Vintage Toolbox Herb Garden (Revived & Repurposed!)

Happy Hump Day fellow blogerinas!  Just a few more days until the weekend is here!  For me, that means getting lots of projects done.  Last weekend I finally finished reviving this awesome vintage toolbox that I scored for just a few dollars at an estate sale a few weeks ago.  As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted it to be an herb garden for my porch.  I considered just putting the soil directly in the box, but I like to keep my herbs as long as possible into the winter, so I decided to use pots inside the box that I can bring inside when the temps drop.  (from Ikea, of course!)

To paint the triangles I used the same paint that I did on the front door (see that post here).  I thought it would be a good way to make my porch cohesive. 

After I painted the triangles, I coated the bare wood with Thompson's WaterSeal to keep it safe from the elements.  This goes on super easy, but takes about 24 hrs to dry.  Make sure you do this outside because the fumes are killer!

For my labels, I took some little wooden triangles, painted them with chalkboard paint, drilled holes in them and tied them to the toolbox handle with bakers twine.  This way, you can change the labels when needed.

The best part of this?  Using the herbs to make delicious food!  I made a whole wheat margarita pizza with fresh basil and oregano on top. SOOOO yummy!

I love finding little gems like this toolbox and repurposing them into something fabulous!  What kinds of things have you repurposed lately?  We'd love for you to share inspiration with us!

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!

MAKE: Para Cord & Vintage Scarf Ring Necklace

Last month we shared this tutorial over at Whipperberry as our first post as part of the Whipperberry Creative Team.  (so exciting!)  We absolutely love working with Heather and are so grateful for the opportunity she's given us.

Of course, you all know how much we love going to estate sales and finding forgotten treasures. You see our photos on FB almost every weekend!  (We did a whole series about our strategies here.)  So, naturally, many many projects come from our compulsive saling.  Today I'm showing you how to make a necklace using para cord from the hardware store and a vintage scarf ring that I got for 25 cents at an estate sale. Yay!

As you can see, my cord got a little tangled.  It took me a good 15 minutes to even find the ends to begin untangling it. 

For my necklace I used 6 strands that were 6' long each, folded in half, with a tie around the middle.  That gives 12 - 36" strands to braid.

I braided 3 groups of 4 strands to get a thick, sturdy braid.  Once the braid is complete, tie some cord around the end and use a hot glue gun to secure the ends together.

Next, slide your scarf ring on.

The hard part is fixing the 2 ends together.  I used the tie that held the looped ends together and joined the 2 ends.  Use hot glue to secure any pieces you think may come loose.

Slide the scarf ring over the joint to hide it.  I made sure it wouldn't move by putting some glue inside the ring, then wrapping 5 loops of cord on either side of the ring. 

 

I actually love this necklace so much that it gets worn at least once a week. I'm actually wearing it right now!  You could even get fancy and change the shape of the necklace by using some copper piping elbow joints... I whipped one up, but forgot to take photos. I'll have to share those at another time.

Jen and I wish you guys a Happy Independence Day!  Have a blast partying and watching the fireworks! 

LIVE: My Faux Trophy Wall

So the wall above my couch has been an on going source of torment for me.  I could never quite decide what to put on it... so I just didn't put anything on it.  Then my obsession with faux taxidermy started forming and the answer revealed itself to me... A TROPHY WALL.  Now I love this wall, but I never get to see it because it's behind my head.  You will occassionally find me standing in the doorway to the dining room just gazing at my trophy wall.  No, not really, but I do love it.  We're currently working on redecorating the living room.  At the moment there are lots of bright colors in it and I'm toning it down, going for a more natural look.  The trophy wall is step 1 to accomplishing this look.  Step 2 is shopping for a rug!  (which is a nightmare to me).

Anyway... here's my trophy wall and a little portion of my living room.

The 2 paper mache heads (rhino and zebra) I got on super clearance from Anthro!  The 3 small ones on black plaques were an estate sale find.  They were originally very tacky and colorful, but a little bit of paint went a long way!  I added the fun golden masks to spruce things up a little.  The big porcelain deer head is from a local decor shop that I frequent.  And of course, the dinos tutorial can be found here.

At first the deer and zebra weren't framed, but I felt the wall lacked some cohesion and adding those seemed to pull everything together.

This is just a bonus because they're too cute and were prancing in front of my photo shoot.  I thought they deserved some attention!

I'm so pleased with how this turned out!  And the best part is that there's still room for more!  My husband laughs every time I buy another animal head, but, oh well.  I kinda love them.

I'll be sharing parts of my house sporadically.  Jen has been bugging me to share my closet with you.. it's actually more of a "dressing room" since I took over our spare bedroom to use as my closet.  So, that may be next!



     
Check out our link party page to see where we link up each week!

CRAFT: DIY Vintage Dollhouse Spice Rack

I bought this vintage aluminum dollhouse last year at a flea market for $15.  I couldn't resist!  I had no idea what to do with it, though, so it sat in a cabinet while I rummaged through ideas filed away in my imagination.  Finally, I came up with a spice rack... random, I know.. but I am thrilled with how it turned out!  The best part is that these little houses are surprisingly common.  I just saw one last week at an estate sale.



Mine was rather rusty, hence the overhaul with spray paint.

 

I couldn't possibly have let a child play with this...

I primed and sprayed the exterior, save the roof.  I wanted the glue for the shingles to adhere properly.

These were about $20 for the bag, but completely worth it. It completely transformed the look of the house.

You will be surprised how easy it is to shingle a little roof!  I used a glue gun and that's it!

You won't need much stain at all.  I actually just used a little sample can.

Painters tape and chalkboard paint can turn a $1 jar into an adorable little spice container!  Or you could use the chalkboard vinyl and cut labels out with your Silhouette or Cricut!

I have a lot of spices!!

If you have chalk markers, it might work better and not look so much like you let your 3 year old niece label them with sidewalk chalk.

I staggered my jars so it would be easier to see the labels.

You can never ever go wrong with some little succulents.

Check out our link party page to see where we link up each week!