tobacco stick fence? yes, please!

I won't lie when I say I hoard. I do, the load can get pretty bad. About a year and a half ago I bought some tobacco sticks. They just sat and sat in my garage. I had ideas, but I did not have time.

About a month ago, I ventured to a barn dated back to the 1800s with a new good friend of mine. We crawled, we dug, we got dirty, and then, we found it. The stall slammed full of tobacco sticks. So, like any friends do, we agreed to split and dragged them all out! 

Taken by Lady Day Vintage

 My husband, needless to say, was less than thrilled given the fact that I already had tobacco sticks and had done nothing with them. So, like any husband would do on a one year anniversary, he got to work.

And thanks to him, I have this quick tutorial for you!

Making a tobacco stick garden fence:

With all necessary safety equipment, grab your circular saw, jig saw, hand saw, or anything that will cut through a small stick of wood.

Cut random sizes at an angle. (Don't you love our makeshift cutting table. It's a vintage filing cabinet I picked up for $5 that we haven't yet brought inside). He ended up cutting the large stick into about three or four smaller sticks. He also did not cut the sticks all at one, but cut more as needed. (We can't waste these precious tobacco sticks now can we ladies? I could have another project down the road!)

The next step requires some muscle and endurance. You have to hammer all of those cut sticks in. Ours are in pretty deep, so they definitely aren't coming out without some additional hard work. It's a good thing our land lord is in love with them!

So summing it up: cut, hammer, cut again, and hammer some more until you have all that you need! Now, my husband asked if I wanted these around the flower beds in the back yard. I'm not planning on that because our dogs play rough and the sticks are sharp...and well, I can just see someone getting hurt. We're doing brick in the back...so I will share that when its done!

 I'm pretty sure this is the best present my husband has given/made for me! What's been your best gift? 

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it's a beautiful mornin'

I think I'll go outside for awhile
an' just smile..
 -Young Rascals 


Well, it's not morning, it's night. But, don't you miss the beautiful mornings? The warm mornings. The Pickin'?

I've been craving it. I ventured out this morning in the cold to two awesome places, and as always, spent way too much.

I miss my garage, my gym shorts, my tee shirts, and the little bit of a tan this red head gets. My garage is a mess. I've been hoarding stockpiling all winter. It's gotten to the point that I just throw stuff right into the garage, instead of organizing it, because it's too cold. Oh spring, oh summer, when will you be here?!

What is it that you miss most about the warm weather?

Lovely White

This is my favorite piece I've done so far. This is the piece I would have kept (if I had room). This is the piece that I sold in a day!

By the time I was done, it didn't look like this anymore. But first, I took her apart to make the job easier.

 

Then, I got to excited and forgot to take pictures until I was done. But the process was sanding as much as I could. The varnish was peeling off in most places, so I brushed it off as much as I could, but the remaining would help make the perfect aged effect. The apron and legs were painted with brown primer and my favorite white paint that I talk about so much. I got the idea for brown tinted primer from a mixture of my experimenting with tinting primer myself with my paint and from reading Sweet Pickins Furniture. The table top was sanded and stained with walnut stain. The table was distressed (a lot of it was done only 30 minutes after the white paint was put on, it created a really cool effect), waxed with clear and brown wax. I sealed the table with medium gloss polycrylic. And now, I'm in love and she's gone.

Have you ever parted with a piece that you love dearly?

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Miss Mustard Seed