This may not be the most exciting table ever, but I love it for a few reasons. One is that it has a crisp, clean feel. Two, is that it is functional. And three, it cost me nothing.

In a hallway near our kitchen is where our recycling goes. It is the most obnoxious, untidy area. This isn’t even a good obnoxious photo. Usually there is so much recycling that it’s overfilling the bags and spilling all over the floor.

The space was in desperate need of tidying. I asked Farmer John if there was enough scrap wood laying around to build a small table. He found 2 closet doors and got to creating.

One door was used to make the table top. The other door was cut to make 2 36″ tall legs.

The doors are 18″ wide, which is a couple inches wider than I would prefer for the hall. But, it works just fine.

The doors obviously have a hole for a door handle. We cut that section off the leg pieces. But, chose to leave it for the table top so we can put cords through it if we ever needed to like for a slow cooker or Christmas decor.

Using a drill and countersink, Farmer John screwed the top piece to the legs.

The door had space for hinges, of course. But, we just placed that ugly side towards the wall.

Since the doors are hollow, the ends are open. We have old matting in our garage that Farmer John cut to cover the openings. It’s not fancy, but it worked.

He also used the matting to cut gussets to stabilize the table.

The triangle gussets were stapled to the back of the table.

The finished thrifty, yet functional, table!

To try to keep the recycling mess organized I labeled each container. Hopefully the family follows the labels and it actually stays organized.

As an added bonus the table is perfect for my cookbooks and old cookie cutters. I was also able to hang mine and Farm Girl’s aprons near the table. Win, win!

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Years ago we acquired a 3 barrel garden fountain. I liked it, but we didn’t have a place for it. We finally have a patio and a nice place for a fountain. However, I wanted to try herb gardens on the patio and these unused barrels seemed perfect.

Two of the barrels just wasting space in the yard.

GETTING THE BARRELS READY FOR HERBS

The main purpose of the barrels was to grow herbs. But, I envisioned our new patio with lights, so the barrel install included posts for hanging lights.
Top Left: Metal posted cemented into an old plant container. The container is placed in the barrel.
Top Right: Gravel spread at the bottom of barrel for drainage.
Bottom Left: Barrel filled with dirt & compost.
Bottom Right: Tomato cage placed over the post and into the dirt to support climbing or vining plants.

THE HERBS

I started many of the herbs from seed. I also bought a few from a local nursery.

HERB BARREL

The herb barrel and surrounding pots include:
Basil – Siam Queen
Lemon Balm – Melissa officialnis
Marjoram – Golden
Oregano – Sicilian
Parsley – Italian Flat Leaf
Rosemary – Simplyherbs & Tuscan Blue
Sage – Salvia officinalis & Dwarf Green
Tarragon – French
Thyme – Dot Wells French

extras:
Morning Glory – just for a tall, pretty element
Cucumber – that I didn’t plant (on purpose anyway)

the label:
black paint on brick

My original plan was to create three herb barrels. Somewhere along the way I altered the plan. One barrel is primarily herbs. One of the others is a pizza themed barrel. And the third barrel has a taco theme.

PIZZA GARDEN

Basil – Dolce Fresca, Sweet (Ocimum basilicum),
Chives
Oregano – Sicilian
Tomato – Costoluto Genovese, Aunt Ruby’s, & Black Plum
Thyme – Dot Wells French

the label:
sharpie on broken terra cotta pot
Next to the label I added a love rock. I put the rock here mainly because it makes me happy. Plus, I love pizza. And Italy.

TACO GARDEN

Coriander – Santo (Coriandrum sativum)
Peppers – Ancho Tiburon, Jalepeno Conchos, Cayenne Ring of Fire, & Anaheim
Tarragon – MexicanTomato  – Black Plum

the label:
black paint on a rock
There is also a rock with a tomato label painted by a child in Farm Kid2’s class.

PATIO LIGHTS

Each of the barrels has a cemented post with lights hanging from it. I wanted lights that could withstand our windy, rainy weather. I ended up getting the ones from Costco. They’re quite heavy duty and weigh more than I imagined. This put more strain on the posts than I was anticipating.

Two of the posts handle the pull from the lights well enough to be left alone. But, one of the posts leaned more than we were comfortable with. The temporary solution for this summer was running a guy wire from the top of the post to a chunk of wood. It’s not fancy, but it’s working.

The lights. The herb/pizza/taco barrels. They all turned out awesome. I love it!

This set up really has worked perfectly. I’m using fresh herbs more than in previous years since they are right out the kitchen door. Also, for some unknown reason the deer are leaving the plants alone. Score!

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I love to travel, whether it’s road trippin’ the US or traveling abroad. For years I’ve been wanting a way to commemorate our travels in one place. This Wanderlust Map is what I came up with.

