DIY Tobacco Basket at a Fraction of the Cost

It seems that all of a sudden tobacco baskets are The Thing to have if you love farmhouse/country decor. And when I saw one on the cover of a recent Country Living edition, I jumped on the bandwagon and started looking for one at local antique markets and auctions. But apparently they aren't to be found in this part of country, despite the fact that I living in an area known for it's tobacco farms. And if I was to find one, it would be expensive!!

I was recently lamenting to a (very talented) friend that I couldn't find one and he thought he could replicate it out of wood veneer. The other day, he showed up with my gorgeous tobacco basket!

Using 1/16" wood, he soaked it overnight and then clamped it to a frame he also made.

It took a lot of clamps and a couple days of drying before the outside frame was complete.

Then he cut veneer in 1" and 1/2" strips and wove and glued them together to form the classic tobacco basket pattern.

He even used copper nails to finish the edges! He said that was authentic and I believe him never having actually seen a vintage tobacco basket.

The veer is stained a gorgeous walnut - perfect for my neutral living room.

It looks amazing on the mantel with some other rustic touches like an old tomato jar filled with cotton branches and some birch accessories. I would never have been able to figure out how to make this myself. It's good to have talented friends!

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/13650640/diy-tobacco-basket-at-a-fraction-of-the-cost site

Super EASY and CUTE Pom Pom Sticks! (For Just $2?!)

Lately I have been super budget minded in my decorated. I have ALWAYS decorated frugally, but now that I am staying home, I am trying even more so to get the most bang for my buck and step out of my comfort zone to do a little more DIY than ever before. It has been a fun challenge, so today I wanted to share one of the simplest DIY adventures to date.
Let me first take you to my inspiration for this project. I was recently at Hobby Lobby {my home away from home}, where I found these super cute pom pom sticks.

They were $8.99 full price per stem {I never pay at Hobby Lobby because they run everything 50% off every few weeks, plus you can use a 40% coupon for a full price item every visit too.}, which made them $4.50 on the day I was there because they were half off. I bought 1 yellow one for Eden’s bedroom because I knew it would look so cute in her white vase with all of her other decor, but I just couldn’t bring myself to buy any others. I mean, $4.50 isn’t totally unreasonable, but it also isn’t cheap.
When I got home, I got to thinking…and I decided to try my hand at making my own! They looked so simple, and guess what!? They WERE! All you need are some sticks from your yard, a hot glue gun and some pom poms!
I took a picture at Hobby Lobby of the pom poms so you can see what they look like. They are $1.99 for a package full price, so even if you don’t use a sale coupon or get them for half off, they are still only 2 bucks!





I had lots of colors on hand already at home, so I didn’t have to buy any this time. I decided to use white for this project so that I could use them anywhere in my home and not worry about them matching.
ALL YOU DO is take your sticks, hot glue a pom pom to each forked end…and you are DONE. No, really. That’s all. It really is that easy.
I found some sticks that had good variance on the branches.











And here is the finished product. Super simple but such a cool piece of art—and for FREE for me! {and $2 at the MOST for you!}





























Doesn’t get much easier than this one! Do you like them? I think they are super cute, and I can’t wait to do some in some bright colors for Eden’s room!
For more fun and easy DIY crafts, room renovations and budget decorating, check out my blog!






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/13656026/super-easy-and-cute-pom-pom-sticks-for-just-2 site

Feeling a little melancholy watching trees come down

Workers are here taking down some trees in my yard. I feel a lump in my throat as I watch them come down. :-( Most of these trees are Bradford Pears leaning dangerously but a couple are hardwood. (of course they need to go to for one reason or another) One triple trunk oak in my front yard. It was the first to go. It is amazing how they take these trees down without harming the vegetation around it. I will add more pics as the day goes on.

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/1365643/feeling-a-little-melancholy-watching-trees-come-down site

Super Stubborn Stain Removal

This dress was wadded up on the top of the washing machine waiting for me to give up and throw it away. It had some stubborn grease stains from splatter while cooking that wouldn't come off no matter what I used or how often I washed it. After being set in the dryer several times, this stain remover got it out first try! It REALLY works. Now I keep a bottle on the washing machine ready to go.

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/1365755/super-stubborn-stain-removal site

Vintage Planters

Do you love gardening and collecting vintage pieces from the past? Why not combine the two and create interesting planters for your outdoor areas?
It's so much fun searching for these treasures at flea markets, auctions & barn sales! A lot of my finds make their way to my potting shed, which I've decorated with vintage pieces...and some end up being used as planters. These unique planters add spots of interest to my gardens & porches.

This old enamelware roaster was overflowing with purple posies last summer.





My husband & I collect old scales and I thought it would be fun to use one of the hanging scales as a planter. So I planted blue Lobelia in it and I love how it turned out!





Old enamelware is among my favorites to search for at flea markets. I use them in so many different ways in my potting shed.





I found this little Wheeling wash tub at a barn sale & it was just the right size for my Boston Fern.





This oil can with the worn paint caught my eye at a flea market ~ love the color!





I used this cute little wooden berry bucket as a planter for sweet Violas ~ love the old hardware on it!





I adore this old metal toy wheel barrow with a wooden wheel! It's small but I was able to plant a few little chicks in!





I planted Pansies in Grandpap's old Reeves coal bucket.





I'd always envisioned Mums planted in this old minnow bucket ~ these bronze Mums were the perfect color for it!





Old flour sifters can even be used as planters!
So have fun...be creative and plant a few unique planters for your garden!
To see more follow the link below:






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/13661733/vintage-planters site

Valentine Book Bundles

Here is a simple DIY to decorate for Valentine's Day. Not over-the-top, screams Valentine kind of look, but soft and romantic.

For this project, simply gather a bunch of old books or pick some up at your local thrift shop. I chose some with hard covers and some with soft covers. I tore off the covers and spine form the books with the soft covers.

I mixed up various shades of Pink using Country Chic Paint in the colours Vintage Cupcake and Vanilla Frosting.

I simply painted the fronts and backs of the books.

Half were painted the different pink shades and the other half were painted creamy white.

I then printed out some labels with Valentine-themed names of books and glued them to the spine of some of the books. To age the labels a bit, I stained them with tea and burned the edges slightly.

I then tied up the book bundles with twine, and that's it!

These would look great displayed on a fireplace mantle.

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/13662950/valentine-book-bundles site

How to Re-screen your screens

Check out my blog for detailed instructions on how to re-screen your screens.

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/1366445/how-to-re-screen-your-screens site