Western General Store

I saw this coat rack in a local antique store and noticed many of the items are in our store so I thought I'd try to make one like it. I gathered pieces of weathered pallet wood, cut and placed them like I wanted them. Pictured are the approximate dimensions of the boards. They are 1/2" thick. The trim was cut on a table saw and they are 1/2" x 1". The finished project was 22 1/4" wide x 20 1/4" tall. My version appears to be a smaller scaled down version of the original. The boards were put together with biscuits and glue then clamped. The center support is 1 1/8" wide.  The trim was glued and nailed with a brad gun. The little corner pieces  are 1/4" thick and were glued and nailed with a brad gun. I bought 2 10" x 10" mirrors from the craft store and installed them with mirror clips. I sprayed all of the iron pieces with vinegar and placed them in the sun to rust. The iron pieces were then sprayed with a cl...

When I first wake up in the morning ideas pop into my head. That was the case with this idea. I thought of attaching frames to a piece of lariat rope but found that there are several different ways to do this. I started with the loop end at the top and attached inexpensive frames with a brad nail gun. I was going to cut the rope at the bottom and tassel it. Instead I just hung the remainder of the rope on the top frame. Not bad, but I wanted to try something else. Beginning at the tassel end I doubled enough rope for the frames and tassel at the end. To hold it together I wrapped leather lace at the top, leaving enough for a loop for hanging. I wrapped leather lace at the bottom leaving enough for unraveling into a large double tassel. I attached the frames and hung it on the wall. The rope tended to curve so I nailed in Mini Star Nails to keep it straight and against the wall. I attached the remainder of the rope at the top with leather lace. You could decorate this for the...

This is a wood star corner block used for trim on Americana themed windows and doors. I saw this at the home improvement store and envisioned a cute wooden trinket box. I cut a board into pieces the same size as the star trim and glued and nailed it together with a brad nail gun. I spray painted it white and added hinges and a latch from the hardware store. It would be fun to decorate this trinket box for the holidays.

From this day forward there will be one post a month on the first Monday of every month. Now, today's project: Create a place for your caps, keys, coats, and umbrellas. Nail horseshoe nails to a Large Horseshoe on a weathered pallet board or any type of wood. Screw in Large Coat Hooks or Hall Tree Hooks . Paint the wood or cast iron any color  you desire or leave as is. This would be very handy right by the door so you can grab on your way out or hang up as you come in.

I made a wood star tray with molding for the sides. The shape is like a primitive star. You will be cutting 10 pieces any length you want. These were about 5 inches and the star was about 13 1/2 inches wide. You may want to cut scrap pieces before cutting the actual molding. First make a jig for the cuts at the points of the star. Screw a piece of wood onto a piece of 1/2 inch plywood at 54 degrees. Put your miter saw at 30 degrees and clamp and cut each piece making sure to lay it on the correct side so that the cut pieces fit together. Cut the pieces about 2 inches longer than you want them to be. Diagram of the jig. The other end is cut at 30 degrees. Clamp a scrap piece and place the piece to cut against it so they will all be the same length. Clamp each piece you are cutting so it doesn't move and make sure to lay it on the correct side. Tape all the pieces together to make sure they fit, then glue and tape. Let dry overnig...

Here's a way you can use our Longhorn Skull Drawer Pulls . The post and base are put together with a mortise and tenon joint, glue and a screw in the bottom. Drill holes where you want the drawer pulls. I sprayed a couple of coats of varnish, let dry and attach the drawer pulls. You can paint the wood or the drawer pulls any color you desire.

This Western Garland is a new item. What fun you can have with this! It’s made of metal or tin with coiled wire and painted brown. It is 8 foot long with a loop on each end to attach anywhere you want. You can spray paint the whole thing a different color or multi colors. You could paint each piece a different color. It would be great for birthday parties or any holiday or just decoration on the mantel year round. You could even cut the wire, pull each piece out, attach a wire loop where the holes were, paint your choice of color and use for western ornaments! You could also weave it into some pine garland or into a wreath. You have a choice of Texas, Steer, Boot or Horse or buy all four so you have a big variety. I’m sure there are many more ways to use this garland. Have fun!