THE BOARD

I bought a board at Home Depot and painted it a variety of colors. The paint effect is random with a slight textured appearance. I was going for an overall tan color with highlights of other colors. A basic blue background, representing the oceans, would have been nice too.

WANDERLUST TEXT

I used a Martha Stewart stencil set for the text. It worked out perfectly that no letters were used more than once. So I taped the stencils together and dabbed paint over the entire text. Then waited for the paint to dry and went over the letters again. This worked very well. However, I don’t love the R and the U letters that came with the stencil set. I wish I would have used an upside down n as the u, then use the n again, blocking off the section that wouldn’t work, as an r. Oh well.

THE MAP

I found a cork world map at Michaels and loved it.

I mixed purple, pthalo blue and black paint to create a dark navy color and painted the cork.

When the paint dried, I assembled the map onto the board. The map has adhesive on the back, but I found not all of it stuck well to my board. So, I used gorilla glue to help it stay attached.

ADDING PHOTOS

The photos are 3″ x 3″ with a skinny white border.

One tack is placed at the vacation location & one tack is on the vacation photo. They are connected with twine.

I wasn’t sure how crazy I wanted the final product to look, so I didn’t add every single place we’ve been. But, eventually I will add more photos.

FINISHED PIECE

I love it – especially because it highlights various points throughout our relationship. Hawaii, where he first kissed me. Our honeymoon in Mexico. Tropical destinations as scuba divers. Road trip as a family of 4. Then again as a family of 5. Etc, etc. etc.

How do you commemorate your travels?

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NOTRE DAME

I love Notre Dame. It is breathtaking inside and out.

In 2002, Farmer John & I quickly admired the main level. It was amazing and when we brought the kids to Paris in 2015 it was a place I definitely wanted them to see. Plus, let’s be honest, I wanted to see it again.

This time we climbed the stairs to the top of the towers. We arrived early, but there was still a long wait. It was worth the wait.

I enjoyed the entire experience – the enormous Emmanuel bell, the view, even the narrow spiral staircases. My favorite thing, though, was getting to see the chimera up close.

GARGOYLE VS. CHIMERA

Only recently did I learn the difference between a gargoyle and a chimera. The first 30 years of my life I used the word gargoyle to describe both. Very naive, I know.

GARGOYLE
Gargoyles are functional. They were built on the end of gutters to prevent rain water from dripping on the walls and eventually ruining the building.

CHIMERA
Chimera are decoration. Weird, yet awesome, decoration. These ones on Notre Dame have a great view of the city.

The building of Notre Dame occurred and changed over hundreds of years. The chimera were added during the 1800’s.

The guy in the upper right is Stryga, probably the most famous chimera.

CUTTING 3 WOOD SQUARES

I bought a long pine board that was 5.5″ high at Home Depot.

I wanted the wood to be square, so using a table saw Farmer John cut the board to 5.5″ wide. Then, he cut two more squares.

BACKGROUND COLOR

I used a simple gray color to paint the 3 wooden squares.

Then, I used a piece of sand paper to both smooth the surface and roughen the edges.

ROUGH IT UP

As I’ve mentioned a number of times, I rarely paint just one color. These squares were no different.

After the main background paint dried, I used a variety of gray paints to add a bit of interest to the wood. Instead of a brush, I used a natural sponge to lightly apply the color.

After that layer of paint dried, I sanded the edges to give them a rough look.

ADDING THE PHOTO’S

The original photos are in color. Using Photoshop, I changed them to black and white.

I cropped and printed the photos to a 5″x 7″ size. Then I trimmed the photo to 5″ x 5″.

Using mod podge, I glued a 5′ x 5″ photo to each square.

3 SQUARES IN A ROW

I chose to make three squares and place them in a row. It would also be a fun project to have 4 squares, but place them 2 x 2.

Anyone else think the chimera are as fascinating as I do?

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I needed one last item to add to a wall dedicated to all things Disney. This hand painted laughter sign fit perfectly.

The word was inspired by this quote:

“Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever.”

I’m not actually sure Walt Disney said this quote, however the internet thinks he did. Either way, I enjoy the phrase.

Materials

• Wood Board – mine is 5.5″ x 22″
• Sandpaper
• Acrylic Paint – I used cerulean blue, pthalo blue, cadmium yellow, deep magenta, crimson, & white
• Paint Brushes, Sponge, & Spouncer
• Exacto Knife and Cutting Mat
• Laughter Stencil, preferably printed on card stock
• String and Hot Glue

Step 1: Paint Background

I began by cutting a 6′ board to approximately 22″ long.

Next I sanded the board just a bit.

Using a 1″ brush I painted the board in cerulean blue.

After the blue paint dried, I sanded the board again.

