I am sharing the cutest DIY today. It combined some of my favorite things, upcycling, the color green, succulents, concrete, board games, and moss!

Come see how I made the cutest checkerboard table for the patio!

this …

The idea

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The idea started with these little concrete containers .

I loved the shape and knew I wanted to make them into little planters. So I decided to cover them in moss (I recently found multiple boxes of moss I had bought for wedding decor and never used).

I thought they would make adorable game pieces for a checkerboard.

Making the game pieces

I was working with the moss that I had on hand, so I used two different types. Above is the peel and stick moss, a dream to work with, and some Reindeer Moss (bagged) that I hot glued on. The Reindeer Moss colors I used is green and cream.

Be careful working with hot glue gun!

I went with the solid green for one set and the cream and white for the second set. You need 12 pieces per set. Once the moss was applied I decided on Succulent plants (I bought mine here) for their durability.

How to make a checkerboard table

Once the game pieces were done I had to figure out the checkerboard itself.

I found an old cafe table in our shed that had seen better days and was a perfect size to use as the base.

I had my husband then make a tabletop to set on top of the old table out of wood. Hubby used 1/2 inch plywood for the base and 1/4 boards for the outside of the frame. He also added the 1 x 2 inside for a snug fit over the existing table. Yay for upcycling!! It sits right over top of the old table. We secured in with wood glue and screws. A checkerboard has 64 spaces. 8 up and 8 down. I established that I needed the squares to be 3.75 inches each to fit the games’ pieces. So the actual board had to be 31 inches square (and that my friends stretched my math abilities).

Painting the checkerboard pattern

Next up painting a checkerboard pattern. I chose white paint SW-Alabaster that I had leftover and SW-BokChoy (a pretty green) for my squares.

Let me state I was not looking for perfection in this paint job. I want it to look homemade and quaint. I decided to hand paint the squares.

The hardest part was how to do it without a guide.

Should I free hand? Nope, not the best plan for me. 🙂 I decided post it notes would work as a guide. I cut a 4 inch post it’s to 3.75 size and laid them out.

The sizing worked out perfectly!

The post it plan worked GREAT! I painted three coats of the white (it had primer in the paint already) and two coats of the green. When dry I sprayed the entire board with 3 coats of exterior polyurethane for added protection from the elements.

The Finished Checkerboard

And here is the finished table. TA-DA!

See, I told you! It’s the cutest checkerboard table!!!

I still have to move it over to the patio at the Airbnb but since we have guests scheduled for the next few weeks I took advantage and enjoyed a few games outside.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate the Spring weather we have been enjoying. And a bonus….I won all the games!! 😉

Okay, so I mentioned all the leftover wedding moss…..here are a few other projects I did with them.

Moss Art- DIY textured wall decor in less than an hour

5 of the easier ways to elevate dollar store vases

How to add a touch of Spring to a small entryway

Happy Spring, Everyone!

Until next time,

-Libbie