Emma from A Beautiful Mess had seen tree stump side tables of all varieties – metallic, painted, stained, and even dipped. She didn’t know what finish she wanted, but Emma knew she wanted to give the project a try. She was fortunate to come by a slew of stumps through a friend. After the drying process was complete, Emma went to work, chiseling away the bark, sanding until smooth, and then applying a white stain. I can’t get over the beautiful shape of these stumps!

Jamie from Anderson & Grant has “a special place in [her] heart for vintage cutting boards, wooden boxes, barnwood…..it all has so much character.” It was for this reason Jamie just couldn’t walk away from a vintage cutting board she found in a consignment shop. Jamie was inspired to add wooden legs to the board and turn it into a wooden pedestal like she had seen from Pottery Barn. Jamie says, “While the Pottery Barn version is great, mine has the natural, worn character that only time and use can create on an old piece of wood!”

When Pam from Our Adventures in Home Improvement saw a wooden spool holder in her Crate & Barrel catalog, she knew it was something her hubs could make. And he sure didn’t disappoint, making each holder for only $5 using a walnut board and dowel. I love storage that is functional and cut to boot!

Monica from Crafty Nest created her own set of orb pendant lights from an unlikely source – inexpensive bamboo roman shades. Monica says, “The bamboo is surprisingly sturdy and bendable—and you can easily cut it with scissors—making it an ideal lightweight frame for paper lanterns or this orb lampshade.” I love that outside-the-box thinking! Monica simply cut, glued, and clamped away and assures that the most time consuming part is waiting for the glue to dry!

While making over her guest bedroom and office space, Jenna from Rain on a Tin Roof knew the walls needed something more. Instead of spending money on expensive moldings and having to make lots of cuts, Jenna created faux moldings with FrogTape and paint. Plain old rectangles weren’t going to cut it for a fun and funky girl like Jenna, so she added a little flair to the corners with scalloped tape. Is there anything you can’t do with paint???