Shutter turned Potting Bench

It just occurred to me that summer is almost over, and I haven’t shared my summer potting bench with you!  So here it is:

A while ago I saw this cute project on The Lettered Cottage for a shutter-topped console table.  Isn’t this a clever idea?

Their tutorial for the console table can be found here. 

While I loved the idea of using an old shutter for the table top, I thought it would be even cuter styled as a potting bench.  The slats in the shutter would allow water and potting soil to fall right through to keep the tabletop clean.  Plus it’s a fun way to incorporate a pre-made shutter, which are a dime a dozen at the Habitat Restore.  Okay, maybe not a dime a dozen, but only about $5-$10 each. 

First we selected our shutter which would dictate the finished size of the table.  Then I let my Papa work his woodworking magic for the rest of the table.  Thanks Papa!  He ended up piecing scrap wood for the sides (to save money) and used slats to build a lower shelf for additional storage.  Since I wanted to be able to store little things on the lower shelf, too, I added three pieces of tile over the slats.  Then we primed the whole thing with oil-based primer and painted it with exterior paint so it can stand up to the elements out on the deck.

Here it is in its new home on the lower deck, all ready for my gardening projects!

The lower shelf gives me plenty of room to store pots, tools, and potting soil.  That way everything is right here when I’m ready to plant!

The top shelf has space for my potting project du jour.  This thing is going to get a lot of use next Spring!  For all this time, I’ve been potting things while working on the steps, the ground, or the driveway.  Hooray for the potting bench!

I put the new bench in the corner of the lower deck under the cantilever.  Hopefully that will keep it looking like new longer, since it’s a bit more protected from rain and sun. 

The best part about my new table is that it’s so versatile.  Being simply styled with only one shelf, it doesn’t scream “I’m a Potting Bench!!”  So, we cleared it off and used it as a serving table for drinks at our Memorial Day party back in May… potting bench by day, beverage station by night!

What do YOU think of my super functional repurposed shutter table potting bench?

I think it’s really hard to keep it clean!  Perhaps I shall paint it black. :)

DIY Party Decorations: Banner and Pom Poms

I’m back with another DIY Party project from the apple themed bridal shower.  Just to refresh your memory, here is our inspiration board:

apple centerpiece, apple cupcakes, green tissue pom poms, apple cookies, heart garland, apple snack, caramel apples, apple tarts, apple martini jar 

The next couple of projects on my list, after the heart garland, were the tissue pom poms and a pennant banner (not pictured).  

For the pom poms, I used Martha Stewart’s tutorial and regular ole tissue paper in shades of green, red, and orange.  I bought a couple packs for $1 each and reused some pieces leftover from holidays past, so overall, this was a very inexpensive decoration!

I recommend a feline assistant for this project, too, just be sure to get him out of the bag full of tissue paper before he shreds it too much. :) 

After a bit of folding, tying and clipping, this is what I was left with: 

Here they are at the party, mingling with a couple paper lanterns:

Easy, affordable and cheerful party decor!

For the next project, I wanted to make a congratulatory banner for the bride.  Something to hang over the party table and incorporate all the colors and patterns of fall.  I chose to do a printed pennant banner with the message “Congrats Katie”.  I used Microsoft Publisher to design each pennant.  A drew a triangle shape and filled it in with a picture background; each one is different, some are image files from scrapbook paper, and some are actually images of fabric swatches.  I chose lighter colored backgrounds to save ink when printing.  Some of the images were darker at the start, so I just increased the translucency of those to make them less colorful.  Inside each triangle I added a letter. Then I simply printed each page and cut out the triangles.  It’s actually a two-sided banner, with the opposite side bearing white pennants and colored letters with the same message.  I arranged the pennants in order with the appropriate white one on reverse so it spelled out the message correctly front and back (it took a few tries to get it right!)  Then I punched holes in the top and strung them on twine.

Here is how it looks hanging in my sewing room:

It’s quite long, but works well for our big party room.  For a shorter banner you could print two smaller pennants per page, or break up your message into two banners and hang them one on top of the other.

And here are some of those pretty background prints:

Here’s a view of the flip side… taken at the party:

There you are, another easy and colorful party project, for just the cost of ink and paper.

Throw in some crepe paper streamers and our heart garland, and you’ve got a room ready for a celebration! 

DIY Party Decorations: Paper Heart Garland

My sister just hosted a bridal shower for a coworker and she asked for my help with the decorations.  How nice!  :)  Since the shower was last weekend, we planned a not-quite-fall apple themed soiree.  I whipped up a design board for inspiration from my favorite source: Google image search.  Here is all the appley goodness:

apple centerpiece, apple cupcakes, green tissue pom poms, apple cookies, heart garland, apple snack, caramel apples, apple tarts, apple martini jar 

We decided the paper heart garland was a must, so I got to work replicating it.  I found a tutorial here at Colour Her Hope.  Here is my version:

Select your paper. 

You could simply buy double-sided scrapbook paper, or print your own, you could even use newspaper or old book pages.  The original inspiration garland was made with an old copy of Shakespeare’s plays.  Since ours was for a wedding shower, something romantic was in order.  So I searched online for text from Romeo and Juliet and also Pride and Prejudice.  I just copied and pasted the text into word and resized it to fit the page, taking out some of the paragraph breaks.  I changed the fonts, too, R+J to Georgia font, and P+P to Liorah BT (a script font) to mix it up a little.  Then I printed 12 pages front and back of each one on ivory colored paper.  FYI, 12 pages included the whole R+J play, and only seven chapters of P+P.  :)  After printing, I decided that the paper was too bland and it needed some antiquing, so I tea-stained all the pages. 

Cut your strips. 

After they were dry I ironed them flat and cut the pages into 1” strips.  My version of the paper heart requires two large (1” x 11”) strips, two medium (1” x 9.5”) strips, and three small (1” x 8.5”) strips, plus two staples.  :) 

The real garland has double sided paper, but for this tutorial, I just used a scrap piece of paper with text on only one side.  (It is from Michael’s master’s thesis in case you feel like reading the strips… lol)  Don’t forget to use double-sided paper for the full effect!

Arrange your strips for one half of the heart. 

I started in the middle of the heart with one small strip folded in half to make a 1” x 4.25” piece.   Then layer behind it one large, medium, and small strip.

Line up the bottom edges of your four strips, and fold down the opposite edges one at a time to meet the other end, starting with the smallest first.  Each one will be progressively larger and loop out to make it look like half a heart on one side. 

  

Arrange the second half opposite the first half.

Hold onto that end and add three more strips, large, medium, then small on the other side of your center strip.  Fold them down like you did the first half, to match.  Now you have a whole heart with three strips per side.  You can do it with more strips to make more little hearts inside.  I did some with three and some with two for variation.

Staple together.

Now align the strips by laying the heart against the table so the front face will be perfectly flat and then staple through all layers at the bottom point.  One more staple in the middle of the heart will secure all the pieces for hanging.  Lastly, punch a hole in the center strip at the top.  That’s how you will hang your hearts on the garland.  Repeat steps 2-5 for as many hearts as you want.  I made 20 of each kind (two and three strip versions) for a total of 40.  This made quite a bit of garland, like 20’ or so, which is a LOT!  But we needed a lot for our big party room.

And here are the real versions that I made with the tea stained “literature”.

String them up.

Decide what you want to use to hang your garland and tie little loops at the top of each heart.  You could just string them on there without the loops, but the loop gives it more movement after you hang it, so it can twist and turn and dance.  I used sisal twine (I found this at the hardware store in a huge roll… Score!) and strung each one on the twine and tied it in place.  I tried to randomly arrange them about 5” apart.  I would put them slightly farther apart if I was doing it again, but I had about 40 hearts so I figured I could put them closer together. 
I found it really helps to have a feline assistant to chew on your twine and bat the paper hearts off the table.  If you need one for your project, Bandit would be happy to oblige.

Hang up your garland, then stand back and admire your handiwork!
 

You can customize these for your party theme with colored paper and yarn, curling ribbon or string.  I also think single hearts would make beautiful Christmas tree ornaments.  Maybe use 1/2” strips and make tiny hearts to hang on the tree.  And of course, this would be perfect for Valentine’s decor. :)  This one is destined to live on after the shower as wedding reception decor for our bride!

Check back soon for more projects from the apple themed shower!

Apple Themed Bridal Shower

My sister Hannah threw a bridal shower for her co-worker, Katie, this weekend and she gave me carte blanche to design a theme and decor for the party!  Woot!  Since it’s early September, still summer, not quite fall, I decided on an apple theme to suggest the coming season with apple green and red and orange as accents.  Here’s a look around the party!

The table centerpieces were little wooden buckets filled with red and green apples and mini crabapples, too!  My secret to making the baskets look full was to put grocery bags in the bottom and cover with paper filler… then add apples on top.  Makes for an overflowing look for half the cost!

The guest tables were set with green and apple print tablecloths that I rummaged from my mom’s collection and also from her fabric stash!  Score!

The party decorations were centered over the buffet table.  Pom poms were strung up at random intervals and streamers hung from the corners.  A paper banner in front ties all the colors of the theme together.

DIY pom poms in red, orange and green mingle with a couple of green paper lanterns for variety.  The asymmetrical arrangement keeps the look casual and fun!

In the back, a paper heart garland swags along the ceiling, that’s another fun DIY project!

The buffet table included heart-shaped sandwiches, a vegetable tray, cheese ball and crackers, party mix, chips, heart-shaped apple tarts, and watermelon.  The centerpiece is an antique toolbox stuffed with sunflowers, daisies and fall grasses.

(I highly recommend ironing your tablecloths… shame on me!) :)

All the food was served in baskets to reflect a sort of country harvest feel. :)  Basket liners made of red and green gingham bring the party colors to the table.  Cute, cheap and easy!

To save time, all the food was store-bought and assembled except these apple tarts which we made from scratch.  The recipe can be found here.  They were super cute and delish!

Beverages were served from crystal apothecary jars.

The gift table was accented with more lanterns and hanging poms!

Another nod to the season, mums and sunflowers overflow from an apple crate at the entrance to the party.

Our DIY gift idea for the party was an signature mat for a framed photo.  I’m sure you’ve seen this before… but we switched it up a bit by using colored pens and a black and white photo.  I thought it turned out really cute!

 

It was really fun helping Hannah put this party together… everything is better with sisters!  We were happy how everything turned out (except I was mad at myself about the wrinkled tablecloths!!)  and everyone agreed the party was great fun and a big success! 

Hope it gives you some ideas for your next shindig!

I’ll be back with details for you to make your own DIY party decor!  Stay tuned!