Fun DIY Scrabble Tile Art for Fall!

Fun DIY Scrabble Tile Art for Fall!

Fun DIY Scrabble Tile Art for Fall, use scrap wood or new, whatever you have to make this fun decor for your Fall display.

This DIY Scrabble tile art is a fairly quick and easy project that is reversible and can be made with any word you wish. Easy paint, crackle and distressed finish for your rustic, farmhouse and/or cottage decor.

I deliberately hand painted a pumpkin on one side and a …..

….leaf on the other in place of the A so that is not it. I am not going to tell you, I am going to see if anyone can tell me in the comments. I will fix it and insert a photo of the finalized project in a week or so.

I will go ahead share the step by step of creating these tiles. I already have instructions here on the blog for painting the leaf and also one for how to paint a pumpkin.

Here is a tutorial for painting White Pumpkins as well.

Lets get started on our DIY Scrabble tile art…I used a 1″ x 6″ pine board, just plain ol lumber from our local lumberyard. I trimmed it at 5.5″ intervals so they are nearly square. As you may know regular lumber may be called a 1 x 6 but it does not measure that. You could also use a 2 x 6 for thicker tiles. Or you can use wrapped canvas’, you will just need a way to stabilize them to stand like a faux scrabble tile tray. (I will come up with a DIY for that soon)

Once I had the squares cut I stained them with a dark oak stain, any dark stain will work.

Once the stain is dry I slapped on a bit of crackle medium. Some use Elmer’s white glue but I prefer the consistency of a crackle medium. Let the medium dry then paint on your top coat. CLICK here for an entire post on using Crackle Medium

I went with a white. This is regular house interior latex. Nothing fancy, you can use craft paint as well.

Be careful as you brush on the white, the crackle medium re-activates and you will brush it right back off if you overwork putting on the white paint. As the paint dries the crackles appear.

Let the white coat dry completely then take your sander or sand paper and sand each tile a bit to distress them, work a bit more around the edges.

Next trace on your letters and design. I print out the letters with my printer using Microsoft Word then I transfer them to the tiles with graphite paper…more on that here.

You can see the faint outline on the tiles below.

Now paint your leaf and/or pumpkin on the one tile and the letters on the others. I painted in the letters using a filbert brush.

I decided to distress them a bit and add some shadowing but that is totally optional.

There you have your Fall Scrabble Tiles to add to your decor.

You can use them on your mantel, with a porch display or in a vignette on a table top… Or even coasters if you put an exterior varathane finish on the. I like Rustoleum Spar Urethane Outdoor.

More you Will Enjoy

Fall Sign with Leaves & Acorns

Fall Welcome DIY Sign

Harvest sign and How to Paint Lettering w/o a Stencil

How to Use Crackle Mediums

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Happy Fall Painting!

Original article and pictures take www.flowerpatchfarmhouse.com site

Frozen Garden Candles Blend Fire and Ice for a Stunning Display

Frozen Garden Candles Blend Fire and Ice for a Stunning Display

Looking to get a little garden therapy in these winter months takes creativity, but that is not a quality that is lacking from our guests today, John Gillespie & Christina Symons, authors of Sow Simple: 100+ Green and Easy Projects to Make Your Garden Awesome (Harbour Publishing). These frozen garden candles are a simple project that will gleefully help to decorate your home and garden this winter.

Frozen Ice Candles

Make these cool garden-inspired candles to light the way to your next wintertime party. They take just minutes to make (plus freezing time), and are guaranteed to set a warm glow on a chilly holiday evening.

Materials

• A pair of containers, one large, and one small, sized to fit the height of your candle holder as well as the width and height of your candle. We used a 2-quart (2-liter) plastic milk carton, a large yogurt container and a plastic condiment bottle.
• Gorgeous garden greenery, rosehips, berries and seed heads

Make it!

1. Fill the larger container with about 1 in. (2.5 cm) of water. Place the container in the deep freeze on a flat surface and allow the base to freeze solid.

2. Remove from the freezer and place the smaller container (a candle holder is ideal) inside the larger one, resting it on the base of ice.

3. Tuck greenery, rosehips and small winter branches into the crevice between the containers and then fill this space with water right to the top. Place a heavy object inside the smaller container to prevent it from floating up.

4. Then carefully return the pair of containers to the freezer for at least 24 hours until the water freezes solid. To release the ice candle holder, remove the set from the freezer and allow to thaw just slightly, at room temperature. Or run the containers under warm water until the ice releases.

5. Set outside, insert candle, light, and enjoy.

Sow Simple: 100+ Green and Easy Projects to Make Your Garden Awesome

From home-crafted concrete troughs stuffed with succulents alongside dry-stack stone walls, to simple ideas for playhouses, gazebos and backyard benches, Sow Simple will keep readers busy through all seasons. Grab a copy today!

