So I came across this weathered, rust stained scrap piece of 2×4, thoughtlessly discarded and left for… well, scrap.
See, it even comes complete with the dust and grime from where it was left to decay!
But I saw beyond all this. To me there was a natural beauty here that was just being wasted away.
And so… DIY inspired, I came to its rescue!
I cleaned up the 2×4, and gave it a quick coat of Annie Sloan’s Light Wax.
It’s hard to see the shine, but if you look back at the rescue photo, you can see a little more spit and polish here. Don’t you think it looks posh with black?
I was pretty proud of my rescued 2×4.
And then my brother popped over… almost laughed me right out of my own home! He was not on board (yup, pun intended!) with my affection for this rusted, aged chunk of love. Did not see it as a thing of beauty. Nope – Not. At. All!
So the challenge was on!
I went back and forth with ideas… like making a small shelf mounted on tiny corbels, or a base for a collection of bud vases, or cutting it down and creating book ends… and finally I decided on a tea light valet… sounds pretty uptown, right?
To do this all you need is a 1-1/2″ spade bit to make the holes.
This is the one we bought.
Looks kind of intimidating, especially with the ‘Dare Devil’ graphic. Evil almost!
I got hubs to do the heavy lifting on this part.
Here he’s doing a test run on an actual scrap piece of 2×4… notice, it’s white?
Totally recommend that you try a few test holes first. Because evil it nearly was.
This bit is bossy and tries to take over the show!
Check out the chunks of wood it chews up… then spits out! And if you’re not careful, it will spin the drill right out of your hand! Did I mention, evil it might be?
But I have to say, Dare Devil does make a fairly clean hole.
I lightly sanded the inside and top edges of these holes to remove the rough wood the spade bit left behind.
And then gave each hole a clear coat of Varathane…
Just to give them a finishing touch… even though you won’t see them.
Looks pretty rough here, but do you see where I’m going?
This tea light candle holder is not a new idea, not an original of mine at all. In fact Pinterest has lots and lots of variations if you’re interested in a little inspiration for your own!
Once the Varathane was dry I did another coat of Annie Sloan Light Wax, and this one I actually applied a little heavier.
See how smooth and shiny it looks?
I wanted the rusty marks and the grain to really come alive, and the light from the candles to bounce off the surface…
From one end…
To the other.
I really like the way the rust marks stand out against the weathered wood.
Isn’t the grain pretty?
I originally planned to use tea lights set in clear cases instead of the metal ones. But, I discovered that the clear cases are slightly larger than the 1-1/2″ spade bit, and they’re a lot deeper than the metal cases. So if you’re planning to try this DIY, I thought you should know this before hand.
So what do you think? Is this an old scrap piece of wood to you, or do you see a thing of reclaimed beauty, too?
Want to see how this piece fits my decor style? It’s an eclectic mix of vintage, old and worn, reclaimed… and a little Steam Punk, too!
It’s interesting to me, how my brother and I grew up in the same household with the same decor, yet we don’t always like the same things. To him this piece of wood is just scrap, good for nothing really, and to me I see beauty in it. I think he’s kind of amused at the old, worn pieces I’m drawn to, but what’s so cool is the message behind this. In the end we’re all unique individuals, and so is our taste. We might lean toward a certain style, but it’s really the personal touch that makes it your own. If you don’t embrace your taste, then all you’re ever really doing is searching for something you probably won’t find. And that won’t make any house your home, no matter how hard you try…
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STOPPING BY!
xo
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What a vision you have, who would have seen the beauty in this piece of wood.
love it, make a dz an sell it on the market
That’s too funny – you know, my brother said his shop was full of ‘scraps’ like this one, so I bet if I wanted to make a deal with him, I could actually pursue your suggestion!
Sheila, Hands down you won the argument with your brother. That piece you made looks like something I would see in a store with a $50.00 price tag on it…just beautiful! I have a few old pieces of driftwood and might do the exact thing thing! Thanks for the tip.
Linda, you just made my day! I can’t wait to pass that along to my brother
You know, I think driftwood put to use in this way would be so pretty. There’s one on Pinterest that I just love…
I love making something old new again. That candle holder is fantastic and I really like the rustic quality it brings to a room. I find it funny that you wrote about your brother. My brother had a trunk in his room growing up and when I moved out I asked if I could have it. He always had a cover and a TV sitting on it (amongst other things) and really had no attachment to it (I think he actually thought it was ugly). When he came over and saw it at my place for the first time, he wanted it back. I had it styled and you could actually see the true beauty. He’s never getting it back!
Brothers! Hang onto that trunk for dear life! It’ll always be a great story, the trunk that was… but now it’s mine
That is a BEAUTIFUL piece of wood and so worth rescuing from the scrap heap! I love the colour and the grain – the wax really brings it to life
And the candle flames DO reflect off the finish 
You’re absolutely right, we all have our own personal tastes and likes/dislikes. If we all liked the same things, the world with be a pretty boring place!
Thank you, Kelly! Isn’t it amazing what the wax does for the wood? I love how it gives the wood a soft, worn look without being too shiny. I wanted some shine, but not a high gloss shine…
That’s a lovely piece of wood and and even lovely-er candle holder. I just love when we can turn scrap into something beautiful!
I agree with you, Kelly! It’s so much fun to embrace something that’s considered ‘scrap’… you just never know what it will become
I just love to hear about people using reclaimed lumber. I’m starting to notice that the old barns along the highway are starting to be disassembled carefully….. hmmmm I wonder what they will become.
I love barn board, and would love to get my hands on some of that! I wonder, too…
I love it, Sheila. I would have never thought it would look so different when you finished – amazing! It’s great how you can see beauty and potential in the seemingly uninspiring
I love this! I love it when you can see what something can be and not what it is! Great job… perfect for the table!
You know people would pay a lot of money for something like that – I love it. It’s funny how our tastes and opinions differ from others. My brother has little taste or opinion when it comes to home decor. He’d say “great” – I can hear him saying it now.
I Love It! Boy, are brothers dumb! It looks so nice and siny- love the way you separated the holes for candles. Perfect. Great job!!
shiny- not siny!
You made something beautiful out of something that someone else would have thrown away!
I absolutely LOVE this post
blessings,
karianne
Thank you so much Karianne! My brother hasn’t yet seen the end result, but I’m dying to show it to him
Miss Lovely & creative Sheila at it once again! You are so clever and I love the simplicity of this piece, yet so beautiful and warm:)
You are way too sweet, Shelley! Thank you so much
Good for you for sticking to your plans and following through. I think it turned out so beautiful, you have alot of foresight to see the beauty that was hidden. You are so right we need to find pieces for our homes that speak to us and not everyone hears the same voice.