Make a Manzanita Jewelry Tree

A few weekends ago I found this manzanita tree at homesense.  It's rare to find these locally, only place I've seen them is in floral shops and they charge an arm and a leg for them, yes for just 1 branch I've seen them ask $80-$100...ouch!  This one was only $20.  Some might say she is crazy for paying for a tree branch but it's not just a tree branch, its super durable and actually hard to break off the twigs.  Plus it paints extremely well if need be.  Google Manzanita if you need :)

Seen as wedding or table top center pieces I decided to use mine as a jewelry tree.  My necklaces are always a tangled mess and I don't have space for the big boxy jewelry holders.  (Plus I love a pretty DIY project!)

Here is the manzanita, laying on my basement floor.

For the base I used a stone flower pot that I had lying around. 

I mixed up a couple batches of plaster of paris and filled the pot a 1/2" from the top.

Then all you do is position the tree in the pot and prop it against a wall to let it set.  You might have to tie a string around the tree and another object while the plaster is curing to hold it in the right place.

There you have it, a manzanita jewelry tree!

Project Nursery: Mantel Shelf

If you follow Urban Squirrel you might remember me picking up this old fireplace mantel last summer.  I had plans to mount it to a wall originally but one of the legs had a bit of wood rot.  After cutting out the rot and ending up with one short leg, the mantel got set aside.  When I decided the nursery needed a shelf I sourced the mantel top from the basement.  Everything has a purpose, right?

Here it was last summer.

Here it is getting cleaned up.

I found these cast iron hooks at yes you guessed it - the dollar store!

A paint job later (using left over paint sourced from the basement), the mantel top found itself a new purpose!

It's perfect. I love that it's all dinged up and totally vintage.

Reduce, reuse and DIY it!

Crafty DIY Bulletin Board

A fabulous old frame transformed DIY style into a bulletin board.  The best part, on a shoestring budget.

What I needed: Frame, cork board, glue, foam backing, scissors.

I came across the cork board squares at the dollar store.  There was 2 to a package, for my 24" x 28" antique frame I needed 3 packs.  I already had the glue, scissors and frame.

I purchased the foam backing at DeSerres and cut it to size.

After gluing the cork board to the foam backing I popped it inside the picture frame and voila, a DIY bulletin board project on a shoestring budget.

Project Costs:

-3 packs of cork board ($1.50 each) = $5.18
-Foam backing = $5