DIY Wooden Flower Box Centerpiece

While scrolling through Pinterest one day I came across this picture and loved all of it, but especially the centerpiece.  The wooden flower box in this beautiful Spring Dining Room inspired me. 

I found another inspiration for using a similar flower box as decor under the TV.  I loved this idea because it can also help to cover up unsightly wires.  This is a great option for renters who can't hide the wires in the walls. 

 After seeing these pictures I wanted to try and make it and I remembered I had a leftover piece of wood from another DIY and still had my father-in-laws saw from another project and decided to give it a try.  And as you can see it's a pretty simple box.  The wood I had was just particle board.  My dimensions were pretty much based off of how much wood I had.  I didn't have enough wood for the bottom so I figured out another solution for that later. 

 

I took some grey paint that I had found on the Oops shelf for $5 a while ago and followed a recipe for homemade chalk paint using Calcium Carbonate and Plaster of Paris.  You can see the original grey color on the inside.  But I didn't like how it looked so I add a couple of drops of black regular acrylic craft paint to mix with the paint color to tint it until I get the color I want.   I had started with particle board but wanted it to look like reclaimed wood.   So I used my oldest, yuckiest paint brush to paint on the grey and it left lots of brush strokes that I knew would pick up the dark wax later and mimic the grain of wood. 

I next added a layer of clear wax, working in small sections and then wiping the excess off with a cloth.  I buffed it a little with an old t-shirt and then, as you can see the difference in the picture below, applied the next layer of dark wax, again working in small areas and wiping off the excess with cheesecloth. 

 You can see the look of the grain here once the dark stain was applied.  I love this technique, cause it is so forgiving.  You really can't mess it up.

 I didn't have a bottom to my box and I didn't want the box to scratch the surfaces I put it on so I opted for some left over black felt that I had from crow wings for the school play last year. 

 I hot glued on one piece and then over lapped the second piece to cover the whole bottom and then cut off the excess.

Halfway through my project I did have to add the blocks of wood in the corners to stabilize it cause it got knocked over and without a solid bottom, needed some reinforcements.  I had some scraps of wood cut to the right height at Home Depot and then I just used some random leftover nails , which totally worked with the rustic look.

Once my bottom was on, it was ready for the flowers.   I did buy the flowers from Michaels when they were having a sale but you can also find them on Amazon in White, Pink, and Green.   I was so pleased when I was finished.  Not bad for a DIY venture.   

Here is the inspiration from Pinterest and the DIY box I made in two different locations in my house.   I used it as a centerpiece for a while and then moved it to it's new location hiding the TV wires and I love it there!