Make it Monday

I love pallets. So much!

Here is a simple farmhouse style shelf made out of a pallet.

Cost: FREE!

To do this project, first you need to find yourself a pallet. They are pretty easy to come by and the condition of the pallet doesn’t matter too much.

One rule of thumb I have when selecting a pallet for indoor or garden use (edible garden) is to make sure the pallet is treated safely.

There are different ways they treat the wood. Sometimes dangerous chemicals can be used. Other times, heat is used as a treatment. You can tell the difference by the printing on the pallet itself. Look for a HT which stands for “Heat Treated.” I feel they are safer for use indoors and especially important to use if using a pallet for a raised garden bed or around an edible garden.

Once you have your pallet selected, choose which direction you want it to go and clean it off. Depending on how you want it to look, you may have to rip some of the boards off. You can either saw them off or, if the wood is old enough, the nails should come out with a hammer. Then, you are ready to start painting.

I have found there are two ways to get a nice “distressed” look:

Well, several ways really. But, what I always first think of is painting and sanding (which is great for some projects but can be time-consuming). Another option is to just paint sparingly with a bristle paint brush (not a sponge paintbrush). I have found that, this can create a similar look in half the time and with way less effort.

As you are brushing, brush lightly and leave some places uncovered. Let the wood below show through and it will look more worn. You can adjust this to however rustic you want it to look. It doesn’t take too much paint. I just used some leftover paint from another project.

Once you are satisfied with how it looks, let it dry.

Add a simple hook on the back and you are ready to hang and decorate!

For mine, I used several sentimental objects:

Above all, FAITH is the foundation of my house so I wanted to place the “Faith” piece prominently on top. You will also see my Little Lexi has a spot right in the center with the Yorkie plaque. There are a few white daisy’s which were in a larger arrangement which I made for our first home. The beach wood starfish was picked up on a special outing with my mom when we were antique shopping on Amelia Island, FL. The wood Prickles on the bottom left were taken from a palm tree in our yard at the house we built in Florida. I finished it off with some Spanish Moss we collected on Jekyll Island, GA on a special day trip we made there.

Part of my transition into “My version” of minimalism is to have each item in my home have value or bring me joy like the KonMari Method suggests. This farmhouse shelf fits both criteria!

You can read more about the beginning of my Minimal journey here: Minimalism: A Revelation. It’s an on-going journey but well worth it. I can already see the amazing transformations taking place!