Strawberries!

I really wanted to grow strawberries but I didn't have a place to put them.  I had some driftwood in the garage that was heavy and taking up space, I really needed to do something with it or pitch it.

I had the idea of hanging strawberries from the wall.  I decided to use the driftwood and attached mason jars.

Supplies: driftwood, jars, hose clamps, 4 inch screws, paint, & an impact drill.

I had to drill a hole in each hose clamp then attach them to the driftwood with regular 2 inch screws.

I painted the jars so that the sun would not shine on the roots.  I was told (by my horticulturist-husband) that the roots can't be exposed to the sun.  Makes sense when you think about it, roots grow under the ground.  I chose white so that it wouldn't absorb a lot of heat.

I planted the plants in the jars then closed them into the hose clamps.  

We used the impact drill with a masonry bit to get this on the wall.  We used 4 inch screws to make sure it was going to attach well.  It took some manpower and help but it is secure!

I wanted to jazz it up a bit more so I painted it.  I have my first couple of strawberries on the way!

Creating a bench

I decided I wanted to make a bench to place in the den.  I wanted it primarily to help fill up a blank wall but also function as an additional seat.  

I bought supplies at Lowes and JoAnn's.  I spent about $110.  

Supplies purchased: Fabric, Cushions (2), Quilting foam, Wood (1.5x3.5 & 1in. plywood), Stain, & Polyurethane (gloss finish)

Supplies I already had- steal wool pads, screws, glue

SUPPLIES

 The legs were about $10 per leg

I first made my frame, I determined the size of the frame from the size of the cushions.  It was cheaper to buy two pieces of small foam instead of 1 large piece.  I had to measure the 1.5x3.5 and build that frame first. 

I cut the plywood next and screwed it on top of the frame. 

Next I stained the legs and then stained them again, and again, and again...

 For the tight areas where I couldn't stain with the rag I used a small paint brush to apply the stain.

 Still not dark enough!

Staining took a few days.  I stained and let them dry, then used steel wool to smooth the surfaces then stained again.  Once I finally got the stain color I wanted I used the polyurethane spray (gloss) for the finish.  I did 2 coats of finish and used the steel wool pads in between the 1st and second coat to smooth the surface. 

FINALLY!

I decided to glue the cushions onto the frame so they would not shift while I was moving the bench.  I didn't have to use much glue.

 All glued!

The price of the foam was about $15 per foam square.  That was cheaper than having a large piece cut to the size/shape I wanted. 

I covered the bench with the quilting foam.  If did this over I would have used another layer of foam or a thicker piece. It is expensive, anywhere between $9 for a thin roll and $15 for a thinker roll. I bought the cheaper roll.

My favorite part, using the staple gun!! The foam was very thin and I needed to put a lot of staples in to make sure the foam would stay.  

Next I added blocks to the top of the legs with some left over 1.5x3.5. I later realized I didn't like the height of the bench so I went back and cut 3.25in off the top.  

 (The pieces I cut off)

The hardest part was making the fabric fit and making sure the corners looked good. 

I used 3 screws per leg to attached to the bench.  I had to get help to hold the legs so that they didn't go askew while attaching them. 

Finally, complete!