Good old Stanley's Oasis. I saw this and I looked all over for something similar I could buy for them but, no luck. I decided I could make something like it.
I asked around for anyone with a large coffee can but to no luck there either. I was going to use a small paint can and use paint stir sticks to surround it when I stumbled upon this utensil holder at Wal-Mart. 
Wrong shape but perfect for what I needed if I cut the angle part off. My 10" saw wasn't big enough but when my handsome hubby brought me home my new Dewalt one, I knew it would do the job! I cut the top flat and sanded it. Later I found ones on Amazon that don't need any cutting if you decide to make one yourself and want to skip that step. I don't know why I didn't take pictures of all of my steps but I didn't, I think it was the hustle of the holidays or that I wasn't really thinking of blogging at the time.
I used my Silohuette Studio to design and cut out the vinyl lettering for the Stanley's Oasis sign and put it on the wood. 
I then applied this wood stain but I pressed it on and tried not to rub because it would get under the sticker too much. Parts did bleed quite a bit under the edge but I will tell you how I cleaned that up.
I got my dremmel tool out and put a fine sanding point tip on it. I went over the edges of the letters and wherever I thought the letters needed highlighting. In this photo I realized the Oasis part was missing the dot over the letter I. I went back with the dremmel to fix it. I also gave the whole thing a light sanding. 
It's a touch lighter but it looks good. It was around 11pm when I was dremmeling in the kitchen after the family was sleeping so again, I forgot all the photo steps. 
I know the letter scale is much larger than the scale of the original but with the vinyl letters it's tough to get them to cut out and stick when they are so small. It's an inspired by piece and I am taking my "artistic license" privledge :)
We decided to make the base from a kit my kids got at Home Depot. We take them the first Saturday each month where they do a free kid craft. One month it was "make a wood mini-pallet" and so the kids were not too impressed that time and just brought the kit home. Most of the time the crafts are wonderful and they get a free little apron and a pin for completing the job. Don't hate us Home Depot but we made a better use for the pallet craft by making the water tower base. My hubby did the major part of that construction for me, for fun.
I found the cars at the dollar store to go with the theme but I would have liked to get her some metal nice ones. These worked in a pinch. 
I stained the base with the same stain but it took it much darker than the top did. I think it was for 2 reasons. #1 different type of wood and #2. I wetted the wood of the base with water first to open up the grain (I watch a lot of DIY shows that say to do this) I did not do that with the container and I think that may have added to the darkness. Next time I would have skipped that step and tried for a lighter base. Every thing I do is a learning experience so I am just chalking it up to learning for the next time I do something similar. 
I decided to make the little signs that go on the base like they have there on the real one. The circle sign says "The 8 3/4 wonder of the world" just like the one at Disneyland. I took the whole thing outside and I gave it a coat of spray clear sealant and let it dry for several hours outside because it had quite a strong smell.
And here it is on the countertop at my MIL's house. She seemed to really love it. I put a little plant inside but I didn't water it (it comes right out easily and it's still in it's pot and a foil decorative wrapping) she can use it for a planter or a spoon holder or whatever she chooses. For a gift sake, I thought a little plant was fun and added a splash of color. 
It was fun to make and I think Mater would approve.
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