DIY Planter ||Furniture Flip Bucket List||

Ok so something magical happened.  I made something I've always wanted to make using only the items I already had lying around.  That's a project with like no risk and all reward.  Hey-Oh!  Even better, this project also fulfills one of the items on my 2017 Furniture Flip Bucket List.  Double Hey-Oh!

So which item is the first I shall be crossing off this year's list?

Why No.3 of course.

The construction of this little guy was relatively simple.  All I needed was some round wooden dowels, a dowel kit, some wood glue, and a large ceramic planter.  Following along with this handy tutorial, I was able to assemble the four legs and the joining cross section. 

I built the stand to fit a ceramic planter I had lying around (with a dead plant carcass inside).  For extra stability, I secured the joints with wood glue and strapped the base in place to set.

Once the glue dried, I spray-painted the planter white and stained the legs a warm brown to get that iconic MCM planter look.

Now my plant children have a place of honor to reside.

Despite the glue, he's still not the sturdiest but I am proud I built him nonetheless.  And I still plan to improve my carpentry skills and build something SUPER solid to fulfill item No.7 this year.

But of course in the spirit of the upcoming Oscar's, let's play a little round of

WHO WORE IT BEST?

Leave your votes in the comments below xoxo.

One down, six to go.  Catch up on the 2017 Furniture Flip Bucket List:

DIY Brass + Leather Wall Hanging

Hi friends! A few weeks ago my kids came home from school with information about the PTA Silent Auction fundraiser coming up! With a huge call for donated goods and services I wanted to try something a little different. Last year I donated a few hours of in-person design service, which was fun, (especially when I got to meet the folks who bid and won!), but this year I wanted to donate a thing; Something I can drop off and not have to worry about redeeming at any given moment.

So I started thinking about what material object I could donate. I wanted to do something homemade that represents the StyleMutt Home brand well. Something clean, edgy, and unique! With the rising popularity in fiber art, I was inspired to make a wall hanging out of some of StyleMutt Home's favorite materials, brass and leather! I've laid out the instructions here in case you're interested in trying this project out for yourself!

Supplies:
-2 brass rings of different sizes, (JoAnns, $2-$3)
-Leather cord, (JoAnns, $3)
-Spool of chunky white yarn, (JoAnns,$4)
-Double sided tape, (JoAnns, $2)

Step 1: Hold the small ring inside the large ring and bind them together with the double sided tape

Step 2: Tie the leather cord around one end of the tape, leaving a long piece stretched across the tape, as shown.

Step 3: Wrap the leather cord around the double sided tape and finish by tying the excess in a knot on the other side - this 'extra' will be how you hang the piece

Step 4: Cut roughly 20 pieces of yarn about 2.5 feet long and then loop them around the bottom or the larger ring, as shown.

That's it! The piece is ready to hang!

If you're local to Herndon, VA, you're invited to the Clearview Elementary silent auction on Thursday March 30 at 6pm. You can bid on this piece as well as loads of other pieces of art, goods, services, and more! It's one of my favorite shopping events of the year, right up there with Black Friday. :)

Thank you all so much for stopping by today!

Salvaged Wood + Iron Console

Hi, friends! Few things add as much pressure as taking on a custom order piece for friends or family. I've done quite a few special custom orders for those near and dear over the years and in the back of my mind I'm always thinking, "This is it. They're going to find out I'm a lying phony who's all talk and can't produce."

I know my loved ones aren't shallow people, but still.  It's very humbling when friends/family invite me to tackle a piece for them and if it doesn't turn out to be everything they hoped and dreamed it can get, well, awkward. And nobody likes awkward. So I will do whatever it takes to avoid awkwardness and ensure hopes and dreams are fulfilled and that I can still go over to their homes and walk past pieces that have come from my garage and not have to look the other way and pretend it's not there. You follow?

Our dear friends Morgan and Zach recently asked if I could make them a console table for their entry as a spot to toss keys, books, etc when they walk through the door. They're young and cool and like rustic decor with a dash of industrial and bit of clean lined modern. I was so excited to take on this piece for them and after finding the right pieces, this is what I came up with:

This piece was very easy to make once I had the right materials. You could make it, too! Here's what you'll need:
-1 x long piece of salvaged wood*, (mine was about 7-8 feet by 9" deep which I found at Community Forklift in Hyattsville, MD)
-1 x 4-5ft by 8" clean, solid wood board, (I used a scrap piece of poplar that was about a half inch thick)
-4 x 1.5 inch flat bar hairpin legs, (found here on eBay)
* Don't have a local source for awesome beat up wood? Here's a tutorial from Young House Love on distressing wood!

First thing I did was measured and marked every 12" on the long salvaged board and then Matt helped me make the cuts. With such a long, heavy piece, it was nice to have two pairs of hands, one to sturdy the piece while the other made the cuts. Safety, and all that. :)

Second, I lined the pieces up side by side on the floor so they were all even, then slapped some wood glue on and placed the clean piece of poplar on top. Then we screwed the clean board into each cut piece of salvaged wood.

Finally, with the table top done and upside down, I screwed the legs into each corner.

I love the texture and visual interest of taking a salvaged piece and chopping it up to make a slatted table!

The salvaged wood already had loads of character - beautiful grain, gnarly knots, splatters of faded paint from a previous life.

And one of natures' perfect art forms; the rings of the wood.

This piece was such a treat to get to create, especially for sweet friends. I hope you find the instructions easy to understand if you decide to make one of your own, but definitely don't hesitate to contact me at chelsea@stylemutthome.com if you have any questions!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!