1. Psyanky – Ukrainian Easter Eggs

 If you haven’t figured it out yet.  I love, love, love pysanky and dream of being as good as these artists. Until I am, I’m going to live vicariously through others and buy 1 pysanky a year until I amass the collection I’ve always dreamed of. This years pick is red poppy by LittleThingsForYou.

Red Poppy Ukranian Easter Egg by LittleThingsForYou

 2. Easter Egg Filled Wreath

This gorgeous wreath is so filled to the brim with cute little Easter eggs, it’s bound to bring smiles to all your guests faces as they enter your home for the holiday season.

Easter Egg filled Wreath by EverBloomingOriginal

3. Silk Dyed Easter Egg Kit

These eggs are so different from pysanky but I love them. There is something beautiful about the rustic look of silk dyed Easter eggs.  What’s more, you’ll love the simplicity of this fun and mess free egg decorating method. It is truly life changing. Get a sneak peak of this technique over at Martha Stewart’s.

Silk Dyed Easter Egg Kit by thejunebride

4. Rustic Easter Basket with Shells & Sea Glass

Get more bang for your buck with this stunning rustic basket filled with shells and sea glass.  This basket is amazing. I love it’s rustic charm. Can’t you just see it bursting with silk dyed or Ukrainian Easter eggs? Love!

Rustic basket with shells & sea glass by patsytroxell

5. Reclaimed Barn Wood Basket

 Trade your store bought mass manufactured basket and replace it with this super rustic reclaimed barn wood basket. It would look wonderful filled with Easter decorations. But don’t put it away after the holidays, fill it and keep it around to admire all year round. 

Rustic reclaimed barnwood basket by appalachianpottery

6. Robin Egg Soap Apothecary

These lovely robin egg soap  are so lifelike, their bound to trick your family and friends. Display them at Easter or all year round. When their gone, fill the apothecary with cotton balls until you refresh your egg supply.

Robin egg soap apothecary jar by TheBowerStudio

7. Rustic Woven Burlap Ribbon

Wow this 6″ rustic woven ribbon would look amazing wrapped around the handle of a reclaimed barn wood basket or as a layer under your egg showcase.  It’s perfect color and extra wide shape lend it to many uses for Easter or any time of  year.

Rustic Woven Burlap Ribbon by GoRustic

8. Birch Basket with Dried Roses, Lavender & Pussy Willows

Pussy willows have strong symbolism for many Eastern Europeans at Easter time, myself included. It just wouldn’t be Easter without a vase of pussy willows in the house. This Easter, I am breaking tradition a bit by displaying a dried flower arrangement with pussy willows as an accent.  ChicksandSticks offers a beautiful arrangement of dried roses, lavender and pussy willows in a rustic birch basket, for $12.50 this is a steal.

Heart rocks are one of those things you either find or have someone find for you but everyone loves. I’ve been collecting them for years and showcase them in my home as often as possible. You’ll find them tucked away in all corners of our house on window sills or just laying around waiting to be picked up. My favorite way to showcase heart rocks is on furniture as drawer pulls. Today, I will show you how I make my heart rock cabinet knobs.

With the right ingredients making homemade stone cabinet knobs or drawer pulls is super easy. You’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing this for years. All you need is love…

• Heart Rocks  (Gem stones or other rocks work great too)
• Connector Caps (also known as Cap Nuts)
• Connector Bolts – 1 1/8″
• Epoxy Glue or Gorilla Glue (I use Epoxy because GG bubbles too much for my liking)
• 80-120 grit sandpaper

Connector Caps & Bolts

When we first started making these we used to cut off the tops of wooden drawer pulls and glue them on our rocks. This wasn’t a bad idea because you got all the parts you needed cheap. Yet cutting the wood pulls was a pain in the you know what.  Since then, we’ve become more sophisticated and use cap nuts instead of wooden drawer pulls. Here is a close up of the connector caps and bolts I use.  If you can’t find these at your local hardware store, you can buy them online (see links at end of post)

Putting Your Heart Rock Cabinet Knobs Together

1. Sand bottom of rock and top of nut cap

   

2. Mix epoxy according to directions
3. Put small amount of epoxy on top of connector cap and place on sanded area of the rock. I just dip my cap into the epoxy and make sure it has a nice covering (not to much but not to little.)

