Western General Store

Here's a way to westernize a barn wood frame with upholstery nails and spur rowels.

Are you ready for Fall? Me too! Especially after a summer of Texas heat. This will get you in the mood for Autumn crafts. I painted the Cast Iron Horseshoe and wove leather lacing through the holes and up to tie in a knot. Fall foliage and chili peppers from the craft store were glued to the horseshoe with super glue. I added a little leather and beads at the bottom. This project would be fun for kids too!

Here's another simple coat rack with Horseshoe Star Hooks  painted the same manner as the Southwest Coat Hook .

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

I wanted to use spurs as shelf supports in a project but was told it couldn't be done. I made it happen anyway. Never give up on your ideas. I used oak boards and as I begin laying it out, ideas started popping into my head so I went with it. Holes were drilled. With a chisel a section was notched out for the spur. A hole was drilled for a spoke of the spur rowel. The spur was attached with epoxy. I painted the first coat with acrylic and decided to paint all of the edges in a different color. Then I sanded a bit. I applied golden oak stain and wiped it off. I cut the geometric designs out of plywood and painted them the same way. They were attached with wood glue. Three coats of Wipe-On Poly were used as the finish. After everything was painted, the shelf was glued and screwed to the bottom piece. At the same time the spurs were attached with epoxy. The header was attached with biscuits and glue. Coat hooks were screwed in. A French cleat br...

Here's two ways to use horse bits in your décor. If you have some old bits laying around in your tack room this is a fun thing to do. I wrapped a D-ring snaffle around a flameless pillar candle and tied leather lacing to hold it together. I was looking at an old curb bit I had and stood it on it's side and of course, it's a candle holder! But this one wasn't too steady so I built a stand out of mahogany and drilled holes for the candles and a hole in the bit to screw it to the wood. Here's a different version of the leather wrapping. You could use twine, ribbon or anything you've got. I think it would be pretty to add greenery for the holidays. Use it for a center piece for parties, holidays or weddings.

I showed these western metal cut outs to a friend of mine and he thought they would make a great wind chime. This is his design and he put it together. I just suggested a few things like adding a cut out at the top. He drilled a hole in each cut out. From a hook he attached three chains and attached the chains to an XL Horseshoe with cotter pins. He attached different lengths of chains and the cut outs to the XL Horseshoe with cotter pins. We hung a chain from the top hook and added a cut out just above the horseshoe. He drilled a hole in the bottom of this cut out and hung a chain through the middle of the horseshoe and added a cut out at the bottom. It's about 33" in height. This wind chime could be hung in your home also. It makes pleasant sounding clangs. You could paint the cut outs, let them rust or spray them with vinegar to quickly get that rusty effect as shown here. Then seal them with a clear polyurethane spray. Here's a picture of the...