Total time: a solid weekend, with the hauling and placing and cutting

Total cost: $8 for the box of deck screws. 

Outcome: success!

Update to the previous post

A friend decorates for EVERY holiday, and liked the patriotic centerpiece that I made, so I gave it to her.  Then, I realized that I wanted one for myself. lol

So I grabbed dad's drill bit again, and threw this together in less than an hour! 

As a bonus, my sister moved last weekend, and was cleaning out her stuff and had some wooden slats that she had used to support a bed.  They had nice rounded edges, so I used one and cut it up to create the box and coffee-themed centerpiece that can stay in my kitchen, year-round.

Those ladies at Shanty2Chic really know how to inspire!

My take on someone else's idea

Let me start by admitting that I got my idea from seeing something the wonderful ladies over at Shanty2Chic posted several months ago.

Here's their creation. 

I, as previously mentioned, happen to have a large supply of empty glass Torani bottles, so I knew I would be making something similar. 

The July 4th holiday was around the corner when inspiration hit!

I had more of the 12" fence picket sections mentioned in a previous post, and 3 bottles for nicely on one section. 

I built a box to surround the bottles, and borrowed a 1.5" drill bit from dad to drill holes in the top section. 

I tried just using the 1" drill bit that I already had, and just wriggling the bit around. Yeah. Not the best idea. I wound up having to scrap that wood and start over.

The right tools make ALL the difference!

Next I picked out the stickers that had the font I wanted and applied them to the bottles. 

Then I spray painted each bottle the appropriate color, and let dry.

I opted to spray paint the outside of the bottles, instead of painting the insides, so that I could put water in them and use as vases for the flowers from my gardens. 

When the paint was dry, I peeled off the stickers, placed the bottles on the bottom board, and used small nailed to attach the top piece. 

Voila!!

Project cost: $8 for red and blue spray paint. 

Project time: could be done in 1 afternoon. 

Outcome: SUCCESS!!

My shovel died

I am the kind of person that has one of each item.  I believe that I only need one, and I take care, and keep track, of that one tool.  Having more than one requires additional storage space, and is unnecessary.  Now, I might have multiple types of an item, say 3 sizes of cookie scoops, or different lengths of phillips-head screwdrivers, but never the exact same part....unless, of course, someone gives me one when I had already purchased one.

Anyways, I had a shovel.  I have used my shovel for SO many digging projects, because digging is a hereditary trait that my father gave me, and it has withstood my up and down weight yo-yo without complaints.

Last summer, my shovel and I dug out a 24'x2' spot for a flower bed, and a 2-ft deep hole for a transplanted lilac bush, and countless other smaller flower areas and transplanted plants.  I love my shovel.  It's awesome.

So, this spring when I decided to put ANOTHER flower bed in my front yard, I was HEARTBROKEN to have my shovel handle snap off barely 20 minutes into removing the topsoil.

When I posted how sad I was about it, a friend asked me what I was going to make out of it.  I lol'ed, but in my head, I had an instant image.

Dad gave me one of his extra shovels, so I was able to complete the flower bed,

but I mourned my shovel and determined to give it a place of honor, somehow.

Last week, I finally had the time to work on it.  First, I cleaned it thoroughly, then I got out my drill and drilled a hole so I could run some hanging wire through the handle. 

Then I gave it a coat of white spray paint.  I just love spray paint.  I can't believe I've done projects for over 20 years without ever trying to work with it.  It's wonderful stuff!

I actually put 2-3 coats of spray paint on it, because the first coat was from a REALLY old can of paint that someone had given me, along with a tub of other random things, and it just didn't want to STICK to the metal.  :((

I wasn't sure how to get the whole, "Twilight Zone"-looking swirls.  I really should have looked up some pics on the web or something, but I'm SO DARN IMPATIENT!  OY!  So, I just jumped in with my black acrylic paint and a small paintbrush.

I went over that a couple of times, then pulled out my stencils and some red acrylic paint.  Here's where it became a LEARNING opportunity. (eyes rolling)

You see, a shovel may be a flat surface on which to paint, but that surface is at some interesting angles.  Trying to get the stencil to lay flat for the painting was next to impossible, so the lettering isn't as clean a look as I would prefer, but I am nothing if not DETERMINED, so I kept at it.  2-3 coats of the red paint for each letter, and the wording was done.  Everything got sealed with my spray sealer, and then it was time to hang.

When I went to hang it, it just lacked a little....something...so I grabbed an old belt and some work gloves that are actually a little too snug on my over-grown hands, and used those to finish it off.

Now, my hard-working shovel hangs proudly displayed on my front door....warning all who enter what to expect! HA!

Project Cost: materials on hand
Project time: 2 days, to allow for paint to dry

Project Outcome:  SUCCESS!!

This is when I love being the Make-Do Queen!

UPDATE: I added in one very important word.