Summer Porch & Welcome Post Tutorial

Since I showed you my repurposed changing table on my porch, I thought I would reveal my post-4th of July-Summer Porch!  Then I'll show you how easy it is to make a Welcome Post!

I decided to go with yellow.  I love yellow, and I think its a good late-summer color to lead into fall! 

I picked up some flowers from Hobby Lobby...and yes, I caved and bought a few of their adorable burlap ones...but only a FEW!  I made the rest! (burlap flower tutorial here)

I pulled out my old daisy and green wreath because I thought it went pretty well with the yellow.

I made my "Taylor" sign from a wooden plaque I found at DI for $2.  The green pitcher and little frog I found at the Thrift Store!  Frog: $2, Pitcher: $6

And here is, what I like to call, my Welcome Post:



I've had my post for quite some time now, but I've made them for a few friends lately, so I'll give you a little tutorial and show you how I make my version!

I know I say this a lot, but this is super easy to make!  I like to use mostly scrap wood that I have lying around, mostly to cut the cost!

But I always buy a cute little topper like this one from Lowe's:

And sometimes when I don't have scrap wood, I get some of these too:

But really, anything will work...just get creative! 

You will also need a long square 4x4 wood beam.  I get the cheapest one I can find, then I like to have Home Depot cut it for me.  I have it cut in thirds, which gives me the right length for 3 posts

For the base, I use a thin rectangular piece, then use wood glue to attach my pieces:

Here are 2 different versions:

Next attach your 4x4 piece:

Then attach your top pieces:

When the glue is completely dry, paint and sand your post.

Lastly, attach a cute hook, and then you're done!  I picked these cuties up from Hobby Lobby:

 I am always switching out what I hang on my post, but for now it's my Welcome sign

So there's my Summer Porch, and my Welcome Post tutorial!

 Therena

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Kitchen Pallet Signs

I have been going through some pallet withdrawls, so this week I made a few more pallet signs!  I've been inspired lately to do some for my kitchen.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Seattle?  I haven't been in a few years, but my parents just went there last week (oh, the envy!) 

 For me the best part about Seattle is Pike's Market!

  This is one of my favorite places of all time!  I could wander around there forever, looking at the assortment of fruits and beautiful flowers!

 Here's my Mom and I from the last time I went!

Ok, enough about Seattle....on to my pallet signs!  

I thought it would be really fun to make a sign that said Taylor's Market. Ya know, like Pike's Market!

I used two slats of pallet wood, and used the same method found here.

I used permanant marker for the word "Market"

 and painted the "Taylors" with acrylic paint and a Q-tip

I put this one above my cabinets to replace my Bon Appetit sign.  

So it went from this:

To this:

The next kitchen sign I made was inspired by the lovely Art is Beauty's French chicken sign found here

When I saw her's I knew I needed one, so here is my chicken sign:

Using basically the same method as my Market sign, I found a good chicken silhouette online and printed it off.  This time I cut out my image, traced it, then painted it white

 (and ya, I used another Q-tip lol)

Before I put my chicken sign up I had to rearrange some furniture!

I moved the small hutch from my living room to my kitchen nook.

It went from this:

To this:

Then I moved the ladder in my nook, and this corner went 

From this:

 To this:

I am liking my little hutch in the kitchen SO much better!  I always thought it looked too much like a kitchen piece in my Living room anyways, so I'm happy I finally made the change.  

These pallet signs cost me close to nothing to make! Who doesn't like that?!

And notice my cute burlap flowers?!  Don't forget you can check out how to make them here! 

Therena

Party Links:
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Burlap Flower Tutorial

Lately at Hobby Lobby I've been seeing some adorable burlap flowers.  I really like the look of them, but I am too cheap! Even on sale the price makes me cringe!!!

It took me a few weeks, and multiple times to Hobby Lobby, before it dawned on me that I have been making fabric flowers for as long as I can remember!!! Silly Me!

So I bought some burlap and went to work!  

These are the simplest flowers to make.  I have made so many before using fabric, for things like headbands and dress embellishments. 

 There are 2 different flowers that I'll show you

Here's what you need:

burlap

felt

stapler

glue gun

Flower #1

1.  With your burlap, cut out 4 large circles, however large you want your flower to be.

2.  Cut out 4 smaller circles

3. Cut your base circle with your felt 

4.  Take a circle and fold it in half

5.  Then fold in half again, and staple the tip, so it looks like this:

Do this to all 8 circles:

6.  Take the 4 Large circles and hot glue them to the base:

7.  Take the 4 Small circles and glue them on top of the larger ones:

8.  Glue on your center!  I like to use twine, but you can use anything you want 

(button, jewel, whatever!)

I roll my twine like this, and just make sure to tuck the end under before I glue it in the center

That's Flower #1! 

Flower #2

1.  Cut a long, thin strip of burlap

(Also cut a base circle with your felt, just like the previous flower) 

2.  Twist the burlap strip so it looks like this:

3. While holding one end, twist it into a tight circle, and continue to do so until all the burlap is used:

4.  Tuck in the loose end and glue it to the base piece:

And there's Flower #2!

Ok, next I'll show you how I finished them.  I used the same method for both flowers: 

For some reason I always keep the stems of flowers that I've removed.  So I dug those out!  

I poked a hole through the felt, then added some glue, and stuck in the stem

For the leaves, I just cut a small strip of green burlap, like this:

 And tied it around the stem:

Here are a few I made:

I stuck these ones in a mason jar (a blue vintage one), and tied green burlap around it.  I also added a few non-burlap flowers to give the bouquet more variety in texture

I placed it on one of my thrift store serving trays, and put it on top the little hutch in my kitchen!

I'm really liking it....What do you think?!

 Therena

Party Links:
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