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Original article and pictures take gardentherapy.ca site

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites

Fall is right around the corner, and while I’m sad to see summer go, I do love this time of year. From cozy sweaters to pumpkin-flavored eats to Halloween parties, there’s a lot of fun to be had this autumn. So, with a new season in mind, I’ve rounded up five things I’m loving right now. Take a look…

Favorite Eco Accessory ((rezip) pouches by Blue Avocado, which are the perfect substitute for wasteful plastic bags):

Favorite Purchase (this cute pen holder for my home office):

Favorite Pool Party:

What’s on your list of favorites at the moment?

Leave them in the comments and I’ll take a peek.

XO Lauren

Original article and pictures take laurenconrad.com site

Free Shipping on Orders Over $50

Free Shipping on Orders Over $50

Urban Outfitters is a lifestyle retailer dedicated to inspiring customers through a unique combination of product, creativity and cultural understanding. Founded in 1970 in a small space across the street from the University of Pennsylvania, Urban Outfitters now operates over 200 stores in the United States, Canada and Europe, offering experiential retail environments and a well-curated mix of on-trend women’s and men’s clothes, from boho dresses, denim and graphics to shoes, hats, and backpacks, as well as beauty, intimates, swim and a collection of handpicked vintage clothing. Urban Outfitters also carries everything you need to decorate your small space, apartment or dorm, with a UO Home collection that includes bedding, tapestries, rugs, shower curtains and furniture. Our Music + Tech collection is a go-to destination for vinyl, record players and tech accessories. Visit our stores, where all are welcome and there’s always something new to see, or shop online at UrbanOutfitters.com and get free shipping on US orders over $50. For special offers, one-of-a-kind prizes and more, download the UO app and join UO Rewards! Want to be part of the conversation? Follow, share and shop @UrbanOutfitters.

Original article and pictures take www.urbanoutfitters.com site

Free Nesting Box Plans for Wild Birds

Free Nesting Box Plans for Wild Birds

Nesting boxes, or birdhouses as they are often called, provide shelter for mated birds to raise their offspring. But, it's not one size fits all: each bird species has different housing needs. Check out the plans provided here and build to suit your favorite backyard bird.

I may receive a commission if you purchase something mentioned in a link on this post for sites including Amazon.com. Other links may go to websites where I have been paid to write a blog or article. See the entire disclosure here.

Nesting Box Safety Tips

If you want to be certain you are helping and not harming wild birds, consider using proper nesting boxes instead of decorative or artsy (but not safe) birdhouses.

Birds in need of a place to lay their eggs are on a deadline. Your super cute, brightly-painted birdhouse might look like a good option for urgently-needed housing, but, later on when the eggs have hatched and the chicks are growing, it might cause a whole bunch of problems. I’ll explain more in the tips (below).

Proper nesting boxes are functional homes for nesting birds to raise their young. The best designs come from experts who have studied the habitat and behaviours of each specific species and designed to suit their abilities and needs. Each species nests differently in the wild and that is why each has its own style of nesting box as well. Plenty may choose a goofy home in a pinch, like a brightly-painted, decorative birdhouse with large entry holes, but it may not end well.

One main problem is, the size of the opening on the nesting box or birdhouse. The adult bird may be able to get in, but, if that hole is slightly large, it allows entry for other predators as well. If the opening is too small, once the babies are plump and ready to fledge, they may be too big to actually get out. Plus, bright colours attract all sorts of intruders.

This is the book I use for building nesting boxes: Easy Birdhouses & Feeders | Simple Projects to Attract & Retain the Birds You Want | Bird Watcher’s Digest

There are also free plans here at Empress of Dirt (see below).

YES

NO

Entry hole should be blocked to prevent birds from getting inside

Here are a few tips:

• The nesting box should be designed for the specific species you want to attract. Unless you have magical powers, you should choose a species known to live in your region.
• The dimensions and style of the box should be tailored for the species (and be sure to follow the instructions exactly).
• Perches are rarely recommended on nesting boxes because birds do not need them and they enable predators. No perches!
• Birds lay their eggs in nesting boxes. Once they hatch, the young birds live in there until they are old enough to leave (fledge). If your nesting box plans say to put rough wood on the inside of the box, do this. Eventually, those little birds must climb out on their own, and they need that rough wood surface for their feet to grab as they climb up and out.
• Avoid paint and decorations. Nesting boxes should be made from plain, untreated wood for bird health and camouflage. You want it to blend into the environment.
• Every nesting box needs a side panel or door that opens so it can be cleaned and disinfected at the end of each mating season.
• If birds do nest in your decorative birdhouses (or other odd places), wait it out until the babies fledge, and then block off the holes so it doesn’t happen again. And then make a proper nesting box and put it in that location. The birds will thank you (with handwritten notes signed with birdy foot prints).

Free building plans for making a chickadee nesting box

Chickadee Nesting Box

Free building plans for making a bluebird nesting box

Bluebird Nesting Box

Free building plans for making a wren nesting box

Wren Nesting Box

Add a predator block to keep your nesting birds safe

More Nesting Box Plans

These are the two books I use for making nesting boxes. Both have plans for a variety of bird species in the United States and Canada. They each contain helpful information about each species and recommendations for where to place the nesting boxes so they are both safe and attractive for the birds.

