How To: Mosaic Planter

As it gets warmer, we all naturally want to start fixing up our yards and patios.  I love all the beautiful planters I see in the stores, but I don't love the price!  All you need is a little creativity, plus a few inspiring pictures to get you motivated, and you can come up with some amazing planters for your patio at a fraction of the price. 

Today I want to share this really neat tutorial from Centsational Girl, a planter with a beautiful mosaic tile finish.  A lot of people are scared to death of tile, and I used to be too - but once you try it the first time, you'll be hooked. It's so easy, and the outcome is so impressive that you'll want to tile everything! Plus, the hardware stores carry these sheets of tile (I'm sure you've seen) which lets you place 100 or so tiles in one step. Talk about a time saver! The possibilities with tiling are endless, but today let's hone in one style. Take a look:

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School of Restoration: Chiseled Chair

Welcome to another session in the School of Restoration! As many of you know, I guest post over at the Divine Minimalist. I just wrapped up a tutorial on one of my favorite techniques.  It's easy, fun, and gives any piece of wood furniture a unique hand chiseled look.  I debated calling it faceted, (another love of mine!) but we'll do a whole piece on that soon.  This chiseled look gives the effect of something being hand carved, and it's especially distinct when you paint your piece first.  The contrast really highlights our edges and draws your eye to them.  This is a total weekend project, too. Take a look at our side by side:

 Materials:

• Wooden Furniture (visible grain & knots are especially nice)
• Paint - I used "Cilantro", non-shiny finishes are best.
• Paint Brushes - I like synthetic.
  
• Drop Cloth / Old Sheets
  
• Orbital Sander + Pads: Coarse & Fine
  
• Protection: Gloves, Goggles & Mask. Safety first!
  
• Minwax Polycrylic - Satin

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Party Time: Jello

This weekend I am going to a "1960's beach party" themed party (whatever will I wear!?), and while dreaming up what retro food to bring, jello immediately came to mind.  So for today's Party Time, I'm going to focus on the delightful & mysterious creations of Jello.  More importantly, the Jello Shot. Here's what I'm about to tackle today:

So cool! Plus, instead of trying to squeeze the jello out of some soggy paper cup, we can just take a slice, on a plate, and actually get some of this in our mouth.  Why has this not always been the case?? I've always liked jello shots at parties, but let's face it - it's not a clean experience.  All these, can of course, be made without alcohol.  Jello for all!

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How To: Aged Wood

This tutorial comes at a perfect time, I have quite a few orders of string art tablets to do, and they've all requested aged wood! I came across this really neat (and easy!) technique, that involves very few materials.  Need your project to look like it's 20+ years old? Break out the vinegar:

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Spotlight: Built In Cooler

I have been meaning to share this for a while now, and with Memorial Day weekend coming up, full of parties and beautiful weather, this is the perfect time to share.  Remember the succulent tables? Well take a look at these:

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