Simple Flower Bed { for renters! }

We are so, so happy to live in seminary housing.  Seriously, we couldn't be happier to live in a community that understands EXACTLY what you're going through financially, spiritually, emotionally, etc.!

If you've rented before, though, you understand some of the not so exciting aspects.  I so wish we could paint our walls... I dream of updated cabinets and hardware... and most recently I despised our 'landscaping'.  (No before pictures, unfortunately!)  Imagine with me... scraggly boxwoods, half-dead, broken off, weeds galore, good ol' Mississippi clay not conducive to life except for moss...

I literally encouraged the neighborhood kids to jump on and break the bushes in hopes they would just die completely!

My sweet, sweet hubs helped me fix my sad little flower bed a couple weekends ago, and I'm so happy to share it with you!

After pulling our bushes out with our car (Hubs wrapped straps around the bushes, connected them to the car, and yanked them right out!), we broke up the clay a bit.  We were fortunate to have recently had rain so the ground was still soft.

Using pallet wood and stakes, we formed our raised box.  The front view (it's hard to tell...) is about 3 or 4 pieces of wood.  We added compost and topsoil to the dirt and mixed it up.  I chose all perennial plants so they will (hopefully) stay/come back again.  There's something about having flowers that will die after their season that makes me sad.  Don't get me wrong, they're beautiful!  I just wanted to start out with flowers and plants that I would get to enjoy for awhile!  I may plant some annuals in some pots I have on the other side of my door later...

After planting everything, we laid down some mulch.  We were fortunate to have a neighbor just outside of our townhouses that had a tree stump ground up just a day before we needed mulch.  She was so sweet to let us grab as much as we wanted!  Though mulch is not very expensive, it's always exciting to save a little bit!

Finally, I added a couple fun details.  The plain wood was bugging me a little bit, so I painted an alternating triangle pattern along the front of the box with acrylic paint.  Though the paint won't last forever, I look forward to the natural distressed/aged look after rain and sun do their thang.

I also added a chicken wire frame behind my ivy so it has a somewhere to climb!  I'm probably most excited about my ivy!  I LOVE the crawling look of the viny plants.

Walking up to my front door is SO much more exciting now!  My plants are still little and wimpy, but I can't wait to watch everything grow.  I'm excited about tending my little garden... I just hope I can keep everything alive!

For our whole project, we spent around $40.  And most of that was for the plants!  Not too shabby!

Thanks for letting me share my little garden with you, friends!

-Jess

P.S.  We are all okay after the storms yesterday.  We are so grateful for God's protection in such a scary situation.  I know others were greatly affected... Praying for restoration and peace in Mayflower, Vilonia, Tupelo, Pearl, Tupelo, and some towns in Alabama.  

Toilet Room Before and After

You don't have to tell me how classy it is to have the word 'toilet' in the title of my blog post.

Sometimes I need to spice it up, ya know?

Our master bathroom has a small toilet nook in the corner (probably like most master bathrooms).

Ours does not have a door (which is on my list of things to look for in our next house), and since painting the bathroom, this area has remained pretty bare.

We also don't have a toilet paper holder because it wouldn't stay in the wall, so a little storage/decorating space would be nice.

(Enter handyman hubby and the endless supply of pallet wood.)

Basically I just told him how far apart I wanted the shelves, and he did all the work.

The best type of project, if you ask me!

And for some reason, having wall-to-wall shelving (albeit walls that are very close together) makes that area look much bigger......and now I have a new space to decorate!

That's always exciting, even if it is above the toilet.

So, there you have it.....a blog post involving my toilet.  

Aren't you glad you stopped in today?

Happy Monday, y'all!

Rox

Mason Jar Holders { For Sale! }

UPDATE:  ALL MASON JAR HOLDERS HAVE BEEN CLAIMED! Thanks for your support!

You have all seen the mason jar and pallet crazes, right??

I'm right there with ya!  My eyes are drawn the rustic-ness like a gnat to balsamic vinegar (weird comparison, I know.. just the first thing I could think of.  Anyone else have crazy gnat problems this summer???)...

If you are interested, I'm currently selling a few of these babies:

Given the fact that we are currently packing, selling a house, keeping 2 crazy toddlers from tearing down the house, a big family wedding in two weeks, the list goes on... I am limited to 10 Mason Jar Holders!

First come, first serve!

How this will work:

Leave me a message in the comments section with your NAME and E-MAIL ADDRESS, and I will contact you for payment process and other important details!

As most of you know (like pretty much our entire readership...) the 'of Dwelling and Dress' sisters live in two different towns.  

-Those that live in the Jess' town will obviously have no issue with 'shipping!  We can arrange pick-up after claiming your jar holder.

-For those that live near Rox and Aly, we can arrange pick-up in 2 weeks as I will be able to bring them to that area!

-If this doesn't apply to you or you have no idea if you live near us, we can arrange shipping!  Claim a jar holder, and we can discuss details after!

Remember I'm only selling TEN so grab one up before they're gone!

Thanks so much for the support y'all show us by taking time to keep up with our blog!  We appreciate y'all so much!!

-Jess

Pallet Projects

Happy Monday ladies (and the few men who MAY stumble upon our blog by accident)!

I don't know about you, but I am obsessed with pallets right now because they are free, they are perfectly distressed, they're free, the options for building are endless, oh, and did I mention they are free?

Also, having a hubby that will take them apart for you is definitely icing on the cake.

(Seriously, just buy your man a sawzall-or a knockoff, like we did-and he'll happily chop up anything in his path.)

So, all of this pallet obsession has got me thinking about new projects as well as ones I've created in the past that I want to replicate.

