Pallet Scripture with Shield

We have plans to soon change the room that our boys share so that they will have more space. The room they share is small and the bunk that they have is not helping matters. I like that it has a desk and shelf in it, but because it is one that is shaped like a "T" and takes up most of their floor it will need to go. My husband and I browsed through Pinterest and tried to find a few pallet decor ideas to make it rustic and boyish. This is the first that I made for the 'remodel'. I am quite pleased with how it turned out! You can't quite tell from the picture but it is over 3 feet tall!

I don't think the project really needs much explanation. I cut a pallet to size, sanded it and then made stencils - used a piece of paper that I cut to make a shield shape and my Cricut for all the lettering. I was planning to stain it, but think that I will leave it be for now and see how the rest of the room turns out before changing the color of the wood. 

Chalkboard Pallet Sign

I realized I hadn't posted one of my favorite things I made last year!

I took a pallet with slats that were differing sizes and laid them all together so that they were as close together as could be. Then I screwed them to two small strips, so that it would stick very far out from the wall. Then I spraypainted with flat black paint. No expensive chalkboard stuff here! :)
So far, I have used it to:

• say "Give Thanks" - in this picture
• celebrate our Christmas Tree Decorating Party
• have my kids draw a manger scene and put a verse on for Christmas
• say "Happy New Year"
• a couple "Happy Birthday" greetings
• write a verse about love for Valentines....
  and probably a few more that I can't remember (because apparently Thanksgiving was the only time I remembered to take a picture!!!)

Pallet Style Pumpkin

 I made myself a little something today!
 I had been looking at all the fun fall decorations and the cute pumpkins, and my mom sent me a photo of a pallet pumpkin she had made.....and I decided to get on the bandwagon!

I started with a few slats of wood that my dad had given my husband years ago to make bird houses with, but we'd never gotten around to those projects. I thought they would be perfect for this because they are rough like pallets. So I got out his chop saw and got to work. I cut equal angle pieces from two side boards and cut the middle to length, then cut a smaller piece for the stem. I then gave them a quick sanding and took a photo....

I watered down some orange paint and 'stained' the pumpkin boards orange. Then grabbed an golden oak stain that I had and darkened up the stem, so it would have a nice contrast.

Then....I love all the monogramming that I am seeing around and thought the big monogram would help my pumpkin to pop. So I layed it all out like this:

Then I flipped it all sideways and liked it even more! So, after we put the kids in bed, I asked him to get me a couple thin slats for putting the thing together, drilled the holes and screwed the boards all together.

I actually used Velcro to put the "T" on the front, in case I decide to make a pallet style tree for Christmas, or an egg for Easter......

Pallet Egg

We started with a pallet. I sanded it a little, so there would be no splintering in little hands. Then I quick coated it with a light spray of Kilz sealer, in a sort-of egg shape.

 Then we gave each of the kids a section to decorate with craft paint, and taped off the area that was in between so that when they went over their 'lines' it would peel right off. This is the result!

Then I cut an egg out of paper until I got the shape I wanted and traced it off. My hubby cut it with a jigsaw, and we got this:

We still need to cut off the bottom and middle boards from the back, but I am super happy with how it turned out!

Pallet Wood Ornament

This is one way that I am passing on a legacy of homemade Christmas to my children: I make an ornament each year to give to family. This means that my children each have at least as many ornaments as they are old! I am really enjoying doing it and they are enjoying putting them on individual trees in their room each Christmas season!

This years ornament was inspired by some I saw for sale at the Daisy Festival this year. They ended up completely different than what I saw there, but I love to improvise! :)

I cut lengths of pallet wood, sanded and stained them. Then I used ModgePodge to attach a paper to the front that has the names of Jesus all over it. I scoured the craft store and did not find a manger that was bold enough, so I used some scrap stamp rubber to make my own manger stamp and stamped it in brown ink on the front. Then I drilled two holes in the top, used clothesline wire (because that is what I had and I hate running to the store for more stuff when I can use what I already have!) through the holes and twisted them around with my jewelry pliers. The last touch was a little bow made of twine that I tied on one end of the wire. I am so excited about the result!

Pallet Christmas Tree

 My husband picked up this pallet from me in the trash pile down the street because I had seen some great Christmas trees at the craft fair I went to recently. Then I looked online and found an idea that I knew would be just right for me.
So we cut the pallet, increasing 2 inches on either side, to look like a tree and removed the back boards. The middle piece is 4x4 and perfect for a sturdy stand, so we left it just like it was.








Then I stained the middle piece with a mahogany stain (painting carefully between the slats). Next I used a little white paint I had left from a house project, mixed it with water, and did a little whitewash on the slats.

After that, I had to decide on lettering, and ended up choosing to use my Cricut to cut vinyl and and adhered it to use as a stencil. I spaced them out, gave the letters one good coat of brown paint and let it dry.









Lastly, I cut a few twigs, formed a star with wire on the tips, nailed a little nail in the top section and hung the star on it. (I figured that little star would never make it in and out of the attic without breaking apart, so I wanted to be able to remove it and put it away safely!)


Now I just have to wait until after Thanksgiving to be able to display it!!!

Wooden Turkey

I found my inspiration for this project here:

http://wmcraftgoodies.blogspot.com/2010/11/todays-day.html

I used her example, but did things a little differently - mostly to save time/effort. I used a yard timber to give my turkey a little thicker and rounded belly. I STAMPED my sticks instead of adhering paper to them. I also dyed the nose and red-hangy-thingy (which I cut on the band saw from another tongue depressor) with my stamping ink. It took me less than 2 hours (if you don't count the glue drying time!) She explains things so well in her tutorial, I don't think you'll need any more info from me!

Pallet Book Shelf

I found this Pallet Shelf on a website this month, and immediately wanted to make it for our little guy's room. He's really into construction, as all little boys are. Here is our version:

I started this shelf with my husband not at home, but when I restarted with him at home, he jumped in to help. And boy am I glad he did! This was NOT A 5 minute job! It took us an entire evening together, after I had worked a whole nap time on it too.