3-Foot Distressed Clock

Have you seen those huge, 3-foot clocks around town? You know, the distressed, rustic-style, vintage-looking clocks. Well, we (my husband and I) decided instead of spending upwards of $150 on one of those, we would build our own... for $50 tops! This was the first time I ever distressed brand new wood to make it look worn and old. This was the first time my husband ever made something out of wood, this big. And this was the first time a project worked out in general. I am so pleased with it, even if it isn't "perfect". We didn't follow any plans - since it's pretty much a simple circle - we just went for it. Here is the complete list of tools, items, and wood you will need for this project as you see it.

The main tools you will need:

Other tools you will need:

- Mider saw or circular saw (either would work)
- Hole bit
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- A spare nail (long enough to go through a 2x4" and into another board slightly)
- Sander
- Sand paper

The wood you will need:
- 2 2x4" stud length boards
- 2 2x6" stud length boards
- spare piece of 2x4" at least 18" in length

To finish the clock:
- Clock mechanism (from Hobby Lobby)
- Clock hands (from Hobby Lobby)
- Strongly brewed tea (8 tea bags per 2 cups of water)
- Homemade stain (click here for recipe)
- White primer or paint
- Roman numeral stencil (I made my own out of cardboard)
- Black chalkboard paint
- Paint brush or foam brush
- Stiple brush
- Sand paper
- Steel wool (optional)
- Wire brush (optional)
- Wax (optional)

Yes, there are a bunch of tools you will need to finish this project, but don't worry if you don't have every single piece of equipment - ask a friend, relative, or even at your local lumber & hardware store to see if they can make the cuts for you.

Ok, so for step 1, we cut the boards in half and laid them out in the order we wanted for the clock.

After that, we flipped all the boards over to trace a circle on the backs for a guideline to cut the clock out with. To create the "compass" for the circle, we used a nail, a piece of scrap 2"x 4", and a pencil. In the scrap piece of board [guide board], we drilled a hole at one end big enough for a pencil to fit through, and at the other end, a smaller hole for a nail to fit in. We made sure to find the dead center of the boards, and hammered a nail in that spot. We slid the guide board over the nail and slid the pencil in the hole at the other end. Finally we traced the circle onto the all of the boards, being careful not to shift any of them since they weren't secured together. 

Once the circle was traced on the boards, we attached the boards together using the pocket jig. This allows boards to fit together without the sight of nails (except for on the back side). It's an ingenious invention if you haven't seen it yet!

After the holes were drilled and the boards were attached together, we cut the clock out using the jigsaw. (And by we, I mean my husband! :))

Once the clock was actually cut out, the "pocket", for lack of better terms, was chiseled out of the back for the clock mechanism compartment. This is a must, so the clock sits flush on the wall.

Using a "hole bit" to cut out the hole and chiseling out the remainder to make it smooth.

Now it was time for the finishing process. And of course, I had a wedding to go to, so my amazingly-awesome hubby, applied the tea and vinegar-steel wool stain for me. (Just make sure to let each coat dry before applying the next one. He just applied 1 coat of each). 

After everything was completely dry... and a few weeks later, since we are really busy right now... I got to finish this piece up. I first applied a white primer that we had leftover in our basement - any white primer or paint will work. I let it dry completely and then distressed it with steel wool, sand paper, and a steel brush. 

Finally, I created roman numerals out of cardboard and painted them on the clock. I used black chalkboard paint to insure it was a matte finish. After that dried over night, I, then distressed everything again, and added some matte polyurethane for protection. 

Final step: adding the hands!

And here it is, finished and hung on the wall...

{P.S. Don't mind my OITNB on TV. Bonus points if you can tell me what season and episode this scene is from.}

The Planter Ladder

In the beginning of spring this year, we decided it was time to venture into the art of wood-making. We - my husband, Tyler, and I - planned out a few projects we wanted to complete. A coffee table, two side tables for our living room, a sofa table-turned buffet table for our dining room, a three foot clock, four shutters, a blanket ladder, and a planter ladder. We also have come up with a few other project ideas, but we are starting with this list right now. We finished one of the projects - the planter ladder!

