Porch Project

Hey there!  Did everyone have a nice weekend?  Our weather was gorgeous so we worked on outside projects like pulling weeds and gardening.  I added some lavender to our herb garden and after pulling weeds, discovered that our asparagus is coming up!  This is our first year with asparagus, so we are very excited!  Especially my youngest!
It is in his garden bed along with strawberries that he picked out.

I've also started planning how I'm going to decorate our side porch this year.  I've ordered some fabrics, added a bistro table and worked on this super fun row of hooks, made from vintage faucets.  After seeing a similar version in a gardening catalog, I decided to make my own with things I already had.  The only thing I paid for was 4 cans of spray paint and a dowel rod.  Here's a peek at it on our side porch. 

I thought I'd post a tutorial for it in case anyone wanted to try making their own.  All you need is a few old faucet handles, spray paint, a piece of rustic wood, screws, rubber gaskets and a 5/8 inch dowel rod.

 You can find old faucet handles at flea markets, junk piles, or metal scrap yards.  Just give them a good scrub with a wire brush. 

First thing I did was get all my pieces spray painted.  The dowel I painted oil rubbed bronze, because that's what I had on hand.  Then I spray painted the faucet handles various colors.  After everything dried, I cut the dowel into five 4 inch pieces.

 I used a piece of reclaimed walnut for the back.  After sanding and sealing, I drilled 5 holes all the way through it, also with a 5/8 inch drill bit.

Next, I hammered the cut pieces of dowel rod into each hole, all the way through until flush with the back.

These are what the faucet handles will attach to.  Next, pre-drill a hold for your screw.

Then take your black rubber gasket and slide it over the dowel until it is securely at the base of the dowel.  These are purely for decorative purposes.

Take your completely dry faucet handle and thread a 1 1/2 inch screw and washer through the top.

Repeat with your remaining faucet handles.  I took a little spray paint and touched up each one of the screw heads so they better blended in with the faucet handle.  I also distressed the handles with sandpaper.

I love the letters on a couple of the handles.

I love the way it turned out.  It is the perfect thing to hold towels this summer that my kids use for swimming, instead of dropping them on the porch into a pile.

And my gardening tools will also look lovely there.  Then I can just grab them on my way out the door to work in the garden.

What do you think?  I love the little bit of cheerful color it adds to the side porch.  I attached it to the house with a couple of large screws.  I hope my instructions aren't confusing.  As always, if you have questions, please don't hesitate to email me!

Stay tuned for the rest of the porch update for Spring/Summer!