Pallet board book case

I have been wanting to make my boys a bookcase for a while now. The only problem was that their room was not big enough for a bookcase. I had planned on putting one right outside their room in the hallway but it would have been a very small bookcase. I was hesitant to put one there because it was not going to fit all of their books. After some time had passed, I decided that I would put one on the second landing of the stairs. 

I wanted to get rid of the left over pallet boards that I had sitting in my backyard, so I thought that this would be the perfect project for that. I literally used up all of the wood that I had left over.

 First I measured how much space I would have in the landing and laid out the boards according to how wide and tall I wanted it.

After everything was laid out, I labeled what was going to go where, i.e. bottom shelf and backboard. 

After I labeled everything I made my cuts.

I used these mending braces to attach the shelves together and some of the boards on the back (these things are awesome!)

Before I painted I sanded the bookcase down with an 80 grit paper.

 I painted the bookcase with a chalk paint that I made. 

I applied two coats of paint. When the paint was dry I decoupaged a Batman figure that I cut out from a poster. I used my own decoupage mixture. 

I purchased this lantern for $5 at Five Below. I wanted a light to go on top of the book case so we would be able to see it at night when we are going up or down the stairs. The boys and I are a bit clumsy sometimes so I wanted to make sure we wouldn't be running in to it!

 Although the bookcase does sit on the floor, I wanted to make sure that it was secure and would not topple over onto one of the boys. I purchased this picture hanger from Hobby Lobby for about $4 with a 40% off coupon. It holds up to 100 lbs but they also sell one that holds up to 200 lbs. I attached it to the back of the back case and mounted it onto the wall.

 It does sit on the floor but I slightly tilted it back to attach it to the back base. 

Now we have an awesome and safe bookcase!

Thanks for checking out my blog and please check back every Friday for a new post.

-And remember, anyone can DIY. You just have to be willing to give it a try!

Shabby chic pallet head baord

This is one of my favorite pallet projects I've done so far...actually I'm not sure that I have a favorite because I'm obsessed with all of them! But anyway, this one required only several cuts. I started out with two pallets but cut one in half. I used the other half to make a wine rack.

This is before I cut the pallet. I used the support blocks from another pallet so the head frame would sit higher up (that's what's in front of the pallets.

One of my neighbors is moving and had a whole bunch of stuff on the curb to be thrown away. I had to go see what I could "rescue". The beams that you see leaning against the wall is what I grabbed from my neighbors junk pile. Those are the beams that go across the bottom of a bed frame to support the mattress.

Lucky for me they fit perfectly in between my pallet boards!

This is one of the Heat Treated symbols you need to look for when choosing pallets. I'll do a whole other post on how to chose pallets.

One of my friends came over to help me with this project. In this picture she already sanded them down. But before that, I simply took my extra pieces of wood, filled the gaps, glued, nailed, and cut. 

I left three gaps at the top half because I wanted to create shelves. I wanted my headboard to serve a functional purpose. 

After she sanded the pallets down, I made my own decoupage mixture and used it to line the top of the pallets and the shelves as well with napkins from the Dollar tree. I even decoupaged the beam at the bottom that will raise the pallets up.

I lined some of the inside with a vinyl adhesive that I got from the Dollar tree for another project. 

I then painted the pallets with a chalk paint that I also made myself. I applied two coats. I then stenciled PARIS FRANCE and 75017 (Paris zip code).

I added two hooks for my mason jars candles which I decorated. I pre drilled the holes in the pallet and then screwed the hooks in.

I made sure that the outlet was still accessible so we could plug up our phones at night.

The head board is not permanently mounted to the wall. My husband and I simply pushed the bed up against the pallet as much as we could.

I'm so happy with how it came out. This was a simple and cheap project! And the best part is that no else has one just like it : )

Thanks for checking out my blog and please check back every Friday for a new post.

-And remember, anyone can DIY. You just have to be willing to give it a try!

DIY wood stain; steel wool and vinegar solution

This wood stain took several attempts before I got it right. I first tried a tea stain but that did not work out well. 

This is the tea stain that I attempted three times (fail!)

This is the second  attempt at the steel wool. The first time I used a steel Brillo pad; it was not wool so it didn't work out (fail!) In this jar is a Brillo steel wool that already had the soap in it. I figured if I just washed out all of the soap it would work (fail!)

I found this one at Hobby Lobby and thought for sure that this one would work out because it says steel wool. WRONG! Epic fail, again. 

I did not want to go all the way to Lowes for this but had no choice. This is the one that many people use when I did my research. So I went out and got it. And it worked! FINALLY!  I only used one steel wool (the package comes with 12) and 8 oz. of white distilled vinegar. You need at least 24 hours before you can use it but I waited a week. 

When I was ready to stain my buffet table made from pallet boards, I added 8 oz. of water to the mixture. I simply used a rag to apply the stain. 

I used the same solution for several projects but found that after a couple of weeks the color is not as rich any more so I will be making another batch.

Wood stain, super cheap and easy!

Thanks for checking out my blog and please check back every Friday for a new post.

-And remember, anyone can DIY. You just have to be willing to give it a try!

Pallet board buffet table

I am really into grilling and like to eat outside. Now that I have an awesome patio set, I wanted to have more meals outside since the weather is warmer. When I have guests over, I sometimes like to serve the food buffet style; set out the food and let them grab what they want. I didn't want the table we eat at to be cluttered with plates and dishes while we are trying to eat. So I decided I would make a buffet table! I used the pallets that I had left over from my pallet board table top. 

The top of the buffet table was already together. I just had to add one board in the center. After that

I attached the four legs. I did not want a wobbly table, so I added more support beams. I then added six pieces at the bottom to act as shelves. I did not fill up the entire bottom because I did not want to make the table heavier.

TIP: Whenever I nail pieces together I first use wood glue, then hammer and put something heavy on top while the glue sets. I do this to ensure that whatever I make will be sturdy.  

After I had the table assembled, I sanded it down with a 60 grit sand paper. I made my own stain with a steel wool and vinegar. I will create a post on how to do this  as well. I took a rag and applied the stain. 

If you are making something and know that you are going to stain, I recommend first staining the pieces and then assembling. This ensures that you get every nook and cranny. 

 The stain immediately reacted with the wood. It came out a gorgeous brown! After I was done staining I applied a spray poly.

I have my tin can lanterns at the top, and chic coasters at the bottom of my gorgeous buffet table adorned with my burlap banner!

Thanks for checking out my blog and please check back every Friday for a new post.

-And remember, anyone can DIY. You just have to be willing to give it a try!