Harvest-Inspired Rustic Wheat Tin - Under $10!

Every year around the best time of year (second to Christmas), my in-laws come to visit from Southern California. For them it's a chance to escape the 100 degree heat waves, smoggy air, and that horrendous 91 freeway traffic to actually experience a season other than hot-summer or cold-summer ;) It's a week filled with amazing weather, Fall colors, fly fishing, craft beer, Oktoberfest, autumnal candles & teas, pumpkin patches, and most importantly good quality family time. I want my home to feel cozy and seasonal for my family. So whenever the day of their arrival starts to get a little closer, my Fall decor inspiration is in hyper-drive and I become this crafting maniac for a solid 3-4 weeks.  When you take the concept that's in your head, make it with your hands, and have it bring life into your home, no matter what the room - that is the awe-inspiring moment that drives my creativity.

Today's DIY decor can be used in any room in your home & it is so inexpensive and easy! You will need the following items to complete this project:

FloralCraft Dry Foam - Link Here
Brown moss - $1.00 - Dollar Store
Wheat bushels - $6.99 Full Price; $4.19 with coupon - Michael's
Small bronze bucket - $2.99 Full Price; $1.79 with coupon - Michael's
Box cutter
Wire cutters

The piece that inspired this project were the beige and brown wheat bouquets I found at Michael's. You could use one particular color over the other, but using them altogether gives the decor piece the most dimension so that it doesn't fall flat to the eye.

Using your box cutter blade, you will first  take a piece of dry foam and cut it to the same diameter as the bronze tin. Then, slice the corners off a little bit at a time until it fits snug in the tin.

You don't want the foam to move around too much in the tin or else placing the wheat pieces will be difficult.

 Next comes the wheat. You can use wire cutters, the same box cutters, or any scissors you have handy. Cut them into small, medium, and long lengths.

You will be placing the wheat into the dry foam like so:

For the best dimension, place the longest pieces of wheat along the back third, medium length pieces in the middle third, and shorter pieces in the front as depicted below:

Long pieces in back

Middle pieces next

Short pieces in front

Be sure to intermix the colors for a lush, natural look! Now it's time to cover up that dry foam! Take your moss and simply cover up the perimeter and the spaces in between the wheat pieces :) 

 Don't forget to cover the center...

  ...And voila! 

Add some accessories to accompany the main piece and your easy, simple, & cheap Harvest-Inspired Wheat Tin is now complete! 

Happy Fall everyone! If you re-create this DIY, please leave a photo in the comment section below - I'd love to see them! See you in my next tutorial!

Farmhouse-Inspired DIY Cutting Board

 
***Disclaimer: Please make note that this is a DECORATIVE piece - I do not suggest using it to place, cut, prep, or serve your food on!!!

I've been going antiquing a lot lately & have noticed a lot of aged/rustic kitchen items that I wanted to somehow incorporate into my kitchen decor. I knew I wanted to arrange them on a cutting board, but I wasn't happy with the ones in stores - they were too new/modern looking. Not to mention they were so pricey - I didn't want to pay $20 for something I would only use for decorative purposes. So I decided to make my own instead - AND IT ONLY COST ME $3!!!!**

You will need the following materials:

2-  5/8 in. x 5-1/2 in. x 6 ft. Whitewood Dog-Ear Picket Fence - $1.55 each (Link Here)
Hand or Power Saw

Wood Glue
Hammer

Nails

Sandpaper - 220, 150, & 80 grit

Acrylic Craft Paint

Measure out the appropriate dimensions suitable for where you will be placing your chopping board. For reference, my dimensions ended up being approximately 22" long, 16" wide.

Using a hand or power saw, cut 6 - 22 inch pieces. Take one of the 6 pieces and cut that in half, vertically. Arrange them as shown to compose your top & bottom sections. The half piece will allow the top & bottom to connect together.

Top Section

Bottom Section (Don't mind those drill holes - I am using scrap wood)

Apply a liberal amount of wood glue in-between your bottom & top sections. Secure with nails. Let it dry overnight.

All glued together :)

Note: placement of nails

 Next is to make this baby smooth to the touch! Because cedar wood so it splintery, it is important not to skip this step. I sanded first with 80 grit - then 150 - and finished with 220. Doing so will ensure that your paint goes on smoothly. It also slightly changes the coloring of the wood to more of a soft beige, which we want to peek through at the end.

The next subsequent steps involve a lot of layering different paints + one stain. This method is very important to the distressed finish. As I have said in my previous tutorials on distressing, layering similar yet juxtaposing colors allows them all to peak through when you sand away at them at the end.

Apply a very light layer of wood stain. Let dry overnight. I used Miniwax Wood Finish Stain in 'Jacobean', but feel free to use any brown stain.

Top Section

Bottom Section

Now time for painting. I didn't use any fancy paint - just cheap acrylic paint. I use 3 different colors and applied 4 layers - letting each layer dry in-between. My first layer consisted of Oyster Beige, painted as shown. 

My second layer was White, which I applied all over and diluted by taking a damp paper towel and wiping away the excess after each application.

Initial application before wiping away the excess

Wiping away the excess with a damp paper towel

Half complete

Second layer complete

 My third layer was Parchment, applying it randomly throughout, & wiping the excess with a (not damp) paper towel.

My fourth and final layer was White again, except this time I did not wipe away the excess.

Forgot to take a photo before I started sanding...whoops! But you get the picture ;)

Time to sand again. Each grit will serve a different purpose in how the paint will look. Sand at angles and with the grain of the wood to emphasize distressing. 80 grit will take off a generous amount of paint to allow the stain to peak through. So, be careful and specific in your application. Helpful tip: sand the ends for that wear-and-tear look & don't be hesitant to sand all the way to the original finish of the wood in some spots (shown below in the close-ups).

First couple of swipes using 80 grit

This is my favorite part because this is where all your hard work pays off, specifically those 4 tedious layers of paint we did earlier ;) 150 grit will subtly bring out the colors underneath the white top coat. Find a happy medium between not sanding harshly & sanding gently to accomplish this - hard to explain - you'll understand once you do it :) Do this sporadically throughout. As you can see in the image below, parchment & oyster beige are visible in these areas.

Finish with 220 grit to have an overall smooth finish. Here are some close-ups for more detail & reference

Add those antique finds of yours and you are done!

**This only includes the cost for lumber. I did not have to purchase any of the other materials used as I already had them on hand.