There was a very unfortunate incident at the Anderson household earlier this week. Out of nowhere, in the middle of the night, one-third of our giant Live Oak took a nose drive into our driveway (see my Instagram here and Husband’s Twitter pic here). Without fear of overreaction I can say it was really quite sad. No persons, vehicles or structures were damaged - thankfully – but our poor old (80 years-ish according to the arborist) is really in pretty sorry, lopsided form. It was definitely a sight to see, making our circle driveway the neighborhood sideshow yesterday after work. The great news is that with a few cables, a soaker hose and some ground treatment (that may or may not be an over-precaution), our tree should survive!

Yesterday, before we were certain of the tree’s fate, I asked the tree removal team to save me a stump from the fallen trunk. If we were going to loose the tree, I thought it would be nice to have a little stool or side table to remember it by. I love mixing rustic, natural elements in with my modern decor. In fact, reclaimed wood end tables have really been catching my eye recently. Safavieh is actually selling several beautiful options on Joss & Main this week. They really are a wonderful versatile piece of furniture — the perfect place to rest a cocktail or display a lush potted plant.

But since I’m wanting to commemorate the traumatic tree falling incident, I am planning on going the DIY route. I found this wonderful, detailed (with great images) tutorial on The Art of Doing Stuff. I plan on adding my own twist, sans Ikea legs, but am thankful for the great tips they provided. Right now my stumps (2 actually) are drying out. Can’t wait to share once I’ve finished the project.