   

4. Press the cap onto the heart rock centering the cap on the back of the rock.

   

5. Heart rocks can get off balance so you need to do a balance test by turning over the rock and sitting on  the connector cap.  While your glue is wet, maneuver the cap to the perfect position.

   

6. Let the epoxy dry about 15 minutes. Be sure to put your little darlings in a safe spot away from curious kids, animals and compulsive cleaners.

   

7. Once dry, attach your drawer pull like you would any other drawer pull. If you find there is too much space between the stone and the drawer or cabinet you have three options; use a shorter connector bolt, cut off the end of the bolt, or add washers to the take up the space.

 As you can see, this is one of the easiest ways to get custom drawer pulls or cabinet knobs for your furniture or cupboards. What I love about this technique is you can use it to put almost anything on a cap nut and call it a drawer knob. I envision vintage hot rod cars for my son’s dresser, halved golf balls for the in-laws, sexy wood burls, sea glass or sea shells knobs. With your own creativity and ingenuity, the sky is the limit.

Where to Get What You Need!

Your local hardware store should have connector bolts & caps. They call them different things so my suggestion is to take a picture of what you want with you. That’s how I had to find mine because our store didn’t call them cap nuts.

Links to buy Connectors at Amazon:

Cap Nuts for Connector Bolts (8 pack) Connector Bolts, 1-1/8” 8 pack

Heart Rocks & Gemstones:

Like us on Facebook for a chance to win heart rocks or heart rock drawer pulls.

Search for heart rocks on Etsy

Search for heart rocks on Ebay

Check out Amazon for Gemstones

Share Your Creations

We’d love to see what you came up. Feel free to give yourself a shout out in our comments or on Facebook if you use this tutorial.

Looking for More Knob Ideas?

DIY Knobs That Are Full of Style for Cabinets and Furniture  by Rustic Crafts & Chic Decor

Sweet Assortment of Sand Dollars

When we reach 50 likes on Facebook, we will be giving away a sweet little assortment of Atlantic sand dollars to use for crafts or home decorating. These sand dollars actually come from the bottom of the ocean and are pulled up with our lobster traps. After cleaning and bleaching, they are ready to be glued to picture frames, showed off in a glass jar, or sprinkled around the house for ambiance.

Small Driftwood Collection

While it’s going to be hard to do, I’m going to part with my driftwood collection when we reach 100 likes on Facebook. I’ve been collecting these small pieces slowly over the past three years to use around the house in craft projects and as garden markers. I’m sure you’ll love to have these little darlings to use in your home.

Heart Rock Cabinet Knobs

Heart rocks are my obsession. I find them all the time and collect the best ones. Sometimes, there are wanna be heart rocks but I throw those back and keep looking. When we reach 250 likes on Facebook, we are giving away 6 heart rock cabinet knobs. If you can’t use cabinet knobs or drawer pulls, you can choose to have these as  magnets, or plain heart rocks to use for your rustic home decorating. 

Inspired by Funky Junk Interiors 12′ farm desk made from pallets, I dreamed up my own 11′ diy rustic wood desk. I love the look of Donna’s reclaimed pallet desk but decided to go with a wide pine board that we had laying around the yard. For the legs, I wanted something organic and flowing so my sweet man let me use the cedar logs he’s been saving for a couple of years.

When I first shared my idea with Mark, he didn’t think it’d look good but we cut the cedar logs anyway. To his surprise, he really liked the look of the table and it was very stable to boot. 

The Beginning of my Rustic Desk:

This is a shot of my desk before I started sanding it. It’s in pretty rough shape but I like the rustic look of the logs and the natural staining on the pine board. What I really love is how easy this desk is to make. We are using an 11′ long live edge Pine board that’s about 25″ wide and 3 – 1/2 round cedar logs.  After sanding and finishing the wood all we have to do is attach the legs. 

Before, we got started, we did the desk height test to find the right size for our desk. Not only does the desk need to be the right height to use our computer, we also need to store file cabinets underneath it as well. The cabinets we like are 26″ and the height of the logs is 26 1/2″ – perfect!.  Add another 1 1/2″ for the table depth and the final height is 28″. 

