"EXCEPT THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE, THEY LABOR IN VAIN THAT BUILD IT"......Ps.127:1a
Showing posts with label Pallets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pallets. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A Present for Mom

Aren't moms the best!
If you have one still living
you should let her know how much you appreciate her whenever you have the chance.
I remember always hugging my mom and saying, "I love you" when I was young.
 She would tell me how she couldn't believe how much I hugged her and said that.
Now that I am older, I can't hug her every day, but I always want her to know how much I love her.
Long distant hugs and kisses look like this now XOXO  :)

Well, anyway, my mom asked if I could paint this bookshelf for her birthday.
It was such a blank slate.
I was ready for the challenge.
She wanted me to put some graphics on it and make it pretty.
I thought she would want some color, but to my surprise she wanted it white and stained.
So I painted it white with some latex paint.
I kept all of my graphics that I printed off just in case I wanted to use them again--Perfect.
The top was too plain.
I wanted to add wood to the top, but what?
At last week's Rustic Restorations Weekend, Kim over at Reposhture gave me the idea
to use Pallet Boards for a top.
Here I go again with the hammer, but the nails came out easy--not easy peasy though.
I sanded and stained the pallets with Early American MinWax Stain.
I also used this stain over the white paint.
I chose three Fruit of the Spirit to paint on each shelf,
 that I have admired in my mom over the years. 
Meekness
Longsuffering
Goodness
They are centered even though it doesn't look like it on this pic.
On the one side I painted a nest.
I used this graphic from the Graphics Fairy on my
Little Miss Misfit.
On the other side I used this graphic from the Graphics Fairy
that I used on my Spice Cabinet.
I added some more twigs to make it look like her nest was coming out of the seams.
So here it is!
Happy Birthday MOM!
Here is the BEFORE:
and AFTER:
Now she needs to find room in her home for it :)
Happy rearranging!

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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Making Vintage Signs with White

Okay, signs are a pretty common thing that people like to make here in blogland.
But.....
I am so excited that I can pick any font on my computer and make a sign with it.

These wide pallet boards are perfect for signs.
I usually use the charcoal method to transfer my sayings that I print off of the computer.
That is where I print off my saying.
Color on the back of the lettering with a charcoal pencil.
Flip it over onto the surface that I want the wording to be on and
trace around the lettering.
Then I fill it in using my black Paint Marker.

I didn't want to only have light colored signs.
I wanted some with some dark colored ones too.
So I bought a white Paint Marker.
The problem with dark paint is that you can't see the charcoal.
Solution....
Color on the back of the lettering with white chalk.
It works!

I painted the boards with some acrylic paint.
I didn't paint all the way to ends of the board,so it looked like the paint had faded or chipped away over time.
Coming up with the right saying is a challenge for me.
Plus, having the right font that matches that saying can also be a challenge for me.

Here are the signs I just painted.
I like the look of using two different fonts in one sign.
They are not stained in this pic.
I am loving the white marker.
It was perfect for the look I wanted.
Once they were dried I stained them with Walnut colored stain

Again that is the look I like....
Old, Distressed, and Rustic!


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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Mini Tool Boxes from Pallets

I have an antique tool box that a special friend gave me years ago.
I thought that pallet boards would make a perfect imitation antique tool box.

I had an old oak chair that fell to pieces
and
 Guess what?
 I saved some pieces.
I am so glad I did.
The rungs on the chair made a perfect handle for my mini tool boxes.

I measured and cut out each piece for one box.
Since I cut out enough for two boxes,
I tied and bundled them together with twine so I wouldn't mix up the pieces. 

I drilled a hole in the end pieces big enough to fit the rung.
I then attached the end to the bottom piece like this.


I flipped it over and attached the other end like this.
Then I added the sides to the rest of the box.


I was NOT happy with the way I cut the ends,
SO............
I went back to the garage and cut the ends in more of a triangle shape.


like this:


That was much better!

Copying a font off of my computer,
I transferred the word Herbs using the charcoal method.


 I numbered these boxes on the other side.
I also added some leather straps to the inside of the mini tool boxes.


I did a wash of stain over the fresh cut wood to antique them.

I really love the way these turned out.

Linking Up with:

 Photobucket Simply Done Wright

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Boxes Made From Pallet Wood

I have had so much fun making these boxes!
I was a little concerned with me using the table saw since I hit my leg with the hammer a gazillion times when I was tearing apart the pallet.
BUT no injuries have occurred during this project--Yay!

I measured and cut each of the box pieces individually, and then I tied them up with string so I wouldn't mix them up.
So this is one box.
I successfully nailed them together without smashing any of my fingers:)
I found these metal pieces in a free box at a yard sale--Yay!
I bought a leather belt at a second hand store for $1.50 to make faux handles.
My Aunt was so gracious to give me a hint at nailing tacks.  She told me to hold the tack with the needle nose pliers while hammering.  It worked like a charm!
Thanks Aunt Linda!
I also copied some fonts off the computer and transferred some sayings onto my boxes using a charcoal pencil.
These say Mail on one side.
On the other side of each box, I numbered the boxes.
I love these bigger boxes!
I did break a drill bit trying to drill a hole in the one end of the metal plates.
AND........
Sadly after I had taken this pic I grabbed one of these bottles by the orange handle.  Well the handle had a slit in it and down went the bottle in a thousand pieces.
Boy, does old glass really shatter!
I did like a stain wash to age the places where you could see that I cut the boards.

All this for a total of  $1.50.
I love doing projects like these!

Linking Up With:

{Primp}In The Old Road Tip Junkie handmade projectsPhotobucketshabby creek cottageFunky Junk's Sat Nite Special