Make | A Garden Bar

Upcycle an old (or new) potting bench into a bar cart to get the garden party started.

You’ll need:

A wooden potting bench (with a removable bowl if possible); sandpaper; outdoor paint in a colour of your choice; a towel ring, a wall-mounted bottle opener; cutlery hooks; ice bucket if your bench has no bowl; drill or screwdriver. 

To make:

1 If you bought your potting bench new (we found good flatpack models in Ikea and B&Q), put it together first. Then give it all a good sand and wipe down. 

2 Paint the bar all over in an outdoor paint colour of your choice. The louder the better, we think. 

3 Once dry, sand lightly, wipe down and give it a second coat. 

4 When the second coat is fully dry, screw the towel rain (for your bar towel) and bottle opener to the outside of the bar. If your bar has drawers, you can change the handles to something more suited to a bar, too. 

5 Fill your ice bucket or bowl with ice and cold drinks, add cocktail shakers, spirits, mixers and small bowls to the shelves. Pop snacks and bar games of your choice into the drawers and invite your friends round. 

This project is taken from our Almanac pages, which feature seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do each month.

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Crafting | How to Whittle

With a little knowhow you can make skewers for smores or even a useful extra tent peg

Whittling requires as little as a pen knife and some imagination, along with some young, fresh wood that hasn’t dried out and has fallen from the tree naturally – no chopping down branches. Pieces without knots are easier to work with, too.

While, when used with supervision, a pen knife is the best whittling tool, a vegetable peeler works well, too. You could even bring along some sandpaper to smooth your stick.

Begin by removing the bark, then cut the wood using a push stroke – this means cutting away from your body (with no fingers in the way). Never cut on your lap, always have the wood past your knees or to the side of your body for safety (and bring a first aid kit, just in case).

What you choose to whittle is up to you, but a suitable stick for toasting marshmallows, or a wand to wave around are good ways to add a little extra magic to your day out.

The instructions for whittling are taken from our May ‘Gathering’ feature, Whittle Down the Woods, which includes a menu for a late spring picnic along with ideas on things to make and do outdoors. The recipes are by Becky Cook and the photography by Will Heap.

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