Easy as 1 - 2 - 3

Here's a repeat of an older post...since I saw that Donna at Funky Junk Interiors was featuring vintage hardware in her Saturday Nite Special, I thought this past post fit right in...



One: discarded lumber board











Two:  collection of old bottles

Two & one-half:

Having the right tool makes all the difference when working on a project.  A number of years ago, I wanted to cut a single board in half but using the gigantic circular saw just made it too much of a production.  So I went to Lowes and bought this Black & Decker set - there's a cordless rechargable base and five different heads - drill, mouse sander, circular saw, jigsaw and flashlight - you just pop on the one you want and go!  I like that it is a compact, lighter tool so its easier for me to handle - perfect for small projects.  For larger tasks, I still need the power tools that plug in to get enough juice.  For this project I used the circular saw to cut the board in half and the mouse sander to smooth all the surfaces.

Two & three-quarters:

Whenever I am attaching a wire loop for hanging, I leave a tail and finish it off by wrapping it around a wooden skewer to make a neat little "spring" detail.

Three:  Rustic Wall Vases

First I removed the nails from the board and cut it in half; then I sanded all the edges and finished off the red painted front with a light coat of Johnson's Paste Wax.  To hold the bottles in place, I used old broom clips screwed into place.  With broom clips, its easy to remove the bottle, fill it with water, clip it back into place and add a bloom.  I finished it off with a wire hanger but you could just as well use twine or ribbon for the hanger, depending on the look you wanted.

There you have it...you will never look at scrap lumber again as garbage but as the backdrop for a beautiful vase!

Linking up to Funky Junk Interior's Saturday Nite Special - lots of great ideas for using vintage hardware...