If you read my bio on the about us page, you’ve learned that of the three Mrs. running this blog, I’m the least crafty, the least DIY-motivated, the least design-minded, and so on. But when I stumbled upon these two particular DIY ideas for my backyard (my favorite place to hang out when we’re at home), I decided I was woman enough for the challenge.
What I didn’t realize was that I was man enough too. The log stump planters-slash-end tables took some serious muscle to execute, but the blood (literally), sweat and tears (tears of sweat and running mascara) was all worth it. Even the giant bruise I acquired on my forearm when I lost control of the drill at one point hasn’t stolen a moment of satisfaction from me since constructing these pieces for our deck.
Project #1 – Outdoor Pallet Coffee Table
- Drill (already owned one) – free
- 2 pallets in good condition or better – free
- 4 wood pieces to join pallets (you’ll need 6″ 4×4 pieces) – $1.01
Note: Home Depot has a scrap wood pile, go there first, find the scrap 4x4s and they’ll cut it down to the size you need.
- 8 corner brace brakets (call for 4 screws each) – $5
- 32 screws (you’ll need screws that fit the brackets) – $4
- 4 wheels (I chose the ones with brakes) – $6 each/$24
- Something to sand the pallet with (we already owned stuff for this) – free
- Stain in color of your choice – I am not this far
TOTAL: $34 (so far)
The original inspiration for this project was this pin (right) on my Pinterest. And ignore the drill but on the end of the drill in these pictures with the pallets. The drill bore bit you see is the one I used for the log stump project.
- 2 log stumps (donated by a friend who’d used them in her rustic wedding) – free
- 1 drill (already owned one) – free
- 1 bore drill bit – $19
- 4 plants – $3.50/each – $14
The drill bore I used did a pretty good job but it take a lot of muscle. Here you see the nearly complete hole I carved out (took me a couple hours!), the original pin (an HGTV Design Star idea), and the finished product!
I chose an aloe plant because it is very low maintenance and it has a singular, shallow root. I paired it with this varierty of stonecrop for the look, but even though I later realized stonecrop likes to spread out, this variety has been very forgiving and sturdy and has shown no signs of dying yet.
Log stump #2 and a preview of the finished look
(Still need to stain the pallet table and add the wheels, and then decorate the top with a fun planter.
I chose this lovely succulent for its shallow, singular root and this bright lime green stonecrop to go with it. However, this particular variety of stonecrop is extremely fragile and didn’t survive my handling of it nor the narrow area I gave it to live. Stonecrop, by nature, likes to be ground cover and spread, so while it looks gorgeous, it’s dying fast.
Want more? Watch my latest appearance on Little Rock’s KTHV Channel 11 Today’s THV This Morning, where I showed off one of the logs, and talked about saving money while saving things from the landfill for my magazine, Arkansas Green Guide.
Here’s the video.
So, what do you think? Comment below!
