Tag Archives: outdoor idea

My Wishing Well project

Bored Gma, home decor, Outdoor and Garden, Ranch Ideas Leave a comment

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There is so much room out here on the Ranch, I am obligated to fill up all the spaces with something interesting.

I decided I wanted a wishing well, but not just any wishing well, it needed to be big, and pretty.

So the search was on for inspiration.

I saw a pin for a fire pit of stacked retaining wall bricks, with the tops done in a mosaic.

We had leftover bricks from the old house (project that was never finished, imagine that?)

Dirty, grey, but they were so blah…. hmmm? how to fix that?

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I know, lets tile them with mosaics, that way the well will be pretty and magical!

Started by cleaning them with a brush and locating “pretty” stuff for them.

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Discount glass tiles, and sparkly silver glitter grout from the clearance section at Lowes!

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Use a towel when you break the glass tile, and lots of waterproof mastic. Gloves might have avoided cuts, but are hard to work in.

I put each color into bowls and lined up the top layer of bricks so I could spread out the colors evenly.

I wanted an edge on the outside of each brick, and the hexagon tiles fit perfectly 12″ across without having to cut any of them.

It’s always better to lay out your pattern before you begin gluing them down.

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The grout plus the glass tiles make them really sparkly in the sunlight. Just simply stack the rounds of blocks and made this the last course.

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You could end it here, and make it into a fire pit, but I really wanted a wishing well. so it needs a roof.

Had hubby cut two support poles about 8 ft tall, put some angled support braces to hold the roof,

and attached each of them onto pier blocks hidden inside the circle.

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Next, we cut plywood into two 2′ x 3′ sides for the roof.

Since I wanted shake shingles and live in CA where they been banned, I had to make my own.

I purchased redwood bender board (super cheap) at Home Depot and cut them into 7″ shakes.

got to use the air nailer (that was fun) and covered it in staggered pattern.

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It was much easier to attach the roof out in its final location, as the shingles made it quite heavy

We put a piece of rebar trough the support poles and used an antique drill for the handle.

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Found a really cute turnbuckle to hold a bucket salvaged from one of the barns (nice paint included)

and filled it with squirrel food.

Love watching them swing and eat the corn and peanuts!

For the holidays, I hid a light inside that projected a white moving pattern that looked like magic water inside. (Think I’m going to leave it in there)

Enjoy,

Debbie 

Too Cool Pool Stools

Feeling Crafty, Man Cave Game Room Leave a comment

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I think I fell asleep watching Flea Market Flip or Junk Gypsies… and the next morning I spotted a couple of plain, wooden stools on our local “needs” Facebook page, and felt the need to “fix “them up. Besides she only wanted $10 for the pair, how bad could they come out?

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They came as basic as you could get, still had a little lunch spilled on the tops. So sanding commenced once the food was removed. These have a particularly tough shiny coating on them that if you don’t get it all off, the new paint won’t stick or will be different sheen. It’s a really good upper body workout, and by the time I was done, I gave myself 60 mins activity on my fitbit!

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Started with the legs, taped the bottom to keep a clean edge. Not sure why because its underneath the top, but seemed like the right thing to do?

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Think the gloss black was the perfect choice for the legs, classic style.

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The red on top is the same color as the accent wall in the game room. Wish I had extra, but alas, had to ask the hardware store to mix another batch. Its called rhubarb and dries much darker. You can use any color combination that matches or compliments your room.

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I used a couple 3″ wooden circles to outline the pool balls. I base painted them with pearl sheen white and used a quarter to draw the number circles.

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I thought they look good, but not great? It seemed like something was missing? Oh yeah, gold! since we have a loosely based 49er color scheme in the game room, I needed to add some gold.

So I painted the band around with metallic gold. Sparky!!

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Viola!! Red, Gold and black, Pool table inspired, too cool pool stools, for the Game room!!

You never know where inspiration and opportunity will combine….keep your creative eye out!!

Enjoy!

Debbie

Trailer Trash Bucket

Feeling Crafty, Outdoor and Garden, Uncategorized Leave a comment

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So I happened upon this funny idea for a trash bucket for my R.V. and couldn’t resist making it.

We always seem to have a collection of empty buckets with us,

for trash, recycling and pinecones…. so why not decorate them? Right?

Supplies Needed:

Bucket from the bakery at the store (Free)

sketch paper

permanent markers

stickers, letters, outdoor paint

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It started with a blank canvas.

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Sketched a few ideas. Some made it, some not…. figured out simpler lines were easier on a round surface.

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Used a little goo gone to remove the bakery sticker. Washed the bucket inside and out.

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I outlined the trailer with a marker, and if you put the original inside the bucket,

and hold it up to the light, you can trace it onto the front of the bucket with the marker.

I figured out that an ink pen just wouldn’t write on this surface.

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Kinda like a coloring book page, put the bold lines down first, then add the details later.

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I did cheat a little bit, used scrapbook letters for the “Trailer Trash” and some tiny pinecone stickers too.