It isn't exactly what the plans called for, but we realized that the plans we have been going off of, are - I hate to say this - always wrong, and honestly, this error turned out for the better. The plans we used were from ana-white.com and we used the plans from the Cedar Vertical Tiered Ladder Garden Planter --- sort of. The plans are not well written, so when the hubs started cutting the boards, which is what the plans say to do, it ended up being the incorrect measurement, so the ladder is shorter than it should be. It should have five planter boxes on it, but they wouldn't all fit. Three boxes were fine with me. We are going to use the materials leftover to make planter boxes for a deck that we are probably going to build next year. It all worked out in the end however.

We bought everything the site lists, but instead of cedar boards, we just bought stud wood and stained it.

You'll need:

3 - 2"x6"x8'
5 - 5.5"x6' dog-ear fence boards
Nails
Screws
(estimated cost of project $20.00)

For the boxes:
Cut one of the 2"x6"x8' boards into ten (10) - 8 ⅛" pieces (cutting a 15 degree angle at the corners, making a trapezoid)
Cut the dog-ear boards into ten (10) - 23 ½" pieces and five (5) - 20 ½" pieces
Nail together the trapezoid pieces and the 23 ½" pieces to create the sides and front and back of the planter boxes. Next, nail the 20 ½" pieces on, creating the bottom. Make sure to drill drain holes in the bottom of the planted boxes so the water will drip out.

For the ladder:
Take the two remaining 2"x6"x8' and cut a 15 degree angle at the top, and at the bottom in the opposite direction so it leans on whatever you decide. Choose the distance you want between the boxes - usually anything more than 8" will work - and screw the boxes to the sides.

To finish, I used a dark brown stain and matte polyurethane finish, one coat of each.

I waited for everything to dry overnight, and planted flowers the next morning. Where the planter ladder sits, there isn't much sunlight that hits the area, except for a few minutes during the day. So I decided to get shade-only/morning-sun-only flowers. I love how it turned out, and it was pretty simple.

Let me know if you have a creative way to plant flowers besides in the typical flower pots - but there's nothing wrong with that either.

Until next time,

DIY Weathered Wood Stain

Here is a quick and easy stain recipe for that weathered, rustic look that is trending the world right now. It's super easy, super cheap, and looks great and takes little effort.

What you will need:

- Extra fine steel wool
- Vinegar (each type will produce a different color - I used distilled white vinegar)
- Glass jar with a metal lid (mason jars work best)

Break up pieces of the steel wool and place them in the glass jar, or put the entire spool in (like I did here). I can't give specific amounts because my steel wool came in a pack with a bunch of separate spools. I used one spool per jar. I poured the vinegar in the jar making sure to cover the steel wool and adding just a little bit more. Again, no specific measurements. Put the lid on LOOSELY. (I learned this the hard way... just recently actually. My steel wool wasn't dissolving, and I just stared at it like, "What the heck? Why is this crap not dissolving?" Well, I loosened the lid just thinking maybe it would help, and let it sit like that all day and BAM, it was dissolved and a dark grey/black color.) Shake it every so often, but make sure to tighten the lid first! After about 24 hours, you should be able to use it, but if you let it go longer, it wouldn't hurt it. Mine has been sitting in my garage for about 2 months and it's still perfectly fine.

The first time I did this, my steel wool did not dissolve completely in 24 hours, but it was able to still be used. I tested it on a scrap piece of board before using it on other projects... I definitely recommend this since it produces different colors depending on the vinegar type. Make sure to stain the wood before using this vinegar stain with dark, DARK tea or coffee. This gives the wood more tannin to react with. After all the stain has dried, lightly sand it to even out the stain color, and apply any type of sealant.

Until next time.