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!

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Apple Ladders Made From Pallets

I love to decorate with ladders.
My grandpa gave me one from his farm, and I love it.
I have a feed sack hanging from it that also came from his farm.
You can see the feed sack and part of the ladder in this photo.

About 10 or more years ago I bought this little apple ladder at a craft store in Lancaster, Pa.
I have always wanted to make my own.
After I tore apart a set of pallets, I was left with these thick main boards.  I guess they are the frame for the pallet boards.  I thought these would be perfect for my apple ladders.
Below is the ladder that I bought long ago.

I used this ladder as a template for cutting the rungs for my "new" ladders.
So here are a set of rungs--just straight cut blocks from the pallet boards--no need to cut angles.

Now for the nails.  

I tried to save as many of the nails that I could when I tore apart the pallets.

They were awful rusty things--I love 'em :)

Okay, now for nailing it together--try not to get distracted by my antique stove in the background.
I tried to measure the distance between rungs, but I found it better to just put the rung in between the two boards and tap it with a hammer towards the top of the ladder until it looked okay.

A lot of guess work going on here.

I was so excited that it worked out!

Two "new" apple ladders.

Remember when I was tearing apart the pallets and I hammered my shin in the same spot twice.

Well, of course I couldn't finish a pallet project without hammering some part of my body again, could I?

OUCH!  Tears....sniffle...sniffle....sip some coffee....deep breath....okay, finish the project.

I thought I would stain them with dark walnut--I won't do that again.

They turned out too dark for me.

I did sand them after staining, but they are still too dark for me.  

I don't like it when it looks almost black--too fake.

These boards really had some character of their own.

I am very happy with the way they turned out for my first try.

You can see the older ladder in the back holding a logging tool.

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I Made a Sign

We are so close to the end of our school year.  Eight more days to go.
Research papers are soon due.  My house looks like a library threw up--books everywhere!

I am itching to get to the many many projects I have lying around our house and our garage.
One small project was to make a sign for our bedroom.

I wanted a verse that would encourage me.

I came across this one:
"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him:...." Ps.37:7

I knew that this would be too long for the board I chose, but the first four words were perfect for me.

I have a huge problem with worry, so I thought this would be a good verse to see when I go to bed after making so many decisions during the day.  It would also be good to remind myself every morning when I start my day.

I used one of the boards from a pallet.
I painted it with my sample paint I had for my walls in our bedroom--a stone color.

I copied the verse in a font I liked--sorry, I can't remember which font.

The words were too big, but that was a good mistake.
I thought I could make the words "in the" smaller and with a different font.

To transfer the lettering I colored on the back of the letters with a charcoal pencil.

I positioned it on the board where I wanted it and then tacked it with some painter's blue tape.

I then traced around the letters like this.

See, I told you I was a visual person.

 This is what it looks like underneath the paper after you trace over the letters.

It transfers the charcoal onto the board.

Using my Sharpie Paint Marker I traced and colored painted in the letters.

I let it dry but not long enough and sanded over the lettering to make it look worn.

I wanted to mention that when I painted the stone color on, I did NOT go all the way to the edges.  I wanted to get that sanded -worn look without actually having to sand like crazy.

I stained it with dark walnut stain to age it.

It is perfect!

I want you all to know that I used a level when hanging my sign.

I hammered in the nails, hung up the sign, and it look crooked.
Apparently the guy who built the closet didn't level off things.
I had to mess with the nails so the sign didn't crooked with the ceiling nor the closet.

I also sewed some new Linen curtains.
I am loving the change in our bedroom.

Any new projects for you?

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