Anybody who follows me regularly knows I rarely paint a background one color and leave it. I prefer mixing in a little coordinating or completely opposite color. This time I went with a darker blue, yellow, magenta and crimson.

Also, as I tend to do when using a small amount of paint, I used a pringles can lid as a paint palette.

As opposed to a brush, I used a sponge to lightly apply color to the board.

When the paint dried, the board was sanded once again.

Step 2: Add Text

Using a font I liked (Harman simple, btw) I typed out the word laughter, sized and printed it. You can click the image or here to get a copy of the text, then enlarge it to the size that works for your project.

Using an exacto knife I cut out the letters. There’s no need to be exact when cutting out the letters. Close is good enough.

Using a spouncer, I dabbed white paint inside the stencil. After the paint dried, I dabbed on paint again. Then again, one more time.

I printed the text on regular copy paper, as opposed to card stock like I meant to do. So, paint blobbed under the stencil in a few places. Boo!

I remedied the error by painting cerulean blue over the unwanted white blobs.

When dry, the board received one last sanding.

Step 3: Add Hanger

For a hanger, I simple hot glued string to the back.

On Display

The laughter sign hangs on my Disney wall directly underneath my RunDisney canvases.

Ah, so nice to finish the last piece of this wall gallery.

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I love to travel & I can’t help but collect goodies while traveling. Back in the old days, I would add those goodies to my vacation scrapbooks. However, I was always nervous about it due to acid and such in the cheaply produced maps and ticket stubs. Now, though, I create digital scrapbooks and add photos of those tickets and maps – which leaves me with the originals. Usually they end up in an envelope crammed onto an unsightly shelf full of similar items. There they sit. Never to be looked at again. When I saw Martha Stewart’s Travel Keepsake Kits, I knew this was my solution.

Honestly, it took me a awhile to get around to making them. But, I did make them – a slightly distressed version of Martha’s. And, I love them. They’re fun and bright and full of fabulous memories.

This post contains affiliate links.

SUPPLIES

• Memory Box
• Stencils
• Acrylic Paints
• Paintbrush, sponge & spouncer
• Sandpaper

THE BOX

I would have liked to purchase the boxes Martha suggested, however they were almost twice as expensive as similar ones I found. Had I been buying only one box, I probably would have sprung for Martha’s. But, I was buying 5. So, I went with the cheaper Darice brand box.

I don’t know the quality of Martha’s box, so I can’t compare. But, I can say the boxes I did buy aren’t heavy duty. I’m sure they wouldn’t hold up to constant open and closing. Mostly, though, mine are sitting on a bookshelf looking pretty. I’m going to guess they’ll last quite a long time in that situation.

STEP 1: PAINTING THE BOX

First: I “primed” the box with a coat of ivory paint.
Next: I painted the box in my chosen color.
Then: To add a distressed look, I used a sponge to dab on various colors – mainly around the edges.
Last: I added way too much paint on the distressed layer, so I sanded most of it off. The sanding added a new aspect of distress, which I liked.

STEP 2: PAINTING ON THE DESTINATION

I scoured craft stores and the internet for stencils. In the end, I opted for the ones Martha suggested. I love them! They are adhesive, yet repositionable. I’ve used them on many projects since these boxes and they’re still holding up.

I positioned the letters on the box, then used a spouncer to dab on charcoal colored acrylic paint. I tried to dab ever so lightly so the paint wouldn’t seep under the stencil. It wasn’t perfect, but mostly I did an ok job.

In case you’re wondering, my fancy paint palette is a pringles lid. They make perfect palette’s for small amounts of paint.

STEP 3: PAINTING ON THE YEAR

Martha didn’t do this step, but I took creative liberties and added the year(s) of our vacation(s). I painted the numbers on exactly as I did the letters naming the place.

FINISHED BOXES

Now to go on vacation and paint more boxes.

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Since I started running I wanted to have a way to display my bling. I found a few items around the house and got to making one. I had a few requirements: I wanted it to hold both bibs & medals, I wanted it to say Celebrate Every Mile, I wanted to be able to write on it & I didn’t want it to be too large.

PAINTING THE BOARD

Top Left: We had a scrap piece of plywood lying around that was already painted white. Score! My hubby trimmed it to 18″ x 12″ and I sanded off the dirt.

Top Right: With indoor/outdoor paint I had used on other projects, I painted the background. First, I painted the blue. Then after the blue dried, I painted green right over the top. When the green was dry, I sanded the entire thing to allow some of the blue to come through. I was going for a not-so-perfect look.

Bottom: Then, I used chalkboard paint for my final paint layer. After it dried, I sanded it, especially along the edges to roughen it.

THE INSPIRATIONAL WORDING

Using the font that came with the Boys Will Be Boys cartridge, I used my cricut machine to cut vinyl letters.

