Shabby Chic Toothbrush and Towel Holder DIY {tutorial}

This should actually be titled, "While the Hubster's away, the Mrs. will play." I actually purposed to do this project when he wasn't home so I could break into his tool box and hardware and complete the entire project without his butting in. Tee hee.

Anywho...

I'm a HUGE fan of turning old things new by finding different purposes for them and using my creativity to make it my own. This tutorial was inspired by something I found on Pinterest

*ahem*

but only the Ball jar element of that inspiration was repeated in my creation.

Here's what I ended up with {and exactly what I wanted}.

Now, let me walk you through the process a bit. There are some tricks and curves along the way since I had to think this up on my own as I went. Scary? Not a bit. I knew what I wanted and I took it one step at a time to get there.

I started with a piece of an old, picket fence. I love the weathered and worn look on wood and I didn't have to do anything to this piece since it was already weathered. What I needed to do though, was cut it down to size. I'll also take the chance to mention now the other elements that were added on for the finished product.

I had

One Ball Jar {I prefer the blue color to the clear glass but, to each his/her own}
One Ring Clamp {not "tightener thingy" as I refer to it}
One Door Knob. {If you ask me, the older and crustier the better}
Old Door Hardware with a keyhole {again, old and crusty = beautiful}
Screws to fit the items you have
An anchor for the wall

To figure out where to make my cut, I grabbed the pieces I would be attaching to the wood and marked {with a pencil} where they would go. Just do a simple line for the top and bottom of each part so you know your spacing is correct.

Grab your hand-saw! {I truly wish I had some power tools to make it easier but use what you have.}

I cut the bottom and used a bit of sandpaper to be sure there were no splinters to make their way into my towels or my kiddos' fingers.

Pay no attention to the holes made in this piece while it was acting as a fence. They're just part of its character now.

This part was a bit tricky. If I had a better working space and better tools, I may have been able to drill a hole in the ring clamp. Since I couldn't, I moved the clamp toward the ribbed area and nailed it into place. {Yes, I know they're folded down. I wanted to be sure there was no wiggle room since the nails were so small.}

I {again} placed the Ball jar on the clamp to make sure my lines were correct before getting my doorknob hardware screwed down. All was well, so I attached the hardware into place. {I love the curves and chipped paint on this piece.}

With that in place, I could pre-drill a hole for the screw to hold the doorknob in place. *WORD TO THE WISE* Be sure you have a doorknob that will screw into place. I did not have this so I had to come up with another method to attach it.

Should you choose a doorknob similar to mine {square hole instead of a circle}, I came up with the idea to leave the large screw I drilled in the wood in place. Then, I found a much smaller screw and placed that, head first, into the base of the doorknob. {Be careful to not let it get away from you or you'll lose it in the doorknob.} I gingerly placed the knob with the small screw onto the large screw, held the back of the large screw in place with a screw driver, and screwed the doorknob on.

My crazy idea worked perfectly. That doorknob isn't moving. Even my dad said he would have done the same thing if he found himself in my position. And since he's a genius at "fix-it" stuff, I'm glad to know I did the right thing...and it was MY idea. lol

There's my completed towel holder. It's old and worn and I love it.

With that in place, it was time for me to anchor this puppy into the wall. There was a hold in the picket fence from it's previous home and I decided to use that hole rather than drilling another. I marked the wall, drilled a hole in it, placed the anchor in, and then screwed the wood onto the wall by lining up the screw to rest in the anchor.

No wiggles? No jiggles? Check.

Time to mount the Ball jar. This is a delicate process as it's dealing with a glass jar. No butterfingers allowed. ;)

After holding the jar in the clamp, I tightened the clamp as much as I could by hand and then used a screw driver. I was sure to really tighten it down. I didn't want this puppy to fall.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, I'm done!