No Money DIY Air Conditioner Screen

In my last post I told you about finding a saw that I had been wanting at a garage sale for $2.00 last weekend. I can't even tell you how freeing it has been this week just to be able to cut a piece of wood!!
Really. It has been so frustrating to have projects and ideas that I could not make happen without that tool. I'm sure my kids think I'm totally nuts when I run in to the house after cutting a board just to say how giddy I am : )

Recently I showed you the beginnings of trying to reclaim (or just claim) some of our outdoor space over here. 
The patio area isn't completely finished, but I want to share an easy, useful and totally free project I did this afternoon. Hey, it's been awhile since I showed you a "no money" project : )

A couple of months ago my daughter called to ask me if I wanted some fence boards her neighbor had put out for the trash. Well, you know what my answer was. I new they would be reject boards from their fence project, but I figured I could do something with them, so she picked them up for me. 

Today, armed with my "new" saw, I set out to make those 6 trashed boards into something I really wanted for the patio area-

  
Something to camouflage this eyesore! 


 Here's what I did:

All of the boards started out the size of the tall one pictured here.
I took one of the boards down to the air conditioner and simply stood it in front of the unit and made a pencil mark across the board at the length I wanted to cut. I layed the first board on top of each of the other four and made a pencil mark across each one where I would cut it. I cut each board with the jigsaw. This project would be "rustic" by the very condition of the fence boards, and I wasn't at all concerned with perfection, but the jigsaw makes a very easy straight cut.

I took a section of board I had cut off the bottom and cut it lengthwise giving me two narrow boards for the cross pieces that would hold the five fence boards together.

I layed the 5 cut fence boards on the ground, lining them up as evenly as I could, and screwed the two narrow pieces across the boards creating sort of a gate-looking panel. Now I needed to figure out a way to make the panel free standing, in front of the A/C unit. 

I decided to make a stand using the bottom half of the last fence board (the long one in the first photo) because the top half of the board was badly split. The bottom half of the board was still good, so why not? I used some four small 2x4 chunks as braces.

I screwed the 2x4 pieces into the board "feet" from underneath, using two long screws in each. 
I offset them so the front 2x4 pieces could be offset to the opposite side, allowing me to screw through the fence boards to the block from each side.

 

Now I stood the panel up with the 2x4 brace up against the back side of the panel and screwed from the front of the boards through to the 2x4 blocks.

I repeated the same thing on the front side of the panel, screwing the 2x4 blocks into the base from the underside with two long screws. Then screwed through the backside of the panel into the front 2x4 blocks with two screws each. 
I hope all that makes sense! I know you real builders will be giggling at my method, but sometimes you just have to wing it with what's in front of you, right? It does stand firmly, and that was my main goal : )

I did one quick coat of white paint and sanded and distressed it a bit. 

I hung a primitive twig wreath on it, placed my son's rarely used wagon, some flowers and my "new" free patio chair (tell you about that soon) in front, and I'm loving it!
 

If I had had more fence boards I probably would have made two panels, either hinged together or screwed together at a right angle to wrap around the other side of the A/C unit also. But this side is our lounging area and the area behind the unit is mostly where the kids play with their water toys etc, so "looks" wasn't as much a priority on that side.

I also considered leaving the boards their original length and creating a tall panel, but it gets quite windy most every day here, and I worried that it would blow over.

 

One more look at the before and after. 

I still have a few more unsightly things to figure out how to camouflage around the patio area, like the power lines and breaker boxes. 

6 free roadside boards, screws and white paint I already had, total money spent = zero. You know how I love that : )
Thanks so much for coming over to see what I've been working on today. I'll be showing you the rest of our spruced up patio area soon!

Jeanette

I'm excited to be sharing this week over at:

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Creative Inspirations at Embracing Change 
Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable 
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours
Be Inspired at Common Ground 
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home 
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage 
Catch as Catch Can at My RePurposed Life 
Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors 
Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill 
Creative Bloggers Party at Homemaker on a Dime 
Budget Decorating Party at Creative Cain Cabin 
Pretty Things at twelveOeight 
The Scoop 
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life 
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm 
Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House 
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch 
Home {work} Wednesday at Marty's Musings 

 

Encouragement and Provision

We are "cat tending" for some vacationing friends this week. Isn't their porch awesome? They live outside of town on a few acres and it is quiet and beautiful up at their place. I wish I could sit on their porch. Alone. For a long time : )

 I couldn't resist sharing a couple of photos from outside their home.





