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.

UPDATED: DIY Kitchen Island w/Benches UNDER $100! Rustic Cottage meets Biergarten Pub

I honestly think my husband & I were carpenters in a past life. We are the type of people who love to get their hands dirty & create things. We enjoy customizing & designing things to suit our needs. Forget buying things - that's no fun for us (or our wallets), and it doesn't give you that same satisfaction or sense of accomplishment.

For 2 years my husband and I have been wanting to make our own kitchen island. Up until this venture, I had only dabbled in re-staining shelves, coffee/side tables, & nightstands. My husband  re-configured an old frig & turned it into a kegerator with custom taps. So this time around we wanted to take it a step further and build something from the bottom up.

Our inspiration was a combination of Rustic Cottage meets Biergarten Pub - if that makes any sense. We didn't want something fancy. We wanted the woodwork to express what kind of people we are - laid back, informal, simple, & beer lovers - nothing artificial. We also wanted the piece to bring light into the room because no one likes a dark, gloomy looking kitchen!

So once we determined our theme, we needed to figure out how to put this sucker together of course! You can't just slap some wood together and call it a table..well I guess you could, but your Biergarten table would probably end up falling apart on you, and that would be a disgrace to the Beer Gods. We looked at 2 or 3 tutorials online, but this one was the simplest >> http://www.lowes.com/creative-ideas/kitchen-and-dining/diy-dining-set/project .

I suggest looking at tutorials & coming up with your dimensional measurements first. This helps you determine what materials you need so that you don't end up walking around Home Depot aimlessly for 2 hours - shout-out to my fellow DIY'ers who know this feeling all too well ;)

BORING TECHNICAL STUFF

For reference, we bought the following pieces for the table: 

2 2X8 10 ft wood planks (Douglas Fir) $8.70 each (table top)

1 4X4 12 ft wood plank (Douglas Fir) $15.42 (legs)

2 2X4 10 ft wood planks (Douglas Fir) $4.36 each (underside support)

For the benches: 

2 2X8 8 ft wood planks (Douglas Fir) $8.70 each (table top)

2 4X4 8 ft wood plank (Douglas Fir) $10.52 each (legs)

1 2X4 16 ft wood planks (Douglas Fir) $7.05 (underside support)

Table dimensions:

Height: 34.5"

Length: 5'

Bench dimensions:

Height: 21.5"

Length: 4'

Difference between the bottom of the table and top of the bench, or as my husband would say >> "vertical leg room" - he so fancy: 8"

Make sure you pick the best wood pieces - this is not something to overlook! Yes, unfortunately it means you are going to have to sift through plank after plank after plank to find the ones that aren't all banged up, scratched, split, & crooked. Otherwise you will have yourself wobbly, uneven table that is so utterly scratched that it is no longer considered "rustic-looking". Not to mention you will have the wobbliest benches for you & your guests to sit on - we all know how utterly annoying that is!!

So if you're like us & don't own the fancy power tools to carry out this DIY, don't fret! We had Home Depot cut all of our wood planks to the specific lengths we wanted. This saved us time and our sanity. Power saw = AMAZINGLY ACCURATE vs. hand saw = UNEVEN FRUSTRATION!! 

 Other tips:

Table underside support

 Sand each individual piece before assembling it together. Start by putting together the underside support first. Use wood glue in combination with screw fastners & make pilot holes! 

Bench underside support

Bench L-Supports

 Try to avoid drilling screws in and near knots to avoid the wood from splitting. Make sure knots ARE visible so that it adds character to the table. Stand the legs up before attaching them to determine if they stand straight without wobbling. 

Now on to my favorite part - staining! We used the following:

 

*Before stain on the left / After 2 coats of stain on the right*

Before:

Choose a stain or paint that accentuates your theme. We selected an oil stain because of the way it subtly saturated the natural coloring of the wood.We also used a satin-finish polyurethane to not only protect the wood from inevitable food & drink stains, but to also saturate the color a step further.

Only Oil Stain:

With Oil Stain AND Polyurethane:

 Can you see how much more vibrant the stain shines through with the help of the polyurethane?? Insanely beautiful! The color goes from dull to perfection. LOVE!

Close-ups:

I also have a tutorial on the Orchid centerpiece I chose as the finishing touch for this project - Super easy & ridiculously inexpensive. Link here >> DIY Orchid UNDER $10!