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Traced a cutout of a moose kissing a moose….think I’ll add a heart between their noses.

You can decorate in any style that suits your decor. The next one will have some bears on it.

As Always, Enjoy!!

Debbie

Twenty Dollar Whiskey Bottle Lamp

Feeling Crafty, Man Cave Game Room, Outdoor and Garden Leave a comment

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What game room isn’t complete without a whiskey bottle lamp, I ask you? And if you could make it for under twenty bucks, even better! So last week at work, (I work in a major grocery store) I was holding a rather large bottle of whiskey for a customer, and while admiring the size, shape and price, thought to myself; self, you could make a nice lamp out of that. But since I’m more of a vodka drinker, and hubby is a beer chugger, I had to find a willing whiskey drinker to go halfsies on that bottle. No shortage there, in fact, he had a smaller one empty to boot! You could certainly use any bottle, once you’ve emptied it. Perhaps a favorite wine, spirit, or reminder from the trip to Vegas?

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Items you will need:

Empty bottle, washed and dry

Bottle lamp kit

Lampshade (if you’re still not wearing it)

electrical tape

screwdriver

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You can see by my receipt, I paid about 15 bucks total on the shade and bottle kit. (no drilling necessary if you use one of these) and the bottle could be from the trash. I’m sure if you ask around there’s a whiskey drinker in every circle of friends, as well as the local pub.

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Follow the directions in the package to assemble the socket. Pull the cord through the bottom hole, separate it and tie a knot so it won’t pull back down. Attach to the side screws and tighten with a screwdriver.

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Place the socket into the casing and tighten the fittings so they’re secure. I used the pour spout to hold it in place, just snipped the bottom out so the screw would fit all the way down. Most of the kits come with different size stoppers, but the neck on this bottle was too big for them.

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I decided to tape around the connection, for two reasons. First, to make the socket super stable, and secondly to continue the black up like the original bottle neck was sealed. Since my lampshade wasn’t going to cover it entirely, seemed like the best way to “finish” it off.

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The shade had a harp inside that just rests on the socket, snugged it down, put in a lightbulb, plugged it in……..

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Taa Daa!!! instant Man Cave worthy lighting!! I think I’m going to do a solar version for the patio, and I guess you noticed the soap/lotion dispenser too. Well that took about 30 seconds to make. Just wash out the bottle, and insert a pump. The screw threads are universal, and I found the black pumps online at about a dollar a piece.

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So, I’ved added a solar option, gotta take one camping right? Solar light, $5 bucks, bottle free, and some small river stones from the dollar store a buck! Think it’ll get a lot of use this year!

As always never let your imagination go stale, keep on creating.

Enjoy,

Debbie

The “Rock” Bird Retreat

Feeling Crafty, Outdoor and Garden Leave a comment

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So I saw these darling little rustic birdhouses on Pinterest, and thought to myself: Self, you can do that. So I did, several of them, and more to come. I do have a handy hubby, and he could totally “rock out” some custom birdhouses for me to jazz up, but I opted for getting them done this year.

IMG_0723So I went to my “not so local” craft store and loaded up a cart of inspiration, and here they are.

Supplies needed for the “Rockhouse”

Unfinished birdhouses (I opted for the plain ones, more space to apply decorative items)

Small polished river stones (you can purchase a mesh bag, or collect your own)

Mastic (pre-made tile glue from the home improvement store)

Copper paint

small paintbrush

plastic knife and fork (for applying the mastic)

Clear Gloss Sealer

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That’s all for this basic one, but the possibilities are unlimited. I also purchased tiny seashells, seashell chips, sand and granite landscape rocks. You can also use “found” items like pennies, wine corks, pinecone pieces, moss, twigs, bottle caps, (I was even thinking of coffee beans for my favorite Barista). but for now lets keep it simple.

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These little pre made houses are so cute, you could just paint and be done but where’s the fun in that? I started by painting the roof metallic copper. I just used my craft paint stash. These are purely decorate at this point so you might want to keep them out of the weather if possible. On this one, I opted to paint the perch too. *tip: I should have painted the bottom ledge before I applied the rocks.  Now on to the fun part.

The mastic is pre-made and super easy to work with. I used a plastic knife to spread out 1/2″ layer to the side of the house. I took the fork and made “trowel” lines through the mastic. I figured since this stuff is water-resistant, its made for floor tile, it should hold these tiny rocks and hold up to some garden water. Working around each side, I applied the tiny stones in a random pattern until all of the surface was covered. I did pick out some longish ones to place around the birdie hole, in a starburst shape, and tried to keep too many matching ones touching (Yes, OCD again) but you gotta go with the flow! I’m a sucker for a gloss finish, so I decided to spray the entire thing with clear gloss sealer, plus I intend to put these in the  flower planter hubby hasn’t built yet.

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Just like potato chips, you can’t have just one….

left to right: the Rock, Beach Bungalow, Mossy Oak, the Mint, Chateau Chablis, the White House and City Lights.

Now accepting applications for new tenants they’re ready to go!

 

Enjoy!

Debbie