There are rustic and charming things to take in everywhere you look.

This is the view from the back of their house! Just incredible. 
  
So it's been a busy week over here with projects, birthdays and just being a mom. I wish I would have documented my sweet boy's 6th birthday better, but I know he enjoyed his day from beginning to end, and that's more important than a pretty blog post to this mama today. Do you ever think about the "endings" that come with birthdays? Two nights ago I was struck by the bittersweet realization that I will never again be the mom of a 5 year old boy! It's ok, really, it just caused me to pause and reflect for a time.

His day included double chocolate brownies, (his choice instead of cake)
 

playin' crazy at our friend's house,
 

and a pre-haircut chocolate-y dessert face photo!

From ragamuffin to stylin' overnight : )

He had asked for an afternoon of fishing at the lake on his birthday, but I had some car issues I couldn't make that happen. He was very sweet about it and said it was no big deal. 

I was able to take him and one of the girls fishing at the pond in our neighborhood this evening, so he did get to try out his new birthday fishing pole. It was a gorgeous evening, and he and his sister had a ball!

 

 As a blogger I hope to be real with you about my family's circumstances without constantly having a "sob story" about how difficult things are for me. I do have times of feeling very tired and discouraged, but I must tell you that God continues to bring hope and provision into our lives on so many levels. 
Sometimes, like today, it can come in the form of something as simple as a needed tool at a yard sale. I have projects that have been put on hold because my power tools aren't in working order and I simply don't have the money to buy new ones. This morning when I headed out to tend to my friend's cats, I came across a yard sale (I usually don't even stop these days) and found a saw I've had on my "list" for just $2.00! I thought it was a mistake, or that there must be something wrong with it, but nope. It's in great working order. An answer to prayer. I've referred to God leading me across troubled waters on stepping stones of grace, and this week was no exception. Sometimes his care for us looks just like a jigsaw :)

One more bit of encouragement I received this morning was finding out my DIY mason jar chandelier was included in an online slideshow at Good Housekeeping! I know in the scheme of things, it's not a "big" thing, but to this little nobody blogger it was pretty darn exciting! 

 

You can see the Good Housekeeping article over here,

which includes some other mason jar projects I think you'll love!

Thanks again for walking this road with me, my friends. It means more than you know.

Have a blessed weekend!

Jeanette

 

Painting the Vintage Trunk

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a good weekend. 

I spent some time yesterday afternoon working on a few projects I've been dragging my feet on for awhile.
You know, I have a perfectly good work space in the garage, but it has been so windy I couldn't paint with the door up yesterday, and I didn't want to be out there with the door closed. Silly, I know.
Some friends took my kids on a hike after church, so I blasted my Needtobreathe station on Pandora made a mess inside the house!

This one makes me a little nervous, (but not too much) I've had this antique steamer trunk for several years and for many months I've thought about painting it and possibly turning it into a table. Yesterday I stopped thinking, and started painting. My son shook his head and said, "Pooor old trunk..." haha.
I originally planned to paint over the wood trim, but my daughter convinced me to try leaving the wood first and seeing how that looks.

Obviously I was just snapping a few photos as I went along here, sorry it's a bit blurry. This is one coat. I'm thinking she was right, I really like the combination of the white and warm wood tones! What do you think? I plan to sell this piece, so I'll give you an update when it's complete.

Another piece I've had for many years is this very heavy panel that I think may have been part of a piano at one time? (another not so good photo, sorry)
I started painting over the natural oak finish awhile back and worked on it some more yesterday. It hung over the fireplace in my previous home for a long time (I added hanging wire to it, way back when) but I think I'm going to sell it. I'm not sure if I'll leave it as a wall hanging piece or...? It's just the right size for a full size headboard, so maybe I'll go that direction. 

My "baby" is turning 6 this week! He's hoping for fishing and a picnic at the lake on his special day, so I'll be working on that and lots more this week. 

Blessings to you-

Jeanette

Burlap "Cards" Banner

Where did this past week {or month!} go? I feel like I blinked and Friday is upon us and June is at the doorstep. 

In my last post I told you how I've been working on a few wedding crafts for a friend who's getting married in a few weeks. 
I made some personalized hangers that the bride-to-be will give to her wedding party girls. 