The Materials:

The table top came from a Pine tree our neighbors wanted out of their yard.  Mark milled it with his sawmill and it’s been waiting for the right time to shine. If you are looking for a board like this call your local lumber yard and ask  for an extra wide live edge board. We used Pine but you could use hardwood as well.

One of the unique features of this desk is the half round cedar logs. I choose half round logs because we didn’t have whole logs. When Mark harvested the cedar, he had other intentions so he split the logs in half to make it easier to lug them out of the woods. At that time, he had no idea we’d be building a desk with them or he wouldn’t have split them.

Unfortunately, large cedars like this are rare in our neck of the woods and I loved the look so I decided to stay with the half round cedar logs.  Don’t you just love the nooks and crannies in these babies? Just wait, they get even better with sanding.

After figuring out the height of our table, Mark used a chain saw to cut the cedar logs to the right height. We found working with cedar tricky so we finished off the legs with a friend’s band saw and used a grinder to level them even more.

Our wide pine board was too large for our planer so I used a hand power planer to take off the saw marks to prepare the board for sanding. When using a hand planer it’s very easy to get lines and marks from where the planer cuts into the wood. If you don’t like this, you may want to skip this step. Mark used a large grinder with 100 grit paper to sand the backside of the board. I liked the hand planing because it added interesting marks to my final board. Mark isn’t into distressing freshly planed wood and would prefer I used the grinding method instead.

After using the hand planer, I used my rotary sander to finish off the boards with the following grits: 60, 80, 120 on the pine board and up to 220 on the cedar legs.

Here's Mark taking a spin at the power planer. I love how long the board looks in this photo.

Day one sanding is over and the tools were put back in the shed.

It took about 4 hours to get the pine board sanded. I left lots of little marks and edges created by the hand planer. Mark and his dad were horrified that I plan on whacking it with chains, dropping rocks on it, and scratching it up to give it a distressed look.

Testing the finishes on pine board.

Above is a sneak peek at the finishes I tried. First starting at the bottom, I added some light distressing with black walnut stain and a dark Briwax finish. Next, I used a washed black walnut stain with dark Briwax finish. The last finish is simply dark Briwax over pine.  At this point, I’m not really loving any of the finishes. I’m waiting for a clear Briwax to come from Amazon and I’m going to keep playing around until I find the perfect finish for my table.

Testing finishes. Love the white of the pine and cedar so I'm going to try to keep it as light as possible.

After three days of work, we made a lot of progress but we are not quiet done. Stay tuned for the final reveal which will include the distressed finish and crate book case in my revamped office.

I love this loop shaped wreath with burgundy and gold pips for it’s rustic yet elegant charm. It’s only 12″ so mom said it would be too small for her door. I think it would look great above a mirror or on the door of a narrow closet.

This rustic twic wreath with orange berries is a little larger at 20″. It’s getting closer to the size mom wants and would make a great door wreath.

I really love the look of this wreath. It reminds me of baby’s breath but is actually ivory pips. Mom like the size at 22″ which is only 2″ shy of her dream wreath.

What a great idea, a reclaimed wood table made by banding bunches of old wooden railroad ties together and securing them with black metal bands.  At 18″ tall it’s the perfect height for a rustic end table or stool.

I first saw this coffee table on Pinterest and thought someone got lucky finding an old railroad car to upcycle. To my surprise, I found it on Amazon where anyone can buy it. Made from reclaimed wood, this coffee table is designed to resemble a wheeled cart used in an old factories or railways.

His product line ranges from rustic carved wooden spoons of various sizes, organic cutting boards, salt cellars and dishes, foot stools, benches, and tables. I didn’t see his rustic log chairs but they would make a wonderful addition to his online shop at SLOWFASHIONhouse.com.

Photo Credits: Ditte Isager & Andrea Brugi

I live in Maine about 2 miles from the beach where my family spends many days in the sand collecting driftwood, sea glass, shells and other treasures. What I love is that even after you remove something from the beach, it still holds the magic of the ocean. Something, I love to feel in my home.