Here are a few of my favorites:

1.  Pallet Sign - Attach boards together with 2 horizontal pieces across the back.  Hand letter your favorite quote, add a bunting banner, and a sawtooth hanger to the back for easy DIY art for your walls!

2.  Small Jewelry Holder - (The one pictured is not technically pallet wood but I plan to use it next time I make one for myself)  Knobs can be purchased from Hobby Lobby or Anthropologie.  Drill pilot holes, followed by countersink holes, and attach knobs.  Attach sawtooth hanger to back.  This is a cute way to display necklaces or bracelets!

3.  Large Jewelry Holder - Create sign like #1, then attach knobs like #2.  Attach 2 sawtooth hangers to back.  This is a larger piece that can hold large necklaces and used as a piece of art at the same time!

4.  Create sign like #1 and use as a backdrop for pictures!  (If you peruse our blog, you'll notice I've used this one many times!)

So, if you happen to see a pallet on the side of the road, don't pass it by!  

The possible pallet projects you can create are endless!

Rox

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Entryway Progress

Since we moved in our house almost 4 years ago, we had a small mirror/ledge/3 small hooks THING hanging from this wall.  It literally was the first piece of decor I hung and has been there ever since.  Out of necessity, the small hooks were used for the boys jackets they wear on a daily basis but were really too high for our youngest to reach.  

How do I know this?

Take a look at the 'Before' picture above.  Notice the absence of the aforementioned piece.  One day when my youngest asked me to get down his jacket for the 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000th time (That's an octillion, people.  Yahoo answers told me so.), I casually replied, "you can do it, you're a big boy", and went back to whatever I was doing.  

Well, he SHOWED me.  

He got his jacket down......along with the entire mirror/ledge/3 small hooks THING, proving that he was, in fact, a big boy.  

Lesson learned.  A boy WILL prove he is a 'big boy'......whatever it takes.

Sooo.....the wall sat bare.  For a while.

I always wanted to do something with our entryway, but wasn't sure what since it is so tiny.  

So, what did I do?

I looked on............(and the class says......)

............PINTEREST!  (Good job, kids!)

And found these beauties:

Source: The Shiny Squirrel

Source: Tumblr

I thought I could achieve the same look at the top coat rack with some extra pallet wood we had laying around in the garage and some hooks from Lowe's for about $4.00 each.  I thought that price was pretty steep until I compared it with an already assembled piece from target for $25 that was about half the size.  

And I must give credit where it is due.  The hubs built and hung these for me, while I just did the purchasing and designing.  I'm so happy when he works with me on projects!

And here's a closeup:

 The matching screws that came with the hooks were to long, so M had to improvise and use some silver ones.  I plan on painting them to match soon.  I love the detail of the naturally distressed wood and the large hooks.

The entryway is not complete YET, so here's what I'm thinking.....

Source: Vintage Revivals (tutorial found here.)

I love the look of this tribal print wall but would probably opt for something more subtle, like gray - giving it a more neutral look like the black arrows above.  The tutorial looks simple enough.  (P.S. This girl's blog is awesome!  I love her style and she makes everything look VERY doable.  If you haven't been to her blog, check it out!  P.P.S.  She did not pay me or even know of my promotion of her blog.  Ha!)

I would do this print on the small wall under the stairs.  Then I would love to have a bench like the ones  in the top two pictures or built a small table like this one.

Source: Etsy

I'll fill you folks in on my progress!

Does anyone have any good ideas for decorating a tiny Entryway?  

Rox

{ FREE } Pallet Sign Project

Well, it looks like we are on a pallet kick this week! 

 What can I say, we go a little weak in the knees for anything old and rustic. 

Kidding.

No, but seriously.

Our church had a Missions Dinner this past weekend and I was asked to paint a verse of scripture on the wood.  To many this may seem like a daunting task, but it is easier than you think!

For this project, a friend delivered the wood already assembled into a sign (which has been the hardest part in the past), leaving the painting part for me to complete.

{ If you'd like to know how to disassemble a pallet, check out my sister's last post found here. }  

And a little side note. 

(What would a post of mine be without a little digression?  Some of you are smiling because you KNOW it's true.  I'm a woman, what can I say.....my mind can't help but go in 10 different directions at the same time.  Wow.  A digression off of another digression.  That's a first.  But probably not last.

Annnnnnnnndddd.........done.)

Oh yeah, the side note.

You can find pallets for FREE, people!  I have found numerous pallets set on the curb for the garbage truck to pick up....OR, just put it out there to your Facebook friends that you are looking for pallets and you are likely to get a bite.  Especially now that Spring is right around the corner and countless yard renovations will be taking place.  I got 10 pallets from a single source that way!

This sign was going to require very particular letter placement because of the number of words required.  So, I had to do a little more planning than usual.  

I like to use Times New Roman font on pallets, so I typed up the verse and made sure I could fit it on 7 lines, since that's how many boards there are.  I didn't worry about it being to scale since I would free hand the letters anyways.  This is just to get a feel for the spacing.  I also like to free hand (while trying to copy the font) to give it a not-so-perfect look.  I think this goes with the whole rustic feel.

If the free-hand lettering is too intimidating, I saw another tutorial on Pinterest I have wanted to try (although I couldn't find the pin anywhere).  Basically, you print out the font in the SIZE you want.   Then, you place the sheet of paper on the wood and use a pencil to trace the outline of the letters.  When you lift the paper, there should be an indention in the shape of the letters that you can use to fill in with paint.

I have to say I have never personally used this method, but I don't know why it wouldn't work.

And here is the finished product!

And the best part about this product is that it is free!  (The only possible things you would have to buy are paint and maybe some hooks to hang this bad boy on the wall).

Cheap art for your home!

Do you have any projects you've made from pallets?

Rox

Rugged Planter Box {from pallet wood}