On a quick side note, this is the burlap, lace and vintage sheet music flag banner that the groom's mom and I made for their shower. It's not a good photo, I know. It says, "Gettin' Hitched" : )

And I just had to show you this darling outdoor seating area that the shower hostess created from pallets. So cute!

Okay, back to the subject at hand : )

Today I'll show you another fun, simple project I did for the reception.  

  
The bride-to-be brought me this darling little suitcase that they want to use as a place for guests to put their cards for the bride and groom at the reception. She asked me to create a little banner to hang across the open lid of the suitcase. I'm sure many of you have seen this same idea on Pinterest and other wedding sites. 




She gave me free reign to use whatever I wanted to create the banner. I could use fabric, paper, etc. They are having an outdoor,  country vintage style wedding-think lace, burlap, mason jars, some hay bale seating, etc. Fun! 

I decided I'd go with burlap for this little project. I still had a scrap piece left from my first burlap project and it suited the theme. Perfect.

 

Being an outdoor setting, and likely to be a bit windy, I decided I'd use some heavy cardboard pieces to back the burlap. Hopefully this will keep it a little more stable. The cardboard was just scrap packing grids in a discarded box.

 I visually estimated, and cut the size of the burlap rectangles I'd need to cover the opening, then cut cardboard rectangles a little smaller for the back. Using my trusty (and ancient) vinyl stencil and a black ink pad I added each letter to the burlap just using my finger.

Of course you could do this with paint or permanent marker, also.

At this point I straightened the edges a bit and then pulled a few strands from each edge giving them a frayed look. 

 Using hot glue, I attached the cardboard pieces to the back of each piece of burlap. 

 I used some fairly heavy twine to create the hanging line. I didn't get a photo of just the line across the front of the suitcase lid, but you understand. This particular suitcase had some upholstery tack nail heads on the lid so it was very simple to wrap the twine around those. This won't show when this is on the card table, it will be on the back of the open lid.

I used some mini clothespins I already had to hang each letter across the twine. 

Such an easy and fun little detail to add personality to a wedding, birthday or other celebration! It really is an honor to create even a humble detail like this for someone's wedding. Next I'll be working on some chalkboards and signs for the ceremony and reception. Stay tuned!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Jeanette

Sharing over at...

Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo 
Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors 
Blitzed on Pinterest at On Sutton Place 
  and Debbie-doo's 

Personalized Hangers

 

Summer wedding season is here! Even though no one in my own family is getting married right now, I never get tired of looking at (and pinning) creative wedding and party ideas. 

Recently, I was asked to help with a few projects for a friend's wedding and I thought I'd share a couple of those things with you this week. 

The bride asked me to make some personalized hangers for her wedding party girls, and I love this project because it could be a sweet and personal gift for so many different occasions. 

Here's what I did-

 First I printed the girls' names and the wedding date in a pretty font {Wisdom Script, for those interested}from my word processor. 

I cut each name and date out and placed it where I wanted it to be transferred to the hanger. I slipped a small piece of carbon paper behind it and taped it in place so it wouldn't move around while I did the transfer.

I know there are lots of different transfer methods around these days, so you can use whatever method you're comfortable with, of course. 

 {can you tell I was doing a burlap project on this same table??}

 Anyone remember pre-computer/home copier days when you had to use a typewriter and carbon paper for multiple copies of a document?? Yes, I'm that old : )

I slowly and carefully traced over the letters with a fine point pen, transferring the words to the hanger. Most of them were darker than this, but you get the idea. You just need to be able to see it enough to go over it with marker. 
One little tip here: If you are using new wooden hangers, they have a hard glossy finish to them that the carbon and markers won't stick to. I lightly sanded the area first, and then used a clear sealer over the whole thing when I was finished. This probably wouldn't be an issue if using vintage hangers.

Then I carefully traced over the transfer with a fine point permanent marker. 

Add a pretty ribbon, and there you have it! A personal, practical, economical keepsake gift for your bridesmaids or for any occasion. 

Pop over here to see another type of hanger I did for my friend's birthday a few months ago, using a painted vintage hanger. 

I'll be back soon to show you another little project for the same wedding!

Blessings-

Jeanette

Sharing over at-

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style 

Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson 

Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable 

Be Inspired at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage