Salvaged Wood & Pallet Potting Benches

A potting bench or potting station is the perfect spring project for your garden, porch, or garden shed, and right now is the perfect time to start planning and collecting the wood 

and other materials you will need to create your very own potting bench creation! 

You can use all different types of  salvaged and reclaimed materials to create a potting 
bench. Old doors, wood shipping pallets, salvaged wood, sections of fencing, and even old sinks and dressers can be incorporated into a potting bench! Your only limit is your own imagination!  Check out these wonderful potting benches and maybe you'll be inspired to plan and make your own!

I love a potting bench with an old sink added! by Lori J via Hometalk

This bench cost only $1 to make! by excessfroufrou via Gardenweb

Outdoor kid-sized mud bar doubles as a play kitchen and as a mini potting bench. Love it! 
Here's the DIY

Made from an old door and enameled table top by jeannespines via Gardenweb

Sink-turned potting bench by Our Fairfield Home & Garden

This pretty bench was made from recycled finds by kirkus via Gardenweb

Potting benches made from old doors and shutters from Green Oak Antiques

pallet potting bench by Bruce from thedesignpallet.com

Potting bench made from an old door by Doreen at Hymns and Verses

Wood pallet potting bench from Hometalk

Old dresser-turned potting bench from Rockin' B Antiques

Potting bench made from wood pallets, a window, and an old sink

I love the style of this wide potting bench 

Salvaged wood potting bench by Becky at Beyond The Picket Fence

Potting bench made from an old door by Doris Stratton via Robo Margo

Potting bench by Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures

Potting benches by LollieLandDesigns via Etsy

DIY potting bench project by Centsational Girl

Pretty potting bench! from Country Cottage Living (above and below)

Pallet garden work bench workstation by I've Only Got A Minute




DIY potting bench with step by step instructions from BHG

Pin this post!   


What do you think?

Read More

How to Design A Professional Conference Room with 3 Items

The boardroom, meeting area, and conference space of any business is extremely important. No matter what name your company has given this space, professionalism and efficiency is at the core of this room. The majority of business planning takes place in this area, and for that reason it's essential to have a well designed space. The problem, is that conference room furniture can be quite expensive if you don't know where and how to shop. This article will share how to create a space to be proud of with 3 simple products.

Product 1: The Conference Table

Lets start with the main component of any meeting space, the conference table. As this will more than likely be your greatest expense it's wise to plan ahead. Measuring your space is the first, and most important step. Take into account where you want each product to sit and plan accordingly for all your new furniture. When picking a conference table, consider factors like table shape, style, and finish. Several budget friendly solutions are available for the modern and traditionally styled spaces. Here are some of the top office tables used in conference rooms today. Best of all, the are all quite affordable.

Popular Affordable Conference Tables Include:

Rectangular Conference Table

Brighton Conference Table

Modular Conference Table

Product 2: The Wall Cabinet

Adding storage to your space is a must. Combining functional wall cabinets that can double as a refreshment center is just plain smart. This idea has been used numerous times and is also an excellent way to save space. Most all boardroom areas are considered multi use work spaces. Creating a room at your place of business is often not possible with space at such a premium. That being said wall cabinets will allow you to store materials and items specific to this space or others throughout your office. They are a great way to enhance the look and style with cohesive finishes and products from the same line or manufacturer.

Affordable Wall Cabinets Include:

Napoli Executive Buffet Cabinet

Modern Wall Cabinet

Glass Wall Cabinet

Product 3: The Presentation Board

The last essential product needed to finish your new conference room is the presentation board. Presentation boards are an excellent way to enhance your space and increase your usability at the same time. Not only does this matching piece of business furniture look fantastic, it provides a very valuable asset. Studies show that most individuals are visual learners. That being said, the use of a presentation board will allow for more inclusive meetings and training sessions.

Stylish Presentation Boards Include:

Brighton Presentation Board

Mobile Presentation Board

Sorrento Presentation Board

In addition to the 3 essential products listed above, several option products are also available for your conference room needs. Power and data options are available for most conference tables for use in multi media areas. Other popular products include lecterns, which work great for speeches or presentations, along with refreshment carts. No matter how many products you decide to include in your area, make sure you make a space that works for you. Identify your individual needs, set a goal, and work directly with an industry professional to find the absolute best solutions within your budget.

Read More

Baking Homemade Baguettes

One of the most comforting foods in autumn and winter is fresh homemade bread. French
Baguettes to be exact. Crusty on the outside, light and airy on the inside, warm out of
the oven...there's just not one bad thing about that no matter how you look at it!

I don't often write about food on my blog, but today when I decided to make baguettes,
I had the idea to take some photos along the way so I could share with you how it's done, 
or at least how I do it. 

I love to bake. I enjoy cooking, yes, but I come from a family of women who bake. 
You've got a baby shower, wedding, or funeral, you say? We bake.
I couldn't tell you how to use a bread machine, or how to make those popular fancy 
cupcakes with elaborate decorative icing designs, but I have the world's best recipes for 
kiffles, nut bread, cakes, and pies. 



Baguettes have a crispy crust and light interior, and are the perfect accompaniment for
winter soups and stews. The also make great sub sandwiches.  My favorite way to 
enjoy them though, is simply warm out of the oven with butter. 

There are plenty of baguette recipes to be found in cookbooks and across the internet, but

I have found that the basic recipe for baguettes does not have too many variations. Most

baguette recipes are very similar. I will often try a few different recipes until I find one that 

I like, and then adjust it here and there to suit my tastes. 

The basic ingredients for baguettes are flour, salt, dry yeast, and water. 

I also like to sprinkle a little bit of sea salt or course salt onto my baguettes right before

I pop them into the oven.

French Baguettes

One package of active dry yeast (about 2 & 1/2 teaspoons)
1 & 1/4 cups of warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 & 1/2 cups flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt 

1. In a measuring cup, stir the yeast into the warm water until completely dissolved.
Add the sugar and stir. Set aside for five minutes to allow the yeast to activate. 

2. Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl and create a well in the center of the flour.

3. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour.

4. Gently stir the flour into the liquid (just a few times) to create a paste. Cover and allow to

rise/activate for 15 minutes. 

5. Mix thoroughly (I use an electric mixer) until a sticky soft dough is formed. Add additional 

water (a few Tablespoons) while mixing if needed. 

6. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover and allow to rise for 90 minutes. 

7. Punch down, then cover again and allow to rise for another hour. 

8. Place dough on a floured surface and slice into two pieces. Gently shape into two loaves. 

9. Place loaves on a lightly floured baking sheet. 

10. Cover the loaves and allow them to rise for about 45 minutes. 

11. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. 

12. Place a pan of water on a lower over rack. The steam from the water will 

help the baguettes form a crispy crust.

13. Before baking, slash the tops of the loaves with a knife. I sprinkle my loaves with

a little bit of sea salt before baking them. This is optional.

14. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. 

15. Remove from baking pan and cool on a wire rack.

These loaves turned out a little bigger than I would have liked. I probably should have 

made them into three loaves instead of two! Maybe next time I will try that instead. 

Either way, they were delicious! 

What do you think?

Read More