Easy Birdhouses & Feeders | Simple Projects to Attract & Retain the Birds You Want | Bird Watcher’s Digest

Audubon Birdhouse Book | Building, Placing, and Maintaining Great Homes for Great Birds

Bird Feeder Plans

I do not share many bird feeder projects because I find that most homemade feeders do not do a good job. They tend to be open-air designs where the seed is too easy for squirrels to get, plus, the exposure to the elements causes the seed to get damp and moldy. While they are not particularly pretty, I have favorite commercial feeders. They are safe, long-lasting, do not waste seed, keep squirrels out, and do a good job.

• Best squirrel-proof feeder: any of the Brome squirrel-buster feeders.
• Best hummingbird feeder: this is the style of hummingbird feeder I prefer because it allows the birds to rest while they drink.

Make a DIY butterfly and bird water feeder

How to make a bird feeder from repurposed water botles

Take the hummingbird quiz and find out if you are a hum-zinger

How to hand-feed wild birds in your garden

Nesting boxes, or birdhouses as they are often called, provide shelter for mated birds to raise their offspring. But, it's not one size fits all: each bird species has different housing needs. Check out the plans provided here and build to suit your favorite backyard bird.

Original article and pictures take empressofdirt.net site

Free Farm Door Garden Art Makeover

Free Farm Door Garden Art Makeover

Stop the car! I spotted this old farm door at the roadside one day and could not let it pass me by. Because it was free, I decided to give it a makeover only using found items and leftover supplies from other projects.

If you love repurposing old things, have a look at these recycled and repurposed projects in the idea galleries.

Turn an old farm house door into junk-inspired garden art

I may receive a commission if you purchase something mentioned in a link on this post for sites including Amazon.com. Other links may go to websites where I have been paid to write a blog or article. See the entire disclosure here.

Roadside Finds

Sometimes you just have to stop the car, put it in reverse, and take action. That’s how I got this door. We were driving past a country farm near our house, the words FREE and HEY, I LOVE THAT whipped through my daydreaming brain, and I asked my husband to pull over and take us back to inspect the scene.

As someone with a very small car, it is remarkable what one can fit inside if one is determined. The guys at the lumber yard marvel at my ability to fit large wood orders in the car, and more than once I have managed to fit absurd amounts of too-good-to-resist curbside finds (like the 16 free windows I used for my mini greenhouse). I always have a red safety flag in the car in case something needs to hang out the back to make it home. And, I should add, all these moves have been accomplished without having to leave any passengers behind. Impressive!

Taming the Beast of Stuff

My own desire to live lighter, without the burden of a bunch of unused stuff in our house (especially after applying the Kon Mari method to everything I owned), means I ignore about 99/100 cool, free items I see at the roadside. It pains me to see great stuff end up in the landfill instead of a furniture bank or thrift shop, but that’s simply a symptom of the dysfunction in our culture. It’s expensive to move or store stuff, it can be difficult or impossible to find anyone to repair broken items, and the concept of furniture banks is very slow to spread. It’s probably only really going to change as resources become more precious to us and we shift back to a focus on long-lasting goods that can be repaired as needed for a good, long life.

Repair Cafes

If you share the desire to make better use of existing stuff, you are not alone. Repair cafes are popping up in cities around the world. The concept is, you take in an item you would like to repair or put in working order again, and, together with other interested volunteers, you figure out a fix. I love how the idea builds community and gives old stuff a new life all at once.

Turn an old farm house door into junk-inspired garden art

Bath Time

New Coat of Paint

A Day with Claude Monet in Giverny

Turn an old farm house door into junk-inspired garden art

Dress Up Time

Use What You Have

Free Farm House Garden Art Door

If you have a repurposed project to share, please post it on the Empress of Dirt Facebook page. If you have experience using a Repair Cafe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Original article and pictures take empressofdirt.net site

Fork & Faucet Handle Garden Flower Copy Cat

Fork & Faucet Handle Garden Flower Copy Cat

I am a big fat copy cat today.

Fork handle valve faucet flowers

Fork handle valve faucet flowers

I saw this post from Laurel at Chipping with Charm on fork and faucet handle flowers, and I had to make some.

Finding old forks is pretty easy at thrift shops, but I couldn't find any vintage faucet or valve handles anywhere.

So I ended up buying some new Nibco Handwheels at Menard's for $1.69 each.

Fork handle valve faucet flowers

I spray painted them with Marigold colored Rustoleum spray paint, that I also had on hand.

Fork handle valve faucet flowers

I used old buttons from my stash, and E6000 to glue everything together. My flowers don't have as much vintage appeal as Laurel's, but I think they kinda look like black eyed Susans! At least two of them do. I had to use the cool button in the center on one of them.

Fork handle valve faucet flowers

They were very easy and fun to make. Here they are poked into an old lunch box planted with Mercardonia Gold Dust annuals.

Fork handle valve faucet flowers

Thanks Laurel for the great idea!

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Original article and pictures take www.organizedclutter.net site