DIY Coffin Charcuterie board

I was perusing halloween decor at Target and spotted a coffin shaped charcuterie board and immediately got the bug to make one for myself. Could I have bought it at target? Sure, but why buy something for 25 bucks when you can spend a week making one with scrap wood you have in your garage?

I had some nice Birch plywood leftover from a previous project sitting in my garage, so I started by cutting that into the shape of a coffin using my circular saw. The shape of a cofffin is just an elongated hexagon, and I sketched out one side of it till the shape felt right, then reflected that to the other side so that it was a symmetrical shape. The overall dimensions are shown below so you can replicate the exact measurements if you’d like. The size felt pretty ideal for a charcuterie board, but you could always make it smaller or bigger if you’re making your own!

Once It was cut out I gave it a quick sand, then finished it with edge banding. I wasn’t originally going to do this (I was planning to just paint the whole thing, but I need to test the edge banding out for another project, and it actually ended up making it look very nice and finished).

I then used my router to create little rounded channels as handles. I had planned on using some drawer pulls to make handles, but when I realized that the grain on one side made a very spooky looking face, I didn’t want the handle to get in the way of the spooky face, so I ended up using my router and a round bit to create the groove “handles”

I had planned on painting in black, but with the discovery of the face in the wood grain I pivoted and instead stained that side ebony so the spooky face remained. I painted the underside black, that way I could have it black or stained- best of both worlds. Since this isn’t something like a bowl, or something that knives will be used on, I finished it with Lacquer. Based on what I could find online, for this application that sounded like a fine food-safe finish once it’s dried and cured. (it’s also what I had on hand). But if you’re concerned about food safety, do you own research on what feels like the safest finish for you.

Once it was all dry and finished, it was time to load her up with tasty things! This is, of course, up to your own taste. You can make it a sweet-things board, a savory things board, whatever the heck you fancy. Since it’s a coffin shape, I made a simple skeleton shape out of the food (though I’ve see this done with a little plastic skeleton surrounded by the food, which is also super cute).

I filled my charcuterie board with:

Brie (cut into the shape of a skull)
Goat Cheese (sliced into a “spine”)
Candied Mango slices
Pear Slices
Blueberries
Blackberries
Figs
Meringue Cookies
Yogurt covered pretzels
Crackers
Pistachios
Salami
Prociutto
Tiny White pumpkins

There you go! If you don’t feel like tackling the DIY project, but still want to do a charcuterie board like this, there are a bunch of fun coffin-shaped boards out there like these ones on Etsy, or these ones on Amazon.

DIY Hex Tile Coffee Table

Two of the things I love most about DIY are refreshing old pieces, and using reclaimed or leftover materials to make something totally new and beautiful. Most of this coffee table is made using salvaged pieces and leftover building materials. I had a few tiles left over from my bathroom remodel and I never could throw them away, even though there weren’t very many, simply because they’re SO pretty. I started scheming how I could use them and realized there’d probably be enough to make a coffee table. I found some vintage table legs at a local building material salvage spot, and the coffee table started coming to life. Thanks to some beautiful Behr Champagne Gold spray paint, the table legs got a refresh, and I was able to make a mixed material table top with the tiles I had.

Watch the full tutorial below!

What you’ll need:

Materials-
Champagne Gold Spray Paint
Table Legs
Tile
Tile Adhesive
Wood Glue
Wood Filler
Screws
Finish Washers
1x5 Hemlock
1x2 Hemlock

Tools-
Compound sliding miter saw
Brad Nailer
Drill
Trowel

You might also like

DIY Corrugated Metal Raised Beds

I made these galvanized corrugated metal raised beds a few years ago and always intended on doing a DIY tutorial for them and never got around to it until now!  I'm actually kind of glad because I was able to see how they held up over the years.  They've held up beautifully!  The only part that needed some TLC was the top trim, which needed to be re-stained after years of being pelted with rain for months on end during our wet winters here in the PNW.  So today I sanded those down and put a new coat of stain on and they look nice and (almost) new.

