Project with Anthropologie appeal with help from the thrift and dollar store

I am so excited to share this project I did today because it is gorgeous, inexpensive, and pretty easy to make......

You'd see something like this at Anthroplogie for around $100 give or take. You can make your own for under $10. I was lucky enough the have the deck post laying around, but you can buy a 6 foot one for around $10. Then, you can make a ton of these! I recommend getting one that isn't pressure treated.

First, I cut my board into 3 pieces all different sizes.

Next, I painted each one a different color to go with the decor in my family room. Typically I prime bare wood, but in this case I didn't. I wanted a very rustic look with a lot of the wood showing, so I wasn't worried about the paint covering perfectly. I used Benjamin Moore eggshell paint for all three colors. And of course I used my "best friend" Purdy brush that has been my faithful partner for 2 years now. My brush has lasted me this long because I clean it very well after each use.

After that I distressed all of them with my palm sander.

I wanted the exposed wood to pop, so I wiped on some Min Wax stain wiping off any excess.

I found a solid silver tarnished tray at Goodwill for $1. I sprayed it white and distressed it. Sorry, forgot to take the after picture, but it can be seen with the vignette.

I bought the glass jars and candles at the dollar store. Honestly though, you can save even more money by simply using whatever you may have laying around house. If you're like me, you have thousands of candles stashed away. I just bought new stuff for this project because I wanted a uniform look for this post and "how to". I glued the base of the jars to the top of my pillar. I used Gorilla Glue for this. In addition, I used greenery to decorate the base. There are so many other things you can use. Shells, beach glass, stones, acorns, pine cones, etc....

Linking to THESE fabulous parties....