wooden crates

I really like the the texture of an old wooden crate. Rough, humble, nostalgic. I found two crates at an antique mall in hogansville a few months ago. They are full of history and purpose. They performed some useful task for many years - containing and transporting vegetables, fabric, tools, machine parts -  and now they have retired in my living room as sofa end tables. 

I also discovered FREE used food crates at our local farmer's market. They put them out front each morning, free for the taking.  It's really hard for me to resist anything labeled free. It always creates a problem that i love to solve: how can i make this free/discarded thing purposeful and beautiful? They aren't sturdy enough to function as a table, stool, or trusty carrying container so i spent some time finding a use for my thrifty find. 

The two best ideas so far:

-plant stands for my small herb garden on the patio.

-"sentimental paper clutter" boards

We all have special notes from friends, holiday cards, kid's artwork, and other sentimental paper clutter we don't want to throw out. However, this kind of stuff can often float from counter to draw without a designated area. This wooden crate board is a nice solution. I simply used binder clips to attach my special papers.

I untwisted the wire holding the crate together and unfolded the crate so it was a long flat piece, removing the side pieces. Super quick and easy. Then i just added a coat of paint. I have one in my living room and one over the guest bed.

Go pick up some of these free crates and see what ideas you can come up with - enjoy!

Glass Bottle Bird Feeders

Right now we have four baby birds nesting in the purple petunias on the front porch. I hung the coconut baskets and within two days I had a bird building a nest. We kept an eye on the eggs for days and they finally hatched a few weeks ago.  Pretty neat. The kids thought it was amazing. I think the birds are teenagers in bird years now, so they should leave the nest soon.

I think the mama bird was eager to build a nest in the petunias because of the super awesome bird feeder hanging nearby on the front porch. I’m sure of it….a little bird told me…

There is something so peaceful about watching birds up close. We’ve seen cardinals, wrens, sparrows, and other varieties I can’t identify eat from the feeder daily. Better than t.v.

Our family has enjoyed the feeder so much, that I decided to make one for my mom-in-law for mother’s day. She’s a gardening enthusiast and enjoys spending time in nature, so I thought it a great gift. I wrote a bit of scripture on hers that she can reflect on while watching the birds.

This thing is so easy to make. You’ll need:

-a couple of glass bottles

- nails and hammer

-2 metal lids…I used mason jar lids b/c I like the look

- rebar wire

- ¼” drill bit to bore holes for the wire

- pliers to shape the rebar wire

- scrap wood (2x4 or 1x4 – if not pressure treated, you’ll need to paint it with outdoor paint)

Take the wood and nail together a “T” shape. Then, nail lids to the piece of wood that sits parallel to the ground. Drill two holes near the top of the vertical piece. Run the rebar through the holes and make a harness to hold the bottles in place. Twist the wire around itself using pliers. This will hold it in place. You want the harness tight enough to keep the bottle in place, but it will need to be loose enough to remove the bottle for refilling.  Drill a hole at the top center and run a string or more wire through to hang your feeder.  Decorate with paint, scripture, handprints, shells, anything.  Fill the bottles with seeds and place them in the wire harness. Keep your fingers over the opening while getting them in place so the seed doesn't spill. Enjoy! 

around the nest

     I wanted to post some pictures of items i have created or modified around the nest.  One of my favorite pieces is my bookshelf turned "china cabinet." I own 2 pieces of actual china (one porcelain teacup that i found in a quaint french pottery store and bought for a euro, the other given to me by a dear friend of my grandmother). I feel like if i'm going to own something special like china, it should have a neat story behind it. It's all about the sentiment, you know? 

     So the evolutionary process of this "china cabinet" is as follows....received from friends when we got married - it needed a home and we had a new one.....did a fine job as a bookshelf for 5 years....moved into house with a dining room....wanted to display my sentimental pottery....didn't want to spend money. Stephen found some old wood from a dilapidated building on Whitfield road and sprayed them for bugs. Always spray for bugs when using old wood indoors. Stuff can hatch...yikes.  i painted them black and he hung them on some modern Celtic looking brackets in our living room. Looks great and fits the space much better. You can see it below. 

     We also mounted a piece of the old lumber to the wall left of the shelves. I added knobs from my dad's old kitchen cabinets and shabam, a convenient place for purses, coats, and kid paraphernalia. 

     
I then took the bookshelf, white washed and distressed it. I also painted a subtle organic design on the backboard for a little added detail. I love stamping, especially circles...i'm not sure why...it's just really gratifying. My stylized flowers are stamps from peanut butter lids and shampoo bottle tops. Stephen added some ledgers to the length of the center of the top three shelves to hold the dishes in place. He helps me a lot...i think that guy might like me or something:)

Mason jars make nice china. They also look beautiful filled with tea lights on a dinner table. My mom gave me those really interesting clay bowls on the top shelves. Thanks mom.

   So, shelves for the living room, a coat rack, and a china cabinet for around $80, which i still think is kind of expensive. I couldn't figure out how to weld metal brackets from scrap or create an aerosol can, so we had to purchase brackets and a can of black spray paint. I really like the results.