Western General Store

This is my version of the pallet wood Christmas Tree. This tree is made with mahogany since we have plenty of it in our shop. A mahogany base is screwed and glued onto a dagger board drop. My husband makes dagger boards for sailboats. They are used to keep the boat from sliding sideways during sailing. Mahogany boards are screwed onto the dagger board drop. A straight edge is used to draw a line where you want to cut. Cut the boards with a jig saw. A coat of varnish or sealer gives the mahogany a rich tone. Nail Small Star Nails to a board to spray paint with metallic silver. If you drill a hole a little smaller than the nail, they easily tap into the mahogany. A Large Star Nail was added to the top. Place this tree on your porch or brighten up a corner of your home. Merry Christmas!

Here's an idea for a western frame. I wanted to add hair on cowhide to an 8x10 barn wood frame and had some strips from another project that fit perfectly inside of this frame. That was easy! With a leather rotary cutter I had to cut 2 more strips to have enough. I glued them to the frame with hot glue, but next time I would use epoxy or Titebond the original. Holes were drilled for the 1" silver Clavos in the corners and I attached one 3/4" on each side. I sprayed Small Star Nails metallic silver and drilled holes to nail them into the upper and lower part of the frame. These star nails had longer nails so I was able to nail them in and keep them on the outer portion of the frame. It was a simple design and not a lot of work. Hopefully this will give you inspiration to come up with your own fancy creation.

This is an easy project to make a rustic western rope frame. I cut 4 pieces of rope, 2 1/2" longer than the frame on each side. I cut 4 pieces of rope to fit on the inside of frame. I attached the rope with a brad gun but you could probably use hot glue, then I unraveled the ends of the ropes and glued Mini Star Nails at each corner.

I had some leather and a cedar wood block and thought I would make a rustic western candle holder. If you're wondering why the angel is in the picture, it was sitting on the table and I left it there. She adds a little peace to the scene. I drilled a hole in the top for a flameless candle and punched a hole in the leather for a cowhide star concho. An adapter screw was used to screw the concho into the wood. The leather was attached with contact cement. Vinegar was sprayed on the star nails and set in the sun for a while and then sealed with clear polyurethane spray. Then they were pushed into holes drilled in the top of the wood around the candle. When I used a leather conditioner on the leather I accidently got some on the wood so I 'conditioned' all of the wood. It made it look even more rustic. These items used in this project are available in the store: Concho Cowhide Star Star Nail Mini Cast Iron Angel

Here's another way to use the star nails in a project. We had 4x4 cedar lumber in which I cut into graduated sizes. I drilled a hole in the top for a candle. I drilled holes a little smaller than the nails and used a cloth and hammer to attach them to the wood. Pictured is a medium, small and tiny star nail. The wood and stars were left unfinished. But you could paint them any color or seal them with a polyurethane spray. Over time the stars might rust if you don't seal them. But they would be more rustic! These  star candle holders  can be purchased on the website.

Use our Star Braces to make a Coat Hook/Shelf. Find the wood pieces you want to use. This happens to be cedar and I believe I put a wax finish on it. You can use any finish or paint it the color of your choice. Drill holes for Star Nails, hooks and 2 Star Braces. Find studs in your wall and use screws to mount it. And here you have a handy Coat Hook/Shelf for the Mud Room, Entry, or Bedroom. From the store you can buy these items: Star Nails Star Brace Coat Hooks

This is a picture of my grandmother when she was 18. Pretty fancy, huh? I don't know what the occasion was but don't let it fool you. She was a hard working farm woman and I was with her every step of the way when she washed clothes in a ringer washer and hung them on the line, gathered eggs from the chicken coop, picked peaches, gathered vegetables from the garden and list goes on and on. She and I were close and I enjoyed the time spent with her. In a barn wood frame I drilled holes for some rusty star nails . I positioned them so that enough of the star would overhang the frame for handles. With a brad nail gun I nailed the rope to the frame. This could be hung on the wall or used as a tray. If used as a tray for drinks, I would put clear waterproof calk between the glass and the frame. I placed cardboard behind the picture and nailed a piece of 1/8" plywood for backing. Any type of picture could be used but I thought this would give it a rustic western style.

I decided to use one of the pallet wood pieces, turn it on its side and drill three holes to make a triple candle holder. Holes were drilled for Small Star Nails and for mounting the cast iron Longhorn . The wood was left bare and rustic. I inserted battery operated candles, but glass votive candles could be used. The cast iron could be painted or rusted.

This project took quite a while from planning to finish. I placed the cast iron items and rope from the craft store on a board in different ways until I was satisfied. I took several pictures and played with the colors for the wood in Photoshop. I knew I wanted to crackle the paint so I did it in sections, then glued the rope on and frayed the ends. I tied and glued on leather cord to keep it from unraveling. I spray painted the cast iron metallic silver and drilled holes to mount them. The longhorns could hold jewelry, caps, hats, belts, or coats. Items for the project from Western General Store Longhorn Skull Drawer Pulls Large Horseshoes Star Nails