Recently, I was inspired by this amazing driftwood heart that I pinned on Pinterest. It’s beautiful, contemporary and rustic all at the same time. Although, I have a rather large driftwood collection, I don’t have enough to create a piece of art this size. So I went in search of driftwood home decor. Here are a few of my finds:

Driftwood Sunburst Mirror

This stunning driftwood sunburst mirror will bring sunshine to the darkest corner of your home.

Driftwood Glass End Table

Bring the ocean to your living room with this gorgeous driftwood glass end table.

Modern Driftwood Lamp

This modern driftwood lamp balances the rustic wood with a sleek square linen lampshade and iron base. It would make a gorgeous addition to any home. I can see this in my office. The dark base would look great with my dark framed art prints.

Driftwood Sphere Lamp

This impressive driftwood sphere lamp looks like it defies the laws of physics and is guaranteed to make a statement in your home.

Driftwood Seahorse Sculpture

As much as I love the above lamp, this driftwood seahorse sculpture is delightful and affordable. 

Rustic Driftwood Heart

I’m in love with this rustic driftwood heart.  It’s calling out to be the center of attention and would love to be seated in a place of glory in your home. I will have one of these soon.

Teak Driftwood Cocktail Table with Glass Top

Memories of your last visit to the beach will spring to life every time, you look at this gorgeous teak driftwood cocktail table with glass top.

Nantucket Driftwood Bowl

This lovely Nantucket driftwood bowl would look gorgeous filled with just about anything or completely empty. I love it and will be adding it to my driftwood art collection.

Vintage Valentine Spoon Plant Markers

Looking for a way to say I Love You to your favorite gardener. This one of kind set of 3 vintage Valentine spoon plant markers is sure to delight the one you love.

Natural Driftwood Heart

Bring the relaxing essence of nature to the one you love with this gorgeous mini driftwood heart.

Stirling Silver Celtic Double Love Knot Ring

She’s sure to swoon when  her Valentine’s Day present is one of these gorgeous Stirling Silver Celtic double love knot ring.

Nevermore Anti Valentines Day Card

Bring a smile to the face of the one whose heart is broken with this rustic Nevermore Anti-Valentines Day Card.

Rustic Wood Serving Platter with Heart

Put your heart on the table with this rustic wood serving platter / cutting board.

Looking for more Valentine Gift Ideas? You may also be interested in 10 Valentine’s Gifts for Women who Love Rustic Home Decor.

1) Rustic Driftwood Heart

Remind her everyday how much you love her with this stunning driftwood heart.

2.  Heart Shaped Waffle Iron

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Now, you can get her a heart shaped waffle iron that she’ll love and you’ll reap the benefits long after Valentine’s day is over.

3. Kitchen Aid Pro Mixer

When you give her a Pro Kitchen Aid mixer, you are giving a gift that she will always cherish. Next year at this time, she’ll be whipping you up your favorite meal with her most cherish kitchen appliance.

4. Hand Turned Maple Burl Bowl

She’ll love this hand turned maple burl bowl. Fill it with chocolate hearts to make an even bigger impact.

5. Granite Gel Fire Bowl

This Valentine’s Day, let romance take center stage with a Granite Gel Fire Bowl. Instead of taking her out, let her gift be the center piece of a enchanted dinner planned by you. She won’t mind if you buy take out as long as you dim the lights and use a beautiful table cloth.

6. Romantic Spiral & Heart Wine Rack

If she loves wine, she’ll love this romantic wine rack with spirals and heart shaped leaves. Fill it with her favorite bottles of wine to set the mood for a perfect evening.

7. Hand Carved Maple Kitchen Utensils

For the woman that loves to cook, nothing says I love you better than a rustic hand carved utensil set.

8. Rustic Log Table

Get her this rustic log table and she’ll think you’ve been browsing her favorite home decor magazines to find her the perfect gift.  Add a touch of romance by carving your initials in it.

9. Rustic Wooden Storage Trunks

Women love creative places to hide things. Give her these wooden storage trunks to store her keepsakes. Paint a heart inside and add your initials to give her a valentine she’ll remember forever.

