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In this episode of “Making Money with Smalls,” the focus is on high profit, low-cost items. Matthew explores what’s hot and selling in big box stores, breaks down their builds, and puts his own twist on them. In this particular episode, he takes a closer look at two different builds from Hobby Lobby.
The first build is a piece of wall art that can be used inside or outside. The majority of the piece is made out of a quarter inch plywood, including the backing, which can be made out of paneling or pickets/pallet wood. The edging is three-quarters of an inch thick and about an inch wide, with corners cut at 45-degree miters. The writing and tree stencils can be made with a laser machine or bought as stencils. The mountains are cut at 27 degrees and are all on different heights, with different color stains used to create a unique look. The host estimates that this build can be made for around $5 and sold for $20-$30 per piece.
Key Takeaways
- High profit, low-cost items are the focus of “Making Money with Smalls.”
- The first build from Hobby Lobby is a piece of wall art that can be made for around $5 and sold for $20-$30 per piece.
- The mountains are cut at 27 degrees and are all on different heights, with different color stains used to create a unique look.
Building Wall Art
Materials for Wall Art
To build a piece of wall art, one needs a quarter-inch plywood, which is the primary material for the backing and the mountains. The edging requires three-quarter-inch thick material, while the corner miters are 45 degrees.
Creating the Wall Art Backing
The backing of the wall art is made of three different boards, which are actually grooves made on a piece of plywood. One can use paneling or pickets/pallet wood to make the backing, which is only a quarter of an inch thick. The backing is then glued to MDF.
Assembling the Wall Art
After making the backing, join the boards together from the back using strips of wood and brad nails or pocket hose screws. Frame the backing using three-quarter-inch thick, one-inch wide material with 45-degree miters at the corners. Attach the frame using wood glue and brad nails.
Designing the Wall Art
To create the design on the wall art, one can use stencils or freehand the design. For the writing and trees stencils, laser machines can be used, or one can buy cheap stencils on Amazon. The wording is created using a stencil and black spray paint. The mountain design is created by cutting the mountains at a 27-degree angle. The repeating design on the top of the mountains is made using a scrap or cardboard, cut to shape, and painted white.
Building the Mountains
To build the mountains, cut them at a 27-degree angle. The mountains are 10 inches, 7.5 inches, and 6 inches tall. To get different heights, one can cut them all at the 10-inch side at 27 degrees and remove the bottoms until they get the desired height. The mountains are then stained using different colors to achieve the desired look.
Creating the Mountain Design
The mountain design is created using a repeating design that is placed on top of the stained mountains. The design is made using a scrap or cardboard, cut to shape, and painted white. One can get a variety of cool looks by changing up the colors and using a white-washed background.
In conclusion, building a piece of wall art requires quarter-inch plywood, three-quarter-inch thick material, stencils, and spray paint. The backing is made by joining grooved boards, while the mountains are cut at a 27-degree angle. The design is created using repeating patterns and scrap materials. With a cost of around $5 per piece, one can sell the wall art for $20 to $30 each.
Building a Display from an Old Farm Store
Materials for the Display
To build a display from an old farm store, the materials required include three-quarter-inch thick legs measuring 62 inches for the back legs and 58 inches for the front legs. The back frame of the display should also include a chalkboard measuring 15.5 inches in width and 7 inches in height. For the boxes, fence picket material or pallet wood can be used, with a quarter-inch plywood or a thin 16th of an inch plywood for the bottom.
Assembling the Display
The display is assembled by first building the back frame, which includes the legs and the chalkboard. The chalkboard is attached to the side legs using wood glue and brad nails. The front legs are cut at a sharp angle, which can be done using a hand saw or circular saw. The front leg spacing at the bottom of the display should be 15 inches from the back leg. Once the front legs are cut, they can be attached to the back leg using a scrap piece of quarter-inch plywood, wood glue, and brad nails.
Creating the Chalkboard
To create the chalkboard, a piece of plywood or MDF can be painted with chalkboard paint. The chalkboard is then attached to the side legs using wood glue and brad nails.
