EASY Pallet Book Cubby

I got a call from my fellow DIYer in crime Maran the other day in deep distress, sweat running into her eyeballs, with this breathless question: "HOW DO YOU GET PALLETS APART?!" 

Yeah.  We've all seen these amazing pallet projects on Pinterest.

The truth is rough.  The truth is pallets are a bear to try to take apart.

So I don't really.  I just cut what I want off of the pallet, and use it as is.

Not the answer she was wanting to hear.  She was hoping I had some magical way to easily pry up that tough wood without splintering the wood.  Now I know their are fabulous other DIYers out there that don't seem to have such difficulties.  It is true too, that not all pallets are created equal.  My Repurposed Life even promotes a special tool that is supposed to easily take them apart!  So if you are really going to get into this pallet thing, maybe you should invest in it. :)

But here's how I do, pry a few boards off, and then get armed with a skill saw or sawzall and cut the part you want to use.

 
Sorry for the old photo from a previous pallet project, but you get the point.  I'm not like most bloggers, who somehow seem to be able to photograph every move they make!  Humph.  I better get on that.



Look at the photo below - see how I just cut this corner off of a pallet?

Then I cut a board to fit into the bottom and used a nail gun to secure it to the bottom to make the perfect little shelf for this book cubby!  I love this for library books, since our house seems to eat them up.  I'd rather not have to buy any more replacements!

For the little chalkboard sign, I just used a piece of scrap wood I had and painted it with homemade chalkboard paint:

A little plaster of paris dissolved in hot water, and added to black paint.  Simple!

Then I just attached it to the front of the pallet with wood glue.

I also painted the wood a light gray color, and then sanded it all with a low grit sand paper to smooth the rough wood out.  Don't want slivers on tender little fingers putting away their library books.

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Pallet Treehouse {Creative But Blogless Friends}

Oh oh OHHHHH can we say I know some amazing people??? 

Welcome to another edition of "Creative But Blogless Friends"!

I'm not sure "blogless" really applies here since Marissa DOES write an amazing blog but last I checked it hadn't been updated in seven months.  And also, I guess this is a tribute to her hubby, even though I'm sure she had something to do with this amazing project!  Because behind this great guy is a great wife!  And she's not only my friend, but my little cousin.  :)

Today let me introduce to you the man my sweet and wonderful little cousin Marissa married - Dallas Wessels.

Not only does this farmer have a continual twinkle in his eye and a mile wide smile that beams from the inside out, but he's an amazing repurposer!!!!  Everyone's doing something with pallets these days - including repurposing them for firewood - but THIS guy made an awesome fort for his four kiddos on his Iowa farm.

I asked him to email me pictures of the building process, so that's what you're getting today.

Sorry I do not have step by step instructions for you, but maybe someday he'll be famous enough from Pinterest to need to make a DIY channel on YouTube.

Notice the old barn door...

Adorable little chip-off-the-old-blocks:

(Just kidding Missy, you're not old and you're not a block!  haha)

I feel like I should offer some sort of prize for the person who can guess how many pallets this treehouse took to construct!  But alas, I don't even know....

Check out this climbing wall or ladder on the backside:

Thanks for tuning in today!

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