Merril, the Girl of a Thousand Dreams, loves the organic, natural look of tree stump tables but not the price. Individual tables can go for hundreds of dollars. Merril had to have them though! After finding some free tree stumps in good condition, the process was very simple. The bark was removed and the stumps were sanded and finished with four coats of polyurethane. The results are much better than Merril could have imagined, and her wallet is much happier!

Aimee of Twigg Studios loves nautical décor and has been adding touches throughout her house like these Restoration Hardware inspired faux metal fishing weights. Aimee created her weights by covering various-sized balls with clay and then layering paint for a rusted metal look. I love how these look in front of the vintage whale species chart Aimee also made. Head over to her site to check them out!

Morena of Morena’s Corner put her own twist on Anthropologie’s teapot lamp to create a unique birdbath for her Mad Hatter-inspired garden. As usual, Morena’s local Goodwill did not disappoint, providing a ceramic teapot and all the cups and saucers Morena’s crafty heart could desire. I love how Morena took a design she loved and made it suit her needs.

Shawna from Dakota Creek Chic came into the blogging world with a bang, sharing the gorgeous farmhouse table she built following plans from Ana White. Here’s what she has to say about her very first furniture build:

When Valerie of The Caldwell Project saw a bird coat rack from West Elm that she loved but was terribly expensive and out of stock, her “DIY mentality” came into play. What really appealed to Valerie about the inspiration coat rack was the use of birds in place of ordinary old hooks. She kept a lookout at her favorite secondhand hangouts until she stumbled upon a set of wood monkeys that were perfect. With a fresh coat of paint, Valerie attached the monkeys to a piece of pallet wood to complete her unique new coat rack.