HARDWARE

Left: I screwed in 7/8″ brass hooks to hold the bibs & medals. I might need to change out the hooks used for the bibs later. They aren’t large enough to hold as many bibs as I had hoped. Right now I have 23 bibs hanging & I don’t think the hooks can hold many more.

Right: To hang the display on the wall I nailed a picture frame bracket to the back. I used only one bracket. Two would have been better.

USING CHALK

I wanted to change my times as needed on the board, so I chose chalk as my media.

Left: First I prepped the board by covering the entire thing with chalk, then wiped it off. You can see the board has deep grooves so the chalk didn’t fill in everywhere like it was supposed to.

Right: My board is a little too rough, making it a slightly difficult to write on. Also, the chalk pen doesn’t erase quite as well as I would like. But, overall, it does what I need it to.

HOW THE BOARD LOOKS TODAY

I’m pleased with the result. It’s not perfect, but it accomplishes all the things I want it to. Most importantly, it hangs within eyesight of my computer to remind me to get off my duff and run.

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At my request, Farmer John brought home a truck bed & trailer full of pallets & crates! I had been oogling over all the fabulous ideas crafty people had been creating out of recycled wood. I even made a pinterest board dedicated to pallet projects.

DISASSEMBLING THE PALLETS

CREATIONS

SIGNS
My favorite way to use the pallet wood is painting signs.

POTATO &ONION STORAGE BINS
John built a couple bins to hold potatoes & onions from our garden.

KIDS PLAY HOUSE
The bottom of our play structure is open, so we are going to enclose it to create a play house area. One out of 4 walls is complete so far. It’s not much of a play house, yet. But, the one wall makes a great backdrop for photos.

MORE SIGNAGE
A couple other signs I’ve made are a sign to take with me when I go to chicken swaps & shows, and also garden bed labels. They are actually made from repurposed bender board. But, they could just as easily be made from pallet wood.

Except for the pieces saved for the play house, we have used up nearly all of the wood. One day I would like to get another load of pallets to make more signs & also build an outdoor kitchen.

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To add a little character to our farm, I painted signs using collected pallet wood.

PREPARATION

After collecting the wood, we had to disassemble it, taking out nails & staples. I will admit, that was not my favorite part of the project.

Next was the fun part, though, getting creative & figuring out the types of signs I wanted to make.

Using my computer, I designed the sign text & printed it. I traced right over the printed text, which left a slight mark on the pallet wood. It wasn’t perfect. In some places I had to wing it & hope for the best.

PAINTING THE SIGNS

I painted the signs using DecoArt Patio Paint & Behr Indoor/Outdoor Primer & Paint. Then, each sign got a coat or two of Thompson’s Waterseal. I don’t know how long the signs will last. But, I’ve had many of them outside for almost exactly one year & they still look great.
Update: The signs are going on their second year & look just fine. I should probably wash them, though, and apply a new coat of waterseal.

SOME OF OUR SIGNS

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When I decided to be a vendor at a poultry swap for the first time I knew I had to put together a couple things for the booth. Most importantly was figuring out the cages for the chickens. Next on my list of importance was creating signage that easily stated what we were selling as customers walked by. I came up with an upcycled project using only materials we had at home.

MAKING THE SIGN

For the individual pieces stating the items we have for sale, I used bender board. I originally installed the bender board when I designed our bird village with the hopes of it separating the garden dirt from the gravel path. It kind of worked for awhile. Then the boards split and/or came out of the ground. Maybe I didn’t install it correctly. Whatever the reason, the boards don’t work & are more of a hazard than a help. So, I pulled most of them out & used what I could to make my vendor sign. They work perfectly, primarily because they are lightweight.

The first thing I did was measure each board. Then, I used my computer to print out words that would fit on the board. I chose a font that was simple & easy to read.

The bender board is so soft that I simply traced the letters with a pencil & the pressure made an indent in the board. I used those indentations as guides to paint the words.

Using outdoor acrylic paints, I painted inside the indent first with my main color, then went around the outside in white. I also used Behr’s indoor/outdoor primer & paint. It was all paint I had on hand, and I’m sure regular acrylic paint would work, too.

THE STAND

Farmer John built me this stand as a place to attach the bender board painted signs. It is quite sturdy & doesn’t require any weight to keep from falling over. The only downfall is that it doesn’t come apart & is awkward to fit in my car. But, it does fit.

Farmer John predrilled holes in the bender board signs so they wouldn’t split when screwing them to the stand.

USING THE SIGN

I bring a cordless drill & screws with me to the swaps & attach the individual signs to the stand once I get there. It is simple & takes no more than 5 minutes to set up.

I love this sign for a few reasons:
1. Perfection was not necessary. It’s meant to be fun & slightly wonky.
2. Super simple to make
3. It’s large & legible, yet easy to haul & set up
4. No out of pocket expenses

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