Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Making Corn Hole Boards

My daughter and I finally made corn hole boards to enjoy this fall. It was quite a project but they turned out very nice. She found the information regarding the dimensions online which we used to build the boards.

drawing the circle

We decided to use 1/2 inch plywood so that the boards would not bounce when the bags hit them. We used the top of a margarine tub to draw the circle for the hole.

using a [addle bit to drill a starter hole

Next we used a paddle bit to drill a starter hole.

using a jig saw to cut the hole

Next we used a jigsaw to carefully cut the hole.

completed hole

frame screwed together

Next we screwed the frame together.

glue for the frame

We added glue before attaching the top.

top attached to frame with screws

We also used screws to attach the top.

drawing the curve for the leg

We used another container to mark the curve for the legs.

curved leg cut

drilling a hole for the legs

We used the paddle bit again to make holes for the leg hardware.

painting the base coat

Then the painting process began.

used a projector to put the logo on

We used a projector to trace the logo.

tedious hand painting

The painting process was the hardest and most time consuming part.

scoreboard

A scoreboard using golf tees was added to the end of one board.

rope storage

We also used hardware cleats to store the measuring rope for ease in spacing the boards.

finished at last

After many hours of tedious painting, the boards were complete.

keeping it real

Just in case you wonder, this is what our house looks like when I am involved in a project. So, this is what our house looks like most of the time!!

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I’ll be linking to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Pumpkin Heads

I saw these pumpkin heads being carved at a festival this weekend and wanted to share the pictures with you. They were carved by North Carolina pumpkin carver Tim Trudgeon.

carved pumpkin head 1

carved pumpkin head 2

carved pumpkin head 3

carved pumpkin head 4

carved pumpkin head 5

carved pumpkin head 6

I can’t believe the details!

I hope you have a great week!

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I’m linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch, to The Scoop at Worthing Court, and to Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Weathered Wood Tool Caddy

box of pumpkins and gourds 2

One of my favorite things about the Haven bloggers’ conference is getting to try new products. I was so excited to return to my room one day to find three DIY kits from Home Depot. The tool caddy pictured above was one of those treats!

tool caddy kit

I thought the packaging was so cute with the orange mesh tie.

tool kit parts

Each kit contained the pre-cut wood pieces, hardware, and instructions.

assembly of tool caddy

There was a slight problem with my tool caddy. The slot for the bottom piece of lumber did not line up. Let’s take a closer look.

mismatched joint

When I tried to slide in the bottom piece, it left a gap on one side because the slots were not lined up properly. I decided to complete the assembly then I cut a piece of scrap lumber for the bottom and screwed it in from the sides.

assembled tool box

assembled box with plugs

The kit even included plugs for the screw holes. After I finished the assembly, I gave everything a base coat of white paint. Next I applied a dry brush coat of gray paint from my paint stash.Deep mink- gray paint

One of the kits was a wine rack. You can see in the photo below that one part has had the gray paint applied.

wine rack half and half

close up of paint treatment

I had these little silver medallions that came from a belt that was being discarded and decided to use them as embellishments.

silver medallions

I used glue to attach them to the side.

close up of medallions

I used screws from the inside to attach knob feet to the bottom.knob feet

The little button on the side in the photo above was used to cover one of the screws that holds the new bottom in place. I am very pleased with how the projects turned out. box of pumpkins and gourds

box of pumpkins and gourds 3

tool caddy full of pumpkins 1

The tool caddy is a very generous size measuring 18 inches long and 11 inches high.tool caddy full of pumpkins 2

The photo below shows the finished wine rack.finished wine rack

Here is a close look at the finish. It looks very similar to the weather wood finish that is very popular now.wine rack close up

I gifted the wine rack to a friend and kept the tool caddy. I can think of lots of uses for the tool caddy and look forward to using it for many years.

You can click here to see how I updated a tool caddy that my kids built at Home Depot many years ago!

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I will be linking to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style and to Grace at Home at Imparting Grace.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Homekeeping- Preserving the Deck

When we built our summer cottage we inherited an old deck that our build urged us to burn. I had the idea to move it to the shade and clean it. We did so and sealed it with Thompson’s water seal. It is still in very good shape with the exception of one board that had to be replaced.

lake view

After the deck was moved to its new location I used a pressure washer to give it a good cleaning. Surprising to me, it looked almost new and I’m sure that it was more than 20 years old. I then coated it with Thompson’s water seal. The folks at Thompson’s told me that if water stands on the deck after rain, it does not need to be sealed again.  I noticed recently that there isn’t much standing water after a good rain so it was time to reseal.

Thompson's deck cleaner

I was instructed to give the deck a good cleaning with Thompson’s wood cleaner.

Thompson's water seal

Next, I followed that with a coat of Thompson’s water seal. I planned to use my garden sprayer but it had the wrong end on the sprayer and I couldn’t find the other adapter so I used a paint roller. The can cautions about over application. When I got to the end of the deck I had a little extra and decided to apply it. Unfortunately, it was too much and left a spot that looked waxy, somewhat like over applying floor wax. That spot had since self corrected.  I know now to be more careful in following the directions next time.  Hopefully, I am good for 6 more years now!

I received complimentary product from Thompson’s Water Seal to use on this project. All opinions are my own.  Thompson’s is a product that I highly recommend.

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I’m linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and to the Scoop at Worthing Court.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum

I had the opportunity to visit the Dallas Arboretum a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed the pumpkin village. I was told by an employee that there are 65,000 pumpkins on display. It was very well done. I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-della robia urn

Piles and piles of pumpkins were displayed very creatively.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin walways 1

Many of the walkways were lined with pumpkins.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin walways 2

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin walways 3

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin walways 4

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-white garden 1

The white garden was lined with white pumpkins.Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-white garden 2

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-white garden 3

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-white garden 4

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin 1

Some of the pumpkins were displayed on metal stands while others were stacked as topiaries or totems.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin totem 1

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin totem 2

Even the marigolds look all festive in their fall splendor.Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin totem 3

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-apple gourd

One section had all of the varieties labeled. This Apple Gourd looks just like a big green apple.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin village 1

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin village 3

There were even pumpkin houses in the pumpkin village.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin village 2

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin house 1

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin house 2

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin house 3

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-pumpkin house 4

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-maze of hay bales

There was a maze of hay bales which is much more appropriate for small children.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-Cinderella's carriage

There were several photo spots including Cinderella’s carriage and some scarecrow cut-outs.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-scarecrow photo booth 1

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-scarecrow photo booth 2

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-scarecrow garden 1

There was a really cute scarecrow garden.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-scarecrow garden 2

I saved my favorite for last, the swan lake display.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-swan lake 1

The “lake” was made of light green pumpkins and the “swans” were crooked neck gourds.

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-swan lake 2

Dallas Arboretum - pumpkin festival-swan lake 3

As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum runs until November 26 and admission is buy one get one free on Wednesdays. You can click this link to see the other admission discounts.

Happy fall!

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I’ll be linking to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style and to Grace at Home at Imparting Grace.