Scavenger Chic

Pottery Barn Inspired Buoys

• By Joan
• June 9, 2016
• 8 Comments

The scavenger in me loves looking thru the Pottery Barn catalog.  I’m always drawn to the home decor made with reclaimed wood, and every now and then I find an item that I could actually make that just screams “Make Me!” This set of wooden buoys were definitely yelling at me.

The small one is 13″ high, the medium one is 15″ and the large one is 19″.  They are so cute and when I last checked, they’re on sale.  The set of three are now $41, on sale from $69. If you like, you can really skip right by the tutorial and go straight to shopping.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t possible buy them.  Look at those two pieces of scrap wood on the left…the voices in my head are getting louder…“you can do it!”

A girls got to do what a girls got to do.

Just like my Pottery Barn inspiration I cut the largest piece of wood, the 6×6, to a length of 19 inches.  The chop saw couldn’t quite do the whole job, it chopped most of the top off, but I had to finish with a sawzall. I estimated the angle, starting close to the center and angling out.

I had better luck with the 4×4 and the chop saw.  This one is cut to 15 inches.  Both pieces were sanded down to get rid of all the rough edges.

Since I had red and blue paint on hand, I wanted to see how closely I could replicate the medium buoy.  I printed the numbers out on the computer and transferred them to the 4×4  (leave a little distance between the 55 and 09).  Just trace the numbers with a pen and a firm hand and an imprint will be left on the wood.

I went back over the numbers with a pen so I could see them.  

With a handheld Dremel carving tool, I was sort of able to get the feel of the Pottery Barn buoys. 

The buoys were painted with chalk paint I already had. I didn’t have a light blue on hand, so for the larger buoy, I did my own color combo.

Once again, sand the edges and surface, to get that tossed by the ocean feel.  I also drilled holes in the top of the buoys for my rope.

The buoys were finished up with rope and a coat of dark wax.

Great decoration for a lake or beach house, hung on a dock or deck, but I could also see them gracing the front of a house with your house numbers.

Inexpensive and easy to make. Next time I would probably skip the carving and just paint the numbers…so much easier.

Have a great weekend and stay inspired.

Shared at Creativity Unleashed, Handmade Hangout Party,

The Painted Drawer, Link Party Palooza, DIY Salvaged Junk,

Share it one More Time, DIY Sunday Showcase,

Silver Pennies Sundays, Amaze me Monday,

Metamorphosis Monday, Show and Share, wow us Wednesdays,

Talk of the Town,

Related posts:

Pallet Wood Fish House Numbers One fish, two fish…house numbers Two Reclaimed Wood Christmas Stars Handpainted Vintage Sign DIY