This project took only 1 WEEK to complete and COST NO MORE THAN $100! That may sound like a lot, but to put this into perspective: 4 years ago, we bought the cheapest dining room table from K-Mart & that cost us over $200 -_- No particle board or fake looking epoxy here - just real, sturdy, heavy duty wood. Take that Ikea! And did I mention that my kitchen now smells like a forest without the help of an overpriced Bath & Body works candle? ;)

xx,

Jessica

3 DIY Tutorials for the First Day of Spring!

It's finally the first day of Spring! I feel like I've been waiting for this day since the first day of Winter ;) It is during Spring that I love crafting, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. So to encourage the scratch to that impending DIY crafting itch for all fellow crafting enthusiasts, I wanted to remind you that I have 3 new Spring tutorials on my blog! Please share with your family & friends, and please send me any of your recreations! 

To those few individuals who have reached out & shown your support - whether it's a 'like', re-share, +1, or a comment - it truly encourages me & lifts me up. I have felt more support from strangers in different parts of the world than anyone else & I just want to say how thankful I am :) This venture is a big, surprising endeavor for me & I hope to see it grow more and more. After years of feeling lost and so unhappy, God has finally guided me to a point in my life where I am starting to do things solely based on how much joy it brings me - It is a blessing & something I never take for granted. Okay, enough with the emotional stuff ;) Here are the links to get your Spring crafting on!

1. The Perfect Springtime Wreath

2. 5 Easy & Inexpensive Ways to Liven Up Your Kitchen: Spring Edition

3. Easy & Inexpensive DIY Orchid Arrangement for ONLY $10!

xx,

Jessica

5 Easy & Inexpensive Ways to Liven Up Your Kitchen: Spring Edition

This week I was really inspired to liven up my kitchen with all things Spring. I wanted to bring soft, earthy colors into the room without taking away from the clean, natural light it already has. I also didn't want to break the bank either. Here are 5 super easy & inexpensive ways to achieve this that encompass every area of your kitchen. 

#1: Stovetop Decor

I've always found this area to be particularly difficult to "style". I didn't want to go to typical route with chickens, salt & pepper shakers, pigs, chef caricatures...or anything else cheesy. And leaving it bare just makes the kitchen look unloved. I wanted something classic & clean...I know - big shocker coming from me! ;) You will need the following materials:

Wood Crate - Michaels: $1.00; Glass Vase - Hobby Lobby: $1.00; Paint - Michaels: $0.69; Baby's Breath - Michaels: $0.75

Decorative Cup - Home Goods: $2.99; Flowers - Misc. Leftover Flowers

Paint the basket with white paint. I ran out of paint sponges so I actually those eyeshadow sponges every self-respected makeup lover detests - Free & works just as well :)

While that's drying, "prune" some of the Baby's breath stems & place in the glass vase. Discard the cork and place in the crate.

Next, place the flowers in the decorative cup. Use flowers that match/complement the color theme of your kitchen. These were some leftover flowers I had from previous craft projects. You could also buy a plain, inexpensive glass jar for $1-2 and paint it white to achieve this.

Done!

#2 Shelf Decor

This piece perfectly adds to the natural light in the room. The rustic bird & birdcage accentuate the worn shelf.

Birdcage - Michaels: $4.00; Bird - Hobby Lobby: $2.00; Vase - Michaels: $2.00; Flowers - Misc. Leftovers

#3 Kitchen Counter

There is this hideous phone jack in our kitchen that I absolutely hate. If you have an area like this in your kitchen simply hang a Spring succulent piece in its place, add some necessary Bath & Body Works Spring lotions, and done.

Succulent - Michaels: $0.75 on clearance

#4 Kitchen Bar

This arrangement was featured in a previous blog post of mine, so for all the DIY details I will link that here. The only thing I changed was swapping out Winter branches for Spring flowers :)

Flowers - Michaels: $2.50

#5 Kitchen Island

I've always wanted an orchid, but have you seen how ridiculously overpriced they are?! I mean $20-$40 for something that is eventually going to die is just crazy. So I made one that looks just as good for only $10.00! But just to keep you coming back for more, I'm going to feature this in my next DIY blogpost so stay tuned! Consider this a sneak peak ;)

Orchids - Hobby Lobby: $2.00 each; Vase - Michaels: $4.00; Succulent - Michaels: $2.00

 xx,

Jessica