10. Le Creuset Heart Shaped Enameled Cast Iron Casserole Dish

Every rustic home needs cast iron cookware. This Valentine’s day make her heart a Le Creuset heart shaped cast iron casserole dish. Make sure to give it to her in the morning so she can whip you up a romantic dinner later in the day.

 This amazing living room is owned by Ballard Designs’ creative director Jill Sharp Brinson and her photographer husband, Rob Brinson in Atlanta.  I love the way she mixes the rustic with the modern into a cohesive whole.  My favorite elements in this room are the wooden stump end tables that look plucked straight out of the forest and the amazing hand hewed beam above her couch.  

When trying to recreate a room like this, you may not have the luxury of decorating with gorgeous wooden beams but you can bring nature inside with furniture and accessories. Stump furniture is a hot trend these days. Couple that with a modern glass end or dining room table and you’ve got a beautiful combination. Don’t stop there, make sure your accessories compliment each other. In Jill’s room, the glass table is mirrored by the hurricane candle holders while the animal hide rug ties in the natural elements.

Rustic Stump Tables

There is something magical about having a tree  in your living space.  Especially when that tree looks like it just got cut by a lumberjack and sits next to a sleek modern piece of furniture. Finding these tables were challenging because they are called various names such as stump tables, tree trunk tables and even log tables.  There were many DIY tutorials available but fewer online sellers.

Gorgeous Eastwood Hardwood Log Table designed for lasting beauty. The style of this log will go in either a rustic or contemporary room.

Height: 20 1/4″ high 

Cost: $456.91 at Amazon.com

Buckley Forest rustic stump stool, a hand waxed log that with natural charm and grace.

Dimensions: 18″h x ~16″diam

Costs: 698.00 at Amazon.com

Etsy Showcase: I love this tree trunk table with custom carved lettering. This would make an amazing wedding present. Not to mention it is more affordable.

Dimensions: 17-20″ high

Cost: $185 at Etsy.com

DIY Stump Table Tutorials

Stump tables tend to be on the pricey side. For those of you that would rather use your sweat equity to design your room, here are two great tutorials to explore. The photos take you the tutorial.

Glass Trestle Dining Room or Modern Glass End Tables

I have to admit, I’ve never been a fan of glass tables. To me they look sterile and harsh. I worry about them breaking or fear the fingerprints that will eventually need cleaned. Yet, in Jill Sharp Brinson’s home, her dining room table looks stunning and fits perfectly. In our inspiration photo, you can’t see that the dining room table is a glass trestle table with adjustable metal saw horse legs. Surprisingly, I love the look and feel of this combination. I couldn’t find this exact table but I did find a few alternatives and one pseudo diy tutorial.

Bellini Modern Living – Glass Trestle Table with metal legs and rosewood accents.

Dimensions: 39 x 71 x 30 inches: 

Cost:  $1,748.00 at Amazon.com

Bellini Modern Living – black glass trestle table with contemporary metal legs.

Dimensions: 39 x 79 x 30 inches

Cost: $1,984.00 at Amazon.com

Note: It’s driving me crazy that there aren’t more diy tutorials on how to build a modern glass trestle table. I will be in search of adjustable metal saw horses and glass table tops to create my own. 

Modern Glass End Tables

Stunning contemporary glass end table with black base and beautiful silver curved legs that mimic nature.

Dimensions: 19″ x 50″ x 19″

Cost: $263.57 at Amazon.com

 The rugged base on this glass end table  gives it strong & sturdy feel that would blend nicely with natural elements such as stump tables and bear rugs.

Cost: $199.00 at Amazon.com

A glass coffee table with a curved wooden base will bring a touch of elegance and sophistication to your living room.

Cost: $278 at Amazon.com

Animal Skin Rugs: Friend or Faux

Let’s face it animal skin rugs are not on everyone’s wishlist. However, for the right person they do add natural style and charm. Below I added two possible rugs for our inspiration room.

Palomino light brown and white cow hide rug.

Dimensions: vary

Cost: $199.95 at Amazon.com

Faux grizzly bear skin rug. The perfect rug for those people that want the look and feel of an animal rug but not the real animal in their home.

Dimensions: 39.5″ x 55″

Cost: $109.00 at Amazon.com