~who's ready for a little fireworks DIY?~

Who's ready for the Fourth Of July?

We are getting there.

I am putting some finishing touches on a few things, but it's looking mighty patriotic around here!

Be sure to come back Friday as I have a HUGE reveal of a project we've been working on.

Cannot wait to show you!

Now, who's ready to make some cute little boxes for your fireworks?

I started out with a bunch of wood out of a house being torn down.

If you don't have old wood you could always use new and paint it.

OR, you can buy a pre made box :)

I started with my bottom piece and cut the sides on 45 degree angles to fit around it, 

then nailed in place.

Once I was finished I painted on some wording.

You could use stencils or free hand.

I thought snap crackle & pop would be cute for all the fireworks.

For this one I used empty Starbucks bottles and filled them with sparklers.

Adding the word sparkle seemed fitting.

After I painted on the letters I roughed them up a bit with sandpaper.

Just a reminder to stop back by here Friday for a HUGE reveal!

xoxo

~tic tac toe diy~{thrifty thursday a day late}

My friends over at The Handmade Home made a  fabulous patriotic tic tac toe board.

So fabulous.

Everything they do is fabulous.

Just. Fabulous.

Anyway, you can check it out here.

They cut each star and circle themselves.

That's really time consuming.

I decided I wanted to make one with less time involved.

So here is my version which I am calling the lazy mans tic tac toe board.

I started out in search of a square wood tray to use but couldn't find one anywhere.

Then I stumbled upon this shadowbox frame at the craft store and voila!

It was on sale as well, so that was a bonus.

The craft store I was at didn't have cutout wooden stars and circles, so I improvised and used these paper mache ones.

For the bottom I used a piece of MDF cut to size.

For the dividers I simply cut up some 1x2 pieces of cedar I had.

I painted everything individually before putting it together.

It was way easier this way.

Once everything was assembled I spackled all the nail holes and edges.

After the spackle was dry I sanded it down, this gave it a distressed look as well.

To finish it off I added additional 1x2's cut on  45 degree angles around the outside edge, and then added a bottom piece using MDF.

I used "antique gold" by Delta Ceramcoat on the stars….

And Behr Oarsman Blue on the circles.

Then I striped them with warm white by Americana.

Play time!

I think this will be a fun summer game to play outdoors, or even in. 

Thank you to The Handmade Home for yet another inspiring idea!

The winner of the Shop Joyworks flag tank top is the writer of the blog,
preparing for two.

xoxo

~a $25 tablescape~ {thrifty thursday}

When creating a beautiful tables cape, you don't need to have a ton of money.

I am going to show you how I created this garden inspired tables cape  with $25 and a trip to the thrift and grocery store.

A dozen white roses for $9.99 at the grocery store…..

6 glass vases from Goodwill for .69 cents each = $4.14….

Glass juice pitcher from the Goodwill = $2.69

4 ironstone plates from the Goodwill  = $4.00

Taper candles I had on hand = free

6 stemware glasses, also .69 cents each = $4.14….

Place a cement garden piece/statue in the center of your table. You can also add an urn with even more flowers. I re purposed this piece from another room.

I also added misc. ironstone trays and bowls which I already had.

xoxo

~thrifty thursday~{pallet + crate storage}

This is a very rustic project. 

I am planning on using it outdoors in a covered area this summer for sunscreen, bug spray, flip flops, etc.

You will need 4 casters, pallet wood, 3 crates, 1x2 pieces of wood,  and a nail gun {or you can do it by hand}

Start with one crate and add 1x2 pieces to the inside of all 4 corners.

Nail in place.

Center a second crate on top and nail in place.

And the same with the third.

At this point, you could stain it or paint it and leave it like this.

But, I wanted to be able to push it up against the house and not see all the junk inside.

So I covered the front and 2 sides in pallet pieces.

The easiest thing would be to measure the side and cut all your side pieces at once. Nail them in place and then start on the front.

When you get to the part with the 1x2's like you see in the photo below, you will need to add another rough cut piece of 1x2 to raise it up a bit so you can attach your pallet pieces.

 When you are near the bottom, flip the whole piece upside down. 

Attach casters to the bottom with screws.

To disguise the casters

{because they are new, and not really rustic looking}

I added a "skirt" with 3 more sides of wood.

And to finish off the top, I just used the remaining 1x2's cut on a 45 degree angle and attached to the top with my nail gun.

Here it is all finished.

This is the front.

The side:

And the back!

Like I said, it's very rustic, but perfect for all those misc. outdoor things that come with summer.

It can easily be wheeled out of the way and pushed up against the house when not in use.

I love getting emails from people that have used my tutorials and created something on their own!

Be sure to send them to me at:

lakeliving4@yahoo.com

xoxo

~thrifty thursday~ {put a fork in it}

I was cleaning out our garden shed and decided we had one too many of the same thing.

So….. I decided to put this old pitchfork to use.

Before, plain old pitchfork:

After: directional sign which can be easily moved or taken down after party:

So, if you are having a get together and need to show where different activities are, get out some scrap wood, or use new, and paint the wording on.

Nail to the pitchfork and stick in the ground.

Easy peasy.

Like I said before, you can use scrap wood, but new works just as well.

You really don't even need to paint the wood first.

You can freehand arrows on each piece, or cut the ends to form a arrow using a saw set to a 45 degree angle.

For the wording I used sticker letters from the office supply store.

I have used these on numerous projects, they are a staple in my craft studio.

Simply stick them on and use a pencil to trace around.

Peel off and fill in with the color paint of your choice.

After it's dry you can rough up the lettering with sandpaper if you wish.

These do not have to be perfect, my kind of project!

I made these for when we have backyard bbq's and get togethers this summer.

When the time comes, I will get it out and stick it in the ground!

xoxo