It seems as though succulents are taking over the internet as of late. And it’s not just Pinterest. I walked into a West Elm last week and was surprised to find they had a better selection of plants than my local nursery. But as ubiquitous as they’ve become, I have to say I probably won’t ever get enough of these gorgeous, architectural plants. Carry on, internet.

Images via Pinterest. Original Sources: here, here, here, and here.

A few weeks back I posted about a piece of walnut I picked up in Dallas to make into a rustic/modern coffee table. My dad helped me sand it down (3 hours with an electric sander), but we ran out of time to finish it. This weekend we put on the final touches.

We used Watco Danish oil to create a hand-rubbed style finish. This stuff is really easy to use. It involves 3 main steps – an initial application, a second application and then wiping off the excess finish. This stuff soaks into the wood and then hardens, so even the bark could be finished. We had a few drips that leaked through the knot holes, which we fixed by sanding them with steel wool and applying a second coat of finish. We went ahead and finished out the bottom just because. This stuff takes 8 hours to cure, but isn’t sticky. So, you can do this out in the yard without worrying that leaves and bugs will get stuck in it.

We then positioned the legs (from hairpinlegs.com) and some supports to prevent the naturally occurring cracks in the wood from widening. We pre-drilled all of the holes to avoid splitting and then added screws.

And here’s the finished product in it’s new home (excuse the photo, I don’t have Photoshop right now). I’m really pleased with the way this came out. Especially since I spent a total of less than $250 and 5 hours of labor. Similar tables on Etsy are going for $550+ (and I would note are far smaller than this guy, who measures in at 7′).

Cost Breakdown:

Wood: $120

Legs: $80 for the four, including shipping

Finish and supplies (brush, tack cloth, rags): $20

Total: $220 + time spent

I spent the holiday weekend at the lake with my family and, of course, food was a focal point. I haven’t been baking much since discovering I have a gluten allergy (doesn’t everyone these days?), but I couldn’t resist Carnal Dish’s recipe for Maple Glazed Apple Cinnamon Rolls. They were amazing. I was a bit worried as I’d never tried the recipe, but the came out perfectly. If you live in a dry climate, I’d cut down on the flour at first and add as needed. I had to add a bit of extra liquid while kneading the dough and Austin is humid. Sadly I forgot my camera, but I probably couldn’t have outdone Carnal Dish’s photo (above) anyways. This is a two-day recipe if you want to have them ready to bake in the morning, but if you love cinnamon rolls, plan on making these this weekend.

If you are looking to glam up your Memorial Day weekend, Anthropologie has you covered. Tangerine Ice Bucket, $58.

Via Pinterest.

A step by step guide for making a leather a wood wall-mount mail basket. I could definitely use one of these, but anything that requires a jigsaw is out of my league. Other than the hefty tools, the project looks simple enough and the results are lovely.

Via Curbly

Lovely geometric throw pillows from Ply Textiles, $98-$119 each.

Via Gems.

As an avid food blog reader, I enjoy the food photo styling as much as I enjoy the recipes. So, I was thrilled to find a little tutorial for making your own bendable cake flags over at Poppytalk. They are fantastically unnecessary and so much fun.

What a fantastic way to makeover a plain kitchen table that has seen better days. Get the tutorial here.

Get in on the neon trend and the dip-dye trend with one simple project. These bright planters were made with Ikea pots, painters tape and Rust-oleum.

All week, I’ve been obsessing about Anthropologie’s Torridon Rug. I love the warmth of the shag, I love the color pallet. I just love it. And it’s on sale. For $999. Yikes. With a dog (and a budget), there’s no way I can justify paying that for a rug. So, I’ve been desperately searching for days to find a cheaper alternative.

O.co had this hand-tufted wool rug that shares most of the color pallet for $500. Still too expensive and lacking the shag.

JC Penney’s had this rug for $120. A little more muted than I’d like and a little bit cheap looking (also out of stock). Now I’m wondering if I can just buy a white shag rug and do it myself.