pallet love, part 1

i have started a love with pallet wood.  i find random pieces on the road or behind buildings, load them in the car, and then disassemble and repurpose the wood into great crafts.  this is how i spent the summer crafting.

the first craft was a book shelf.  i have this in the playroom and we used it to house our library books over the summer so we'd always know where they were when it was time to return them.  this was big boo's brilliant idea.

 the second project was an outdoor coffee table.  i took a few pictures while i was doing it to show how it was completed, but got side tracked as i got to work.  i was so proud that i had used mark's tools WITHOUT him.  power tools are liberating and empowering.  LOTS of hard work as i pulled pieces off.

 the next projects was a wall hanging made from part of a fence.  my dear friend becky gave me some pieces of wood and fence she had salvaged.  it sat in my backyard for a month or so without any inspiration...until i found this great idea on tater tots and jello.  i attached some wire and hung it in the girls' room.  it reads "you are loved...always...john 3:16."  i want them to always know that they are loved by not only me and mark, but by jesus too, who died on a cross for their sins.

 the last project, which unfortunately remains unfinished, is a hanging porch swing.  mark was very gung-ho about it at first, but then we ran out of wood and haven't picked up any more to finish (boo hoo).  i don't heart leaving projects unfinished...must.finish.soon!!!  here is the start of the project...hopefully more to come SOOOOON!!!

thrift store goodies

even on vacation my little crafty brain is working.  while in desert springs, i spotted a thrift store, which i knew i had to stop in and take a peek.  it was owned by a local church and filled with all kinds of goodies.  since i had the girls with me i wasn't able to look around as i would have liked, but i did find a few goodies.  i only currently have pics of the one find.  i'll post the others later.  

this was a random box with fake grass and moss balls stuffed inside.  i was immediately drawn to the old aged white wood (don't you just love it)...it was only $3 and i think i even got 40% off that day too.  i saw such potential in this poor little neglected box someone found no more use for.  little box, i will give you new life in my house...

this is what it looked like before i had at it with a screw driver, razor blade, and hammer...oh yes...not as easy as i had thought...but definitely worth the hard work.

and this is the after...it is such a cute vintage looking box...aged to perfection in the paint job.  it currently lives on my coffee table, housing a few candles and a succulent.  she may move to another room, but for now, i like her here.  any suggestions on what to fill her with???

it's a dress...no, a skirt...

 i bought these dresses for the girls a few years ago and they have finally-against their will-grown out of them.  august tried so hard to put it on...which ended in tears...argh!  so i cut off the top part and turned it into a skirt...yee haw...that gives us at least 2 more years of wear...so thrifty!

BEFORE:

don't mind the upside down pic...oops!

 

drum roll please.....

AFTER:

with an adorable girl modeling it...thank you, little boo!

fake desk drawer deco

i recently saw another cool idea in one of the many blogs i stalk frequent (sorry, i can't remember the blog-i know, i need to better about this).  they were using old drawers for decorations.  since i don't have any spare drawers around my house, i thought i'd make one.  it was quite simple, since my husband leaves spare pieces of wood sitting around our garage.  beware hubs: nothing is safe in our garage when i am on a creative streak. 

and then finally....after all the assembling and waiting time 

(usually i am so impatient, i am surprised i waited long enough)....

you have the finished "drawer-not-a-drawer"...thing!

oh, i also glued an extra crystal knob that broke to resemble a handle...

FYI...hot glue does not really hold very well...i have re-glued it about 5 times...argh!!

repurpsed bowls

i bought these bowls at our church tag sale.  they were really cute, but i thought i could make them cuter.  i spray painted the bowls, sanded them a bit on the edges, and then glued the smaller one the bottom of the top bowl to give it a pedestal look.  i put it on my kitchen table to hold candles and some shells.

BEFORE

 

AFTER

repurposed old wood

i LOVE finding old wood pieces and turning them into cool things.  my friend becky gave me a few pieces of wood from an old picket fence.  i had this idea to use it as a shelf type piece to hang towels in the bathroom.  the wood was free and the two hooks i bought at lowes for about $6 each.  i LOVE the rustic feel of it.  i'm thinking i need to make more to put around the house...sorry about the bad yellow like coloring...the walls are actually white.

valentine craft #4-repurposed frame

i saw something like this on another blog and wondered if i had the things around the house to create something similar.  this is what i came up with.

i forgot to take a before pic of the metal frame before i painted it red, so i just took a shot of the backside.  i found this frame at my mom's house in some boxes of my old stuff from college.  it is such a cool baroque looking frame, i knew i'd want to do something with it.

i spray painted the frame red

added some polka dot material and a white heart doile i found stashed away

and viola!  a cute decoration for valentine's day

i put it in the kitchen next to a red candle (from christmas) and an apothecary jar full of heart candies (which will not last long in my house, i am sure)

the pantry redo

the pantry was in desperate need of an overhaul..so, my little OCD finally kicked in and i stayed up until 12:30 one night organizing it.  it is so nice and easy to find things now.  i pride myself on organization but you'd never guess it if you looked at the pantry.  well, i just couldn't have that!  i grabbed my BFF-the label maker-and went to town.  the pics don't do it as much justice, but i think you get the idea

BEFORE

AFTER

i love that i even labeled the "crackers"-as if you wouldn't be able to tell what they are.  mark had fun giving me a hard time on that one-it is for when they are empty and we need to refill, we will know what goes in there...right??!!!

BEFORE

AFTER-addin' a little spice to my jars

old school leg warmers

i wish i could say that i am creative enough to have come up with this craft on my own, but sadly, that wouldn't be the truth.  i came across it at a blog called calico and realized i could make these for my girls.  i looked through my sock drawer and found two pairs of socks that i don't wear very often and thought i'd test it out (thank you stephen and sarah for the pink moose pair-addy girl loves them).  they turned out so cute.  if you click on the link HERE you will find the tutorial.

BEFORE:

CUT:

SEW:

 AFTER: