The Parsimonious Penny Pincher

Hello Turning a House into a Home readers, I am Kristen's husband John.  My wife has inspired me to take on some of my own diy projects lately and she has asked me to share some of them with you throughout this week.  I used to consider myself a cheap person.  That is, until I married my wife.  Frugal is an understatement when I describe her spending habits.  A parsimonious penny-pincher I think is a more accurate description (sweet alliteration, I know!).  I have friends with spouses that are big spenders and live outside of their means.  We definitely do NOT have that issue in our household.

One of the many things that my wife's frugal habits have shown me is that the small patch of woods behind our neighborhood is an untapped resource of creativity and a beginning to many diy projects.  It is the same as modeling clay is to a sculptor or blank canvas to a painter.  I will frequently make a "woods run" for more supplies (Yes, our neighbors do think I'm crazy as they stare at me and wonder why this man frequently carries branches back to his 3rd floor apartment).

When Kristen needed a new plant stand on our balcony, did I go to Home Depot?  Of course not!  I made a woods run!

I searched the woods until I found the right branches that I wanted to create a plant stand.  I wanted straight, long sticks that would work for the top and legs for the stand.  I also wanted some smaller pieces for supports.  All the wood I used I found on the ground and did not cut anything from a tree.  At the same time I did not want anything that had been down very long as it may have started to rot.  Once I had some supplies, I was ready to cut!

I began by cutting the branches into smaller pieces for the legs and the top.  Now, normally I like to plan how I'm going to make a project.  I will draw diagrams, look up different ideas, make very careful measurements.  With this project, I totally improvised everything as I went along.  In hindsight, this was not the best idea and I definitely could have benefited from a little more planning.  In fact, I ended up starting from scratch half-way through the first try.

Also, if you ever do this, use a miter block or a chop saw.  Your cuts will be much straighter than mine and
the time it will take will be drastically reduced (especially with the chop saw).  I did however know how large I wanted the top to be.  I wanted the top to be 12"x12".  I cut 2 - 10" sticks that I could secure the top to then I cut 9 - 12" sticks that I glued to it.  The legs were all cut at 14".  

Once I had my top and legs cut, I glued the top together.  I used screws to fasten the legs to the top.  From there I screwed in some supports.  The side supports I drilled holes into the legs that the supports could fit into and slid them in with a small amount of wood glue.  Overall I used four screws, some wood glue, and some gorilla glue to fasten the wood together.  I did not want to use too many screws as I think they take away from the overall natural look.

We now have a rustic plant stand for our growing container garden on the balcony. We have yet to decide if we want to stain it to match the bench we built out of branches as well or if we'd rather leave it natural.  Not only is my wife happy with the end product, the plants are loving it, too.

 - JOHN

Sticks and Stones

Given my obsession with sticks, twigs, and branches it was only a matter of time until I created another piece of art with nature's free crafting supply.  While gluing sticks together for this project I found myself contemplating about my love of dead tree limbs tree branches.  I didn't come up with an answer, but I did come to appreciate their versatility and ability to become anything you want them to (including a focal point and flowers)

My vision began with this pile of sticks on our balcony.  I sanded them lightly to create a worn look and broke them into smaller pieces.

After playing around, I found that I enjoyed the whimsical shape of the heart paired with the rustic quality of the sticks.  Simple but texturally interesting.

Sometimes I wonder if a home can have too many dead trees twigs but I highly doubt it. Nature, in any form, is beautiful.

Bringing the Outdoors Indoors

I'm sure by now you know just how much I love nature and how much I love to invite it into my home. Not only have I used one branch as art, I used another branch as a jewelry hanger and yet another fallen tree to make a bench.  Yes, I love nature and trees and flowers.

I was perusing the large and infinite world wide web recently and discovered that there are others that are beginning to bring the outdoors in.  Branches, leaves, and driftwood all provide a neutral, yet majestic touch when used in decorating.

via

I have fallen in love with this twig lantern. It's simplicity and rustic charm are coupled with the elegance of the smooth, bare wood.

via

This lamp would be so simple to recreate with a small cylinder lamp base, some straight sticks, and twine to hold them together.  It would match any color combination and bring a dash of interest to a corner.

via re-nest

This very creative pendant lighting is beautiful and completely unexpected. If you look closely, you'll see the branch being supported in the pot with the pendant lamp cords wrapped tightly around the length of the branch.  I can also picture a branch hanging from the ceiling and supporting lighting above a dining room table.

via diy ideas

I have this picture saved on my computer and every now and then open it just to stare at it. Such a great idea to use a branch as a unique upcycled curtain rod.

via a la mode

Sunburst mirrors have been making a big splash in the blogging community and here is one that I love.  They spent hours on the beach collecting perfectly straight driftwood pieces and their result is beautiful.

I've been inspired to continue bringing the outdoors in in small but unique ways. Perhaps a trip to Goodwill is in order to find a lamp just begging to be wrapped in sticks.

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Today we are celebrating flowers. Not just any flowers, mind you, but flowers that don't wilt, don't cause allergies, don't cost money, and don't go out of season. Yes, today we are celebrating pom pom flowers.  I love pom pom flowers for a myriad of reasons, among them the fact that you can choose any color under the rainbow that you want and you can dress up little corners of your house and then just forget about them.

I've had many comments about the flowers seen in this post and many more emails asking how the flowers were made. Well, hold on tight because you are about to embark on a journey of discovery and learning, my friends.

The first thing you must do and the second most fun part of this craft is picking out the color you want (don't worry, I'll get to the number one most fun in a bit).  I chose yellow and white for a simple yet summery feel.

Once you've chosen the perfect shade of color, you have to decide how large you'd like your flowers. I tend to make mine a variety of sizes by altering what I'm wrapping the yarn around. I've been known to use a fork for smaller flower all the way to to my entire hand for a larger flower. Typically I alternate between two, three, and four fingers.

After deciding on the size of your flower, just start wrapping. If you are choosing to wrap around your fingers, you may want to keep them apart a little so that your circulation doesn't get cut off from wrapping the yarn too tightly.  Have fun wrapping and keep in mind that the larger the flower you want, the more wrapping you must do. I tend to like full flowers so I wrap a lot - 100-115 wraps for a small flower, 110-125 wraps for a medium flower, and 130-150 wraps for a larger flower.

When you've finishing wrapping the yarn around and around and around some more, carefully take the yarn off your fingers (or fork or whatever else you found to use) making sure to keep a finger in the hole of yarn.

You will then take the bit of string you cut previously (oh, you didn't? Don't worry, I always forget, too) and carefully push it through the hole and tie it as tightly as possible in a double knot.

Then take a pair of scissors, place one blade in the hole and cut opposite of the knotted piece of yarn.  Don't worry if it looks like a floppy mop, you are now at the funnest part of the craft: trimming the yarn.

The trick to getting a perfect pom pom flower that isn't floppy and yarn-y is to trim, trim, trim. Never have I trimmed too much, but many times I haven't trimmed enough.

Even this guy needs more trimming! Just keep trimming, just keep trimming.

When you've finally got the little ball of fur perfect, with a dab of hot glue in the middle of the yarn ball firmly place the small twig into the flower.  I like to try and get the twig inside the center of the flower careful not to come out the other side.

There you have it - a beautiful pom pom flower.

Tree House Daydreams

All my life I've dreamed of having a tree house in my own backyard. Growing up in New Mexico, though, puts a little damper in those dreams because a tree house really can't be built in a tumbleweed. 

As an adult, I still find myself searching for tree houses in backyard during our walks and I've asked John to promise to build me our kids one someday.  Here are some plans I'm keeping tucked away for future use.

Spotted on Pinterest

If John built me something like this, it would be an adult only tree house.  Inside I'd keep a couch, books, and fairy lights.

Spotted on imgfave

Would we even need a house if we had this amazing tree house? I think not!

Spotted on Pinterest

The perfect childhood tree house.

Spotted on Tree House Company

I love this little tree house in the garden. So flowery, cozy, and colorful.

Spotted on Photobucket

This is a rustic little house - I'd trade the stairs for a ladder and tins connected by string for communicating.

Spotted on Apartment Therapy

 This is just the perfect house - in the trees, river view, windows galore. I'd move my family there in a heartbeat!

Spotted on Treehouse Workshop

 This is the ultimate kid's dream. Multi-levels and toms of ladders. There's even a lookout!

Spotted on Apartment Therapy

 The best way to outfit a treehouse is with a hammock and a book. Maybe some cookies thrown in for good measure.

Spotted on Treehouse Workshop

 I only wish I lived in this treehouse. Hold on, I have to show this to John and get his commitment he'll build it for me.

$4 Upcycled Bench

Would you mind if I brag about my husband for a second? You see, he is the most amazing guy I know.  I tend to get some crazy ideas in my head, but it is John who takes my vision and creates something amazing.  For instance, last weekend he built an amazing bench out of leftover firewood that we hadn't been able to burn through this past winter.

While cleaning up our balcony and making it beautiful for lazy summer evenings, I was quickly falling out of love with the pile of firewood I had previously been head over heels for.  I started brainstorming ways we could put the wood to use (it had been an amazing birthday present and had kept us toasty warm throughout the winter) while getting rid of it.  It was taking up valuable garden space!

In my visionary state of mind, I began seeing a rustic bench for our containers of vegetables and flowers.  I sorted through all the wood and found four legs that were the same height.  Excited, I described my dream bench and sweetly asked John to build it for me.  Wait until you see what he created!

I sanded the legs well, stripping the bark and ensuring splinters were not the consequence when touching them and John bought a piece of wood (forgive me but I have no idea the size or type of wood) for $4.

We carefully set up the piece of wood on top of the branches to ensure it would be stable and not wobbly.  When we had decided where we wanted the branches, we flipped it over so we could pencil in where they would go.

John pre-drilled the holes so the wood wouldn't split.

While he was working hard on building an amazing bench, Layla-Butt and I cheered him on.  We're great cheerleaders!

Once the branches were screwed into place, John decided the bench needed some additional support. Taking a walk through the woods behind out apartment, he found the perfect stick.

He drilled large holes and placed the sticks between the legs to stabilize the bench with wood glue.  We then used wood filler to create a seamless fit.

After staining and waterproofing, our bench was complete.

Isn't is amazing? To think we made it out of firewood and a $4 piece of wood.

It provides the perfect backdrop for our balcony and displays our container garden beautifully!  The remaining wood is neatly stacked beneath the bench until I come up with some new ideas...suggestions welcome!



 I'm linking this project to Today's Creative Blog as well as the parties listed in the party tab.