Building the Display Boxes
To build the display boxes, frames are made using fence picket material or pallet wood. The bottoms are attached using glue and brad nails. The sizes for the boxes should be 15 inches in width with a quarter of an inch play on each side. The depth for each box varies, starting at 5 inches for the top box and adding 2 inches for each level down.
Assembling the Display Boxes
The display boxes are assembled by gluing and brad nailing the frames together. The bottoms are attached using the same method. The boxes are then attached to the front legs using bolts and a scrap piece of quarter-inch plywood to overlap the front leg.
Overall, building a display from an old farm store requires simple materials and basic woodworking skills. With a little creativity and customization, a display like this can be built for a fraction of the cost of store-bought displays.
Rustic 6′ Wooden Ladder
The Rustic 6′ Wooden Ladder is a popular piece of wall art that can be used both inside and outside of a house. The whole piece measures 13 inches tall and 32 inches wide, and is made primarily of quarter inch plywood. The backing, which appears to be made of three different boards, is actually just a single piece of plywood that has been run through a table saw to create paneling. The backing can be made out of paneling, pickets, or pallet wood.
To create the ladder, one should start by making a rectangle with the desired material. The boards can then be joined together from the back using strips of wood and brad nails, or pocket hole screws. The edging around the ladder is three quarters of an inch thick and about an inch wide. The corners are 45 degree miters, which can be achieved by framing the ladder out and attaching it with wood glue and brad nails.
The mountains on the ladder are the most challenging part of the build. They are all cut at 27 degrees and come in three different heights: 10 inches, 7.5 inches, and 6 inches. To achieve different heights, one can cut all the mountains at the 10 inch side at 27 degrees and remove the bottoms until the desired height is achieved. The mountains are stained with different colors to create a unique look.
The ladder also features stenciled trees and wording. The trees can be laser cut or made with cheap stencils from Amazon. The wording is created using a stencil and black spray paint.
The Rustic 6′ Wooden Ladder can be built for around $5 and sold for $20-$30 if decorated nicely.
Farmhouse Coat Hook Sign
The Farmhouse Coat Hook Sign is a piece of wall art that can be used both indoors and outdoors. It is 13 inches tall and 32 inches wide and is made mostly of quarter-inch plywood. The backing is made of three different boards, but it can be made from paneling, pickets, or pallet wood. The backing is glued to MDF, but it is recommended to use pickets or pallet wood to get the full thickness of the material.
The edging around the sign is made of three-quarters inch thick wood and is about an inch wide. The corners are 45-degree miters. The writing and tree stencils are made using a laser machine or cheap stencils from Amazon. The wording is created using black spray paint.
The hardest part of building this sign is creating the mountains. All of the mountains are cut at 27 degrees and are 10 inches, 7.5 inches, and 6 inches tall. The mountains are arranged in different heights, with three in the background and two in the front. The different looks are achieved by using different color stains. The design on top of the mountains is a repeating design that can be made using scrap or cardboard.
The Farmhouse Coat Hook Sign can be built for around $5 and can be sold for $20 to $30.
Nautical Themed Outdoor Decor (Anchor, Seahorse, Turtle)
The nautical wall art piece is made primarily of quarter-inch plywood, with a backing that can be made from paneling or pickets/pallet wood. The edging is three-quarters of an inch thick and about an inch wide, with 45-degree miters at the corners. The mountains on the piece are all cut at 27 degrees and can be stained in different colors for a unique look. The design on top of the mountains is a repeating design that can be created using a stencil or freehand.
The second piece is a display inspired by old farm stores. It features different levels with trays that can be flipped up and a chalkboard at the top for writing messages. The legs are made of three-quarters of an inch thick by an inch and a quarter material, with the back legs at 62 inches long and the front legs at 58 inches long. The front legs have a sharp angle that can be cut easily with a hand saw or circular saw.
The boxes for the display can be made using fence picket material or pallet wood, with a quarter-inch plywood bottom. The boxes are all the same width (15 inches) but have different depths, with the top box being only five inches wide and each level below adding two inches to the width.
Overall, these nautical-themed outdoor decor pieces can be built for a low cost and sold for a high profit, making them a great option for those looking to make money with smalls.