These beds are seriously one of my favorite DIYs that we did in our yard, they were pretty easy to build and I like the way they add a little bit of industrial vibes.  I'm not usually a fan of corrugated metal, it can get too kitschy and shabby chic, but these are pretty low-profile and to me they don't read as either of those aesthetics.

What you'll need to make one 4ft x 4ft raised bed:
(adjust quantities sizes depending on the size of the beds you're making)

1- 8ft 4x4
2- 8ft galvanized corrugated metal sheets
2- 8ft 1x4's
16- 1 in screws with small washers (to attach the metal to the 4x4s)
8- 1.5 in wood screws (to attach the top trim to the 4x4s)
Skill Saw
Metal cutting skill saw blade (to cut the corrugated metal)

01/ Cut the 4x4 into four 15 inch long pieces to make the "legs" of your raised bed. 

02/ Chop the two corrugated metal pieces in half to create four 4 ft pieces.  Then cut each piece down to be 15 in wide-- the height of your raised beds.

03/ Attach one of your four metal pieces to two of the 4x4s to create the first side of the raised bed. Do this again to create the opposite side. Use the screws with washers and place the screws in the dips of the corrugated metal- I used 4 screws for each 4x4.

04/ Now you'll start putting the sides together.  Place the two sides you've just made so they stand up (they should be able to stand up on their own, but if not, have someone help hold them), and have the metal sides facing each other. Take another piece of the corrugated metal that you pre-cut and place it against the 4x4 to create the third side of your bed. Screw it to the 4x4s with your screws + washers.

Two of the sides will have the metal "inside" the 4x4s and two will have the metal on the outside.  

Do this again to attach the final side of the bed.

05/  Cut the 1x4s into four 4ft pieces, then cut a 45º angle on every end so that they fit together to create 90º corners. Place these flat on top the 4x4's and screw them into the top of the 4x4s.

06/ optional, but I recommend staining the wood to protect it from the elements.  We built our beds about 4 years ago and I just now had to sand and re-stain the top trim because it'd been worn down by all the rain we get in the winters. 

The metal is still perfect and hasn't rusted at all!  These beds are super affordable and can be made in an afternoon!

If you're worried about the beds moving (mine haven't at all) and want to anchor them a little, you can make the 4x4's a little longer than the bottom of the corrugated metal and dig those down into the ground, or just dig the whole thing, sides and all, into the ground a few inches.

---

You Might Also Like

Blueprint Lighting Glow Up

Thank you to Blueprint Lighting for sponsoring this post and providing the light fixture for this space.

It’s truly hard to say what the biggest transformation in this space was since every single element made such an impact, but updating light fixtures not only replaced an ugly element with something stunning, but also vastly improved the brightness in a room that was previously pretty dark.

The original “boob light” flushmount fixture was ugly, sure, but it also did not do enough in terms of lighting the kitchen. This kitchen only has a north facing window, which means in the overcast winter days, it was not lighting the space adequately.

The ceilings in this room aren’t high enough for much more than a flushmount, so I knew I’d have to replace it with something at least semi-flushmount at most, and when I found Blueprint Lighting’s Lucienne flushmount I immediately knew it’d be perfect!

They sent over a whole set of finish samples, which made it even harder to pick because there are so many color and finish options! I almost went with the Malachite or Denmark colors to match the cabinet color, but ultimately I decided to go with the brushed brass to match the other brass elements in the room.

It’s legitimately one of the most beautiful light fixtures I’ve ever installed and now I’m jealous that it’s in my brother’s kitchen, not my own, thought to be honest, I do have my eye on some of their chandeliers for my kitchen. Now that my ceiling is painted black, a light fixture would really pop against the dark ceiling!

Jack's yellow ceiling!

This is your sign to paint your ceiling! I love how fun this room is now that the ceiling is painted!