DIY TOBACCO STICK TREE with CHICKEN WIRE

Here's a cute craft I like to make, a Tobacco Stick Tree.

I've made various styles through the years, 

(click here to see,) 

but I really like this one because I found a way to incorporate some cute chicken wire and stars.

I started out with some old tobacco sticks I have laying around. I keep them in a trash can, out of the weather so they won't rot.

Used a nail gun and secured the top three together.

And then formed the bottom shape by cutting some pieces of the tobacco sticks to fit a bottom.

Got the basic shape 

 

then I started to decorate it with some pieces of chicken wire .

I bought a roll of it at the store called Rural King. Southern States stores and Tractor Supply stores also has this type of wire. You don't need much.

Then I started to tie some strips of it to the inside with thin craft wire.

 Just keep tieing it in place until you get a good filling to the inside.  Then tie on some rusty craft stars if you have some.

 

I was going to add those orange, silicone dipped light strand that you see there, but I didn't think they looked right in the end. It looked better without lights.

And here it is all finished up.

What do you think? Cute enough to sit out on ya' porch for Fall decorating?

See ya'll next time,

~Lisa

Ps.

Here's a pic of my all time favorite, full length tobacco stick tree I think I ever made.

CUTE IDEA FOR WOOD IRIONING BOARDS

Do you have a cute, vintage, wooden ironing board sitting around like this?

Want to spruce it up a bit with a touch of country?

Well, if so, take a look at this idea I had.

Well, to be honest, my Aunt Marlene told me one day about an idea she had had and I kinda took it from there. And here's how it went.

I had bought a saying on jute twine for hanging that said "SIMPLIFY."  And I had it hanging behind my wood and coal, cast iron stove. I loved it there.  

Well, last visit from my aunt, she said that it would look real cute if I put that on my plain, wooden ironing board sitting beside it.

And that's what I did.

I started cutting the letters off the jute twine

and placing them on the ironing board with tape for temporary spacing. 

Then after I was happy with the positioning, I used some E-6000 glue and glued on tiny drops to hold them in place. Just a tad bit of that stuff goes a long way. And by using a little bit, it will be easier to remove if I ever decide to change it up a bit.

And don't worry, if you don't have any of these type of letters or words around, you can easily make some.

Here's how I do it.

I take those foam trays that you get from the deli with sliced cheese or sandwich meats on, and save them.

And just cut you out some lettering from that.

 If you can't draw them, print you some out from Microsoft Word and trace them out.

And then just cover it in whatever type of left over fabric, with glue, you have sitting around.  I save all my scraps for little projects like this.

To glue the fabric on, I just use a bit of hot glue.  It's quick and easy and you won't have to wait for it to dry like the E-6000.

But I went ahead and used the ones I already had, here's a close up of them.

And continued to glue them on my board.

And I made sure to leave it laying on it's back, to dry, for about 24 hours or so.
I'm sure it would dry quicker, but this is strong glue and takes a while to dry.

And here it is so much cuter!

A really simple and cheap fix to spruce up those plain, wooden ironing boards!

See ya'll next time!
~Lisa

COUNTRY HOME IDEAS

COUNTRY MAKES MY HOUSE A HOME

 (Taking a break from crafting posts today to share some pics.)

I have been re-arranging and already getting my house ready for fall.

Enough summer heat and bugs for me already. 

So while digging out my found treasures from auctions and flea markets, I thought I'd share a few pics of stuff that I love to collect.

All these items are what makes my house a Country Home.

Yes, I love canning jars.  

I am in the process of putting these in a cabinet. Photos later.

And no, not just the blue ones either.

But the aqua blue ones really are my absolute favorite.

 (Sorry about the darker pics, this Samsung Tablet doesn't have a flash)

But there is just something about having  a bunch of the clear ones sitting around that makes me feel at home. That good ole' country home feeling.

And since I can stain them, like I shared in a previous post, HOW TO STAIN MASON JARS, I love having plenty on hand to work with.

And then we have the wooden spoons and rolling pins that I absolutely love.

Here are a few shots from around my dinning room and kitchen.

Oh, and the crocks. I love them, but doesn't everyone?

And old pitchers for the patterns and because they can hold wooden spoons lol.

Even the old cracked and broken ones can find a place in my home.

What I love about country living and decorating is that there are no rules.

If I like it, I use it. If it fits, it stays there.

Oh, and I love the red and white enamelware! I am really just starting to collect the plates and such too.

Hum, I'm beginning to wander if I have enough pitchers full of wooden spoons? Now that I am snapping pics, I am realizing I have quite a few. Na, not enough yet!

 Here's an old coffee pot I also love.

And here's some more random shots. I just really cannot get enough wooden spoons tucked here and there!

And rolling pins. What country home doesn't have a few rolling pins here or there?

And here are some tiny, wooden rolling pins my aunt Marlene gave me:

Ain't they just cute? 

And I think that is pretty much enough indoor stuff for now.

I don't want to overload you with my love of the country decorating.

So before I go, here's one last thing. It's my favorite outside garden thing.

This use to be the entrance to my strawberry garden.

Sadly they didn't grow great here, so I moved as many as I could that were left.

When taking down the fenced in area, (lots of lattice) I had my husband to leave the entrance like so, with the gate.

And I love it.

Right now it has tons of morning glories trailing up it.

And one more last thing, lol.

Here's my country, barn wood fences out front.

And here is the backs. I've put some rose bushes behind them now so I can see them from my front porch.

Here is a link to how I made these barn wood fences, if you are interested.

Hope ya'll liked these pics of my country decorating ideas.

See ya'll next time!

~Lisa