Dairy trough perfect beverage tub for Country Wedding!

On one of our junk adventures, I was compelled to purchase this 
two sided dairy trough: 

I wasn't sure if it was used to water cattle,

 or if it was used to handle the milk somehow...??

~ I am a city girl after all ~

...but I did know it was in great shape

and it was made of virtually indestructible stainless steel. 

(It even held up to my husband backing his pick up into it!

Indestructible, I tell ya!!)

I had a metal base custom made to fit the trough...

I was thinking it would make an awesome

 beverage holder for parties and picnics.

I liked how it turned out.

It looked kind of industrial/Farm Chic, wouldn't you say?

A few months later, I got a call from Cassie.

Her friends' daughter was getting married

 and they were looking for a large beverage tub.

 If it was going to be used at a wedding reception,

I thought it needed some personalization...

a little bling...and a little junk style embellishing.

Something to soften it up just a little.

I thought of this large metal door plate a friend gave me.

I had Cassie cut the word "celebrate" out of black vinyl.

I also had her cut out the wedding date.

I just adhered the date to a burlap type of ribbon,

then brushed on a few coats of poly to both the front

and back of the ribbon for durability.

I added some bling with faceted crystal and a key.

 I poked a hole at the top of the ribbon

 and threaded the screw from the door plate through it. 

That way the personalized ribbon would be easy to remove...

in case the tub would be used at other events.

Cassie found two plugs to fit perfectly in the drain holes...and a truely unique beverage tub was born.

I hear it worked out perfectly at the wedding.

The family of the groom liked it so much, they bought it!

How cute would this be filled with

 mason jars full of lemonade at a country wedding?

What do you think?

(I think I want to borrow it back

 for my daughters upcoming graduation!)

:)

LINKS:

Common Ground

 

Frugaliscious Friday

 

Furniture Feature Friday

Weathered Crate...or is it?

A perfectly weathered crate for a porch.  Or perhaps there is more to this "weathered" crate than meets the eye.

 

Take a look below at the sad, sad before of this project.  Oh, my.  This crate is not weathered at all.

It will eventually age on it's own (with some help from Mother Nature), but to get a jump start on the "look", I used vinegar and steel wool.  Variations of the recipe and method can be found on the web.

 

My preferred, after some trial and error, is to put white vinegar in a glass jar, add a piece of steel wool, and let it sit for a couple hours.  The longer it sits, the darker your results will be so find your preferred timing and have fun!

 

For more fun and personality I added some big old barn door hinges to the top (sorry you can't see them in the pics), and some adorable old license plates.

 

You likey?

 

Linked to: SNS Crazy for Crates

My DIY Crate Wall Art

 

This is an oldie but a goodie, and I wanted to share it again for all our new followers!

My "created" crate still hangs by the kitchen table and is one of my favorite DIY projects ever! I first shared it with you in THIS POST.

 

I had this wood (?crate top?) hanging around for a few years waiting for some attention.

 

I decided to incorporate some family history with my project, so I did a little research to get accurate dates and such and here's what I ended up with...

"Miller's Spur" was a store my Great Grandfather and Great Aunt were involved in back in the day. The establish date is when the land of my home was purchased from the US....way back in the day! The number "5"....well, that's just a special number to me! :)

I started by playing in some photo editing programs trying different placements and fonts until I found a combination that worked.




Then I had Young One hold the wood piece up so I could be sure it would look ok in the intended spot. He was ever so delighted to help me. (notice he could not take his eyes off the TV)




I printed out the intended fonts and got to work planning to resize and graph them onto the wood piece.




This was in my "pre" projector days, so it took alot of time and WAY too much coffee!!!




Yes, I spend way too much time prepping and thinking. Perhaps this is my own personal productive procrastination.

Ahhh....the "5" is all graphed in chalk and ready to paint. That projector would have come in handy!

TaaDaa.....

Once I had everything painted (some by graphing in chalk, and some were stenciled) I sanded the lettering to make it look aged.

I was thinking it needed something more....hmmm.



How about this old broom holder, a test tube, and some fresh flowers?

LINKED TO:

SNS Crazy for Crates

 

Chalkboard Evolution

 

 

Having chalkboards in my home brings with it the ability to change things up without buying new decor.  Of course, the actual chalkboard design evolves a bit over time.

 

When I first hung the old screen door, with a freshly painted chalboard panel, I stood back with chalk in hand....and....nuthin.  I had no idea what to write or what to draw.

 

 

The first few attempts were a bit sketchy. (except for the addition from my budding artist niece)

 

 

 

 

My boys drew "the big buck" at deer season, so I decided to have some fun with him for Christmas.

 

 

Then there was also the time I decided to share...

 

 

...the best chocolate cake recipe, EVER.

 

Go ahead and give it a try!

 

 

Then over time, the chalkboard design evolved a bit more with web inspiration.

 

 

And here my chalkboard is right now.  I wonder what will be the next design.

 

Any suggestions?

 

 

Here are a few other chalkboards in my home.

 

 

This is paint mixed with unsanded grout. Pick a color, any color, and you can make some too!

 

1 cup paint to 2 tablespoons white unsanded grout

 

 

Chalkboard paint can be used on a multitude of surfaces.  Now go chalkboard something!

 

 

 

 

 

Linking to:

 

159th Power of Paint Party

   
Wow Us Wednesday #100   Under $100 Party at Beyond the Picket Fence   Frugaliscious Friday    SNS Charming Chalkboards

Just playing...

 

 

We got a new camera for Christmas this year....so I'm just playing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


I took some of these pictures, and my 13 year old took some.  She has a great eye for angles.  And textures.

The resident junk yard dog is the subject of many of our shoots. Mostly, she is oblivious to us.

 

 

 

 

While others are suspicious...

 

 

 

 

 

There will be a huge learning curve with this camera for me.

 

 

 

 

 

But I will be patient...as long as my subjects are!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope to be playing much more in the coming year. And I may just share with you.

Party like it's 1999!

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the JunkFest Girls!!