After seeing some rustic miniature wood houses on Crate & Barrel, I conned Jeremy into cutting a wood post into house shapes for me. It was not hard. The conning. I just held a bowl of ice cream in front of him while I asked. Frozen dairy is his kryponite. He gets love drunk and will agree to just about anything that doesn’t involve the words “pluck” or “blindfolded”.
We used a miter saw and a table saw and got various heights and shapes going. Then I sanded them down and spray painted them with Rust-Oleum’s flat white spray paint.
I could have stopped there (don’t they look cute as a little Christmas vignette?!) but I wanted to get all frisky and make them look a little more rustic. The inspiration was all rough-hewn and manly so I buckled to the peer pressure. And yes, Crate & Barrel always peer pressures me. Such a bully 🙂
I added some house details to make it look a little more like a house instead of just wooden blocks. It was simply a Sharpie on the paint. No biggie. And then I roughed up the edges of the sprayed surfaces so that it could take on a rustic shabby chic look.
Then came the real game changer….some stain. I’ve been saying this for months now….Kona is my new favorite stain color…it’s super rich and it dries in one hour.
Wearing gloves, I simply dipped a paper towel in the stain and rubbed the houses down like a Bachelor beach massage. Speaking of which…that’s what I want to see people on The Bachelor do….not these over the top romantic dates….I want to see them try to build a piece of furniture with kids running around. That’s what real life will be like!
Didn’t they turn out cute? I think with a little faux snow and some twinkle lights, they would be great as a table centerpiece or mantel-scape….now that I have a mantle to work with 🙂
I think if you made them different colors and put them next to one another, it would also look like a version of Manarola….which by the way, add that place to my bucket list….holy moly is it beautiful. Hope you guys are having fun this weekend…if you want, you can see a sneak peek of our latest project on Instagram! I am so excited to share it all soon!
Um…..wow, yours are way cuter! I can’t believe those are even for sale on C&B for more than $.25! However, it did inspire you both to make these, so that’s something, ha!
These are so cute! Just like Crate and Barrel bullied you, now you are bullying me to get on the holiday decor train! I am soooo not ready for that yet. My mind is blown school is starting soon. I know being a home decor blogger I need to get it together earlier then others, so they can use my ideas. But, it is 91 degrees outside and humid as all heck. I am not feeling anything but flip flops and ice cream! I will be keeping this in mind for when the cold and winter does come.
So adorable. And the ones from Crate and Barrel – KILLING ME. Cannot believe they tried to charge $15 for some pieces of wood that look like they just picked them up out of a scrap wood pile.
Wow, yours are way cuter than C&B! I wasn’t sure about the whole concept when you first showed the in-process pic in white, but was sold on the final product with the stain. Great job!
These turned out great. I didn’t know that putting stain on top of paint would turn out like that. I thought the stain wouldn’t have anything to stick to, other than the edges that you sanded. I love the look and how it highlights the grain of the wood!
Btw, I’ve been reading and enjoying your blog for years – I just love your writing! Your posts make me laugh every. single. time. Laughing at your jokes, not at you, of course. 😉
You really do need to go to Manarola (and the whole Cinque Terre), but not yet. When your boys are of serious hiking age (maybe the youngest is 8 or 9), all five towns are connected by the most amazing hiking path. You can take the train to the first town, hike through to the fifth town, and if the weather cooperates, catch a boat back to the beginning. A whole day of excitement with five built-in stops for snacks along the way!
Yes, unbelievable! The C&B stumps look like some random pieces of fire wood.
Katie, yours turned out cute! Staining the wood made such a difference.
I don’t know about you but I’m already looking forward to Christmas.
Those turned out great!
Adorable and SO much better than the C&B ones! How is the interior painting going?
This is a “general question,” not a comment on a specific post. I recently subscribed to your posts through my e-mail account. Do you know why your posts appear a day later there than when I access your blog through your website that I also have as a bookmarked page?
Thanks.
Yours are so much better! (Sorry Crate and Barrel)…I am so having my hubs make these for our girls to use when they play blocks and matchbox cars–perfect for a little town! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Wow! These are super cute. I love the Manarola idea. I spent a month in the Cinque Terre several years ago it is seriously heavenly. Kid friendly too.
Sounds divine!
xo – kb
So good!
xo – kb
No I don’t. I think it might have something to do with the syncing process.
xo – kb
I just love coming over here and seeing real skilled projects. Your blog is so much more than just new throw pillows (though who doesn’t love a throw pillow?)!
These are much cuter than the CB version – I can’t believe those are actually for sale! But they seem more Halloween-y than Christmas-y to me. You should set up a haunted houses display in the fall to get double duty out of them. 🙂
Ummmm love! My first thought when i saw them was Halloween! They would be super spooky on the mantel with some fake fog and pumpkins and spiders and such!
These turned out cute, but a little too cute for me. I own the Crate & Barrel ones and love them! What you can’t see in the photos is how old the wood is. There’s all sorts of knots and eaten away areas that each piece is really unique and I love that they were made from reclaimed wood from old buildings. Both are sweet- just depends on your style! These turned out great for a holiday theme or for a fun kids idea so as usual, nice work!
Hi Katie !
First off, I love the houses, and I agree with a previous comment that they remind me of Christmas !
I’m truly amazed as to how you and your hubby can take another over-priced stores’ design and make it that much better.. You two are a true dream team !
Keep the awesome posts coming..
PS We need a life lately post soon ! I love the sponsored posts, but I miss the more personal ones !!!
Those are simple and fun! I actually thought you were making them for your kiddos to play with though! I think that could be fun- like let them make little villages with roads and things to drive their cars on? And like each house could be something different (bakery, fires ration, batmans cave) 🙂 plus they are indestructible (supposedly). You should make another set (you’ll need more ice cream) and let your kids decorate them. I’d love to see it!
That would be so fun!
xo – kb
These are da bomb! I’d love to try to recreate these to give as Christmas gifts. Can you tell me what size post you used particularly the width? Also, approximately how short is the smallest one and how tall is biggest one?
Thanks!
It was a 4×4 and the various heights were from 5 inches up to 10 inches 🙂
xo – kb