DIY Flower Box Centerpiece

I have a fun project for you that I think many of you DIY-ers/crafters could build, even if you haven’t done a lot of woodworking. I tried to keep it fairly basic and yet still pretty and functional!What I love most about spring are all the flowers and the new growth of everything around me. I wanted to bring that feeling into my dining room, so I chose to build a centerpiece holder that I could add some jars and flowers to and that would look cute and rustic. I wanted to do it differently than any others I’ve seen, so I had to walk away from the computer and all the ideas there and just do it my way. Anyway, all the details for my Flower Box Centerpiece are below; hope you love it!

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Supplies: (click for links to products, all affiliate links.)

• Wood boards – here is what I used: Scrap 2×4 for the bottom at 12” length. Two 1×6” boards at 12” length for sides. Two 1.6” at about 4.5” (cut to fit) length
• Cricut Explore Air™ 2 machine and Vinyl OR purchased vinyl stencils
• Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paints – 6 Colors
  
• Liquitex Paint 4-oz tube, Gold
  
• Minwax Wood Stain, Dark Walnut
  
• Makita 5-Inch Random Orbit Sander
  
• Titebond-2 Premium Wood Glue, 16-Ounce
  
• Bessey 24-Inch Bar Clamp
  
• Nail gun (this is the kit I bought and love.) PORTER-CABLE 3-Tool Combo Kit
• Decorative Jars – sizes that fit inside box
• Decorative Flowers, real or faux ( I do faux because I’m whatever is the opposite of a green thumb!)

If a video is more your style, here you go!

Prepping the wood:

To start out I cut down my boards. For this project I used a lot of scrap wood that I already had in my wood shop. If you’re not a woodworker, it’s possible to get the store to cut your boards to size, or ask a friend who has a saw. I used white wood on this as it is inexpensive and doesn’t need to be fancy wood unless you want it to be. It’ll still look great. I didn’t sand at this point because I will do that later. If your wood is really rough, you may want to do so where you will be painting the design. Always do a dry fit to make sure everything is measured and cut accurately.

Cutting stencils:

I used my Cricut Explore Air 2 (this is an awesome starter set! Cricut Explore Air™ Machine + EVERYTHING Starter Set) to cut my vinyl stencils. They actually had a great design in their shape library, so I just used that and cut out enough to do the whole project. Again I just used scrap vinyl I had in my supplies.

Painting Design:

After the stencils were all cut out, I applied them to the wood. A few tricks here: I didn’t want to waste my transfer paper, so I just used some masking tape. It’s a bit sticker than transfer tape, so it can be difficult, but it worked okay for me. It keeps the vinyl where it needs to be, I just had to be more careful when removing so that it wouldn’t pull the vinyl up with it. Once the vinyl is on, always go over it with a scraper and some point to push it down and help it adhere fully to the wood. When painting the first layer be sure to use a stippling technique, not wiping the paint on, so that it reduces the chance of seeping under the vinyl. Finally, I chose to do the white under the gold. Gold can be somewhat transparent and this helped it to stick out from the wood much better than without the white and having the gold soak into the wood.

Removing stencil:

Once the paint has dried, go ahead and remove the stencil, peeling it up carefully. Be sure that it is not pulling up the paint. I had no problems with this at all, but it depends on what type of paint you use.

Staining:

Next, I stained the wood. I always use a rag for this application, because I can soak one side of the rag with stain and wipe it on, then use the cleaner side of the rag to wipe off the excess stain. Be sure to wipe it completely off the painted area so that the gold still shines through. Stain all the boards completely. Let dry overnight if possible. At least 8 hours.

Distressing:

To distress the edges I just used my Makita BO5030 5-Inch Random Orbit Sander It has a speed setting, so I always lower that in order to control more easily how much it sands off at once. I go around all the edges and corners, then quickly and very lightly sand over the entire face of the wood. I’m not sure what expert distressers do, but this works fine for me.

Glue and Nail:

Now it’s time to put the box together. I always use wood glue and finish nails for these types of things. There isn’t ever going to be a lot of pressure on the box or weight, so glue and nails (finish or brad) will hold it together just fine. If you’re a woodworker you can use any type of joinery, but again, I was trying to keep this basic for the rest of us. Anyway, I glue and clamp them, then add a couple nails to help hold it together. I usually let it dry awhile then remove the clamps and nail more if needed.

Finish the Flower Box:

I actually didn’t do a shiny finish on this box, though you could. I want it to get more naturally distressed whether by use or by exposure (sits in sunny room, may put it outside) so I didn’t add a poly. If you want to, my favorite is polycrylic. It is water-based and comes in different sheens and I just love how easy it is to use and how well it works.

Add décor:

Alright, the box is finished! Finally, add your jars and flowers or whatever else you are putting inside your box and ENJOY! I just love mine.Hope you like this project! Please share photos if you make one of your own! Have a happy springtime and remember to enjoy the flowers and sunshine amidst the rain.

Completed Centerpiece Flower Box:

If you like this project, please help me share it by pinning this vertical image to Pinterest!  Thanks friends!

Thanks again for reading! Check out a couple of my other springtime projects:  Flower Designs on Wood with Router, Wooden Serving Tray, and My Closet Renovation!

–Sheri