Palette Chair

This is the palette that became the chair that appears in the picture at the top.

I've seen chairs made out of palettes, but when it came time to actually make my own, I couldn't find the instructions anywhere.  I finally was able to find a 60-second "How to build a pallet chair" by HGTV, which I played over and over and over again until I had a good general idea of how it was done.  Still, it took a lot of trial and error on the first one.  And since all palettes are not the same, each one had to be done a little bit differently.  Still, I think with that good general idea and a lot of patience, anyone can create one of these!

Now the one in the picture above is not the one I am showing in the tutorial, but it's the same general process. 

First find a palette with 4 side beams.  Cut your palette into 3 main pieces:

A piece like this, complete with two beams--one on each side.  We'll call this the bottom.

And two incomplete pieces that look like this, with a beam on only one side.

Remove the slats from the bottom so you have three left.

Remove all the slats from one of the incomplete pieces, leaving you with a beam.

We are going to insert this beam into the remaining incomplete piece so that it will also have two sides, but be thinner than the bottom.  We will call this piece the back.

Now, this next step is very important:  Measure!

You want to measure the inside width of the bottom and the outside width of the back.  In this case, the inside width between the beams of the bottom is 13.75.

Position the new beam between the slats of the back, making sure the outside measurement of the beams in the same (or about a 1/4" less) than the inside measurement of the bottom.  The tighter the fit, the easier it will be to work with later.

Nail the slats in place, then flip it over and nail the supporting slats as well.

 

Next, remove the lower 3 slats from the back.  

(Sorry I don't have a photo of it, but you'll see what I mean in the next step.)

Lay the two pieces on their sides and wedge the lower part of the back between the lower part of the bottom.  It should be a tight fit.  I had to use a hammer to tap it into place.

Set it back up and adjust the back slope to your liking.  I was using a nail gun, so I just put a couple of nails where the beams cross.  Then at the end I went back and put in the screws.  But you can skip the nail step and just go ahead and put your screws in now.

Take a few of the leftover slats and nail them to the front for the legs.  I used 13" legs and they were just right.

I added another slat about half way between the top and bottom slats for more support.

One more support piece went to steady the back.

Finally I used screws everywhere I used nails.

And here it is in the garden.

So that's it!

Now with a little sanding and maybe some stain, I'll have some good garden chairs.  

 And the great thing is, they didn't cost a cent!

Until next time,

Go Get Crafty, Sister!

 ~Sister #2

Inspiration for "Stuff"

Whenever I'm browsing the web looking for inspiration, I usually find that I'm looking for stores "like Pottery Barn" or "like Pier 1," because, let's face it, even though there are more places out there that are just as inspiring, they don't roll off the tongue (or the fingertips) as easily as those do. 

So today I set out to find stores that have awesome "stuff" and are easy to navigate.  Some stores I found had awesome stuff, but it was so hard navigating the site that I quickly became frustrated and closed the page.  So here is my list, ready and waiting for when the urge strikes me.

The first is Pronto Home, which is not really a store, but a collection of stores.  If I need something specific, Pronto Home will help me find it quickly without having to go to each specific store.

The rest are loosely ordered according to ease of navigation.  I especially like if the user is able to "view all" when browsing.

Jonathan Adler

Bellacor

Hayneedle

Front Gate

Ballard Designs

Inside Avenue

Layla Grayce

West Elm

Wisteria

Burke Decor

Emmo Home

Artisanti


Have a favorite I should try?  Please let me know and I'll add it to the list!  Always looking!

Until next time,
Go Get Crafty Sister!
~Sister #3

Sun Shade Wannabe

My mother had a temporary carport that was tearing apart at the seams, so she decided it was time to take it down and stuff the trash can with it.  I, however, had other ideas.  Some of the sections were still in tact, so I dug them out of the bin and proceeded to turn them into shade for our back porch.

Completely in tact panel--no rips or tears.

Cut right down the middle.

Next I pulled out the sewing machine and hemmed the edges.  Yes, I know it's not perfect, but no one will see the him since it will be facing toward the sky.

I had these curtain grommets from a previous project.

They come with a template--all you have to do is decide on the placement, trace, and

cut.

The grommets come in two pieces:  one with a groove around the edge,

and the other with tiny spikes that fit through the fabric into the groove of the other one.

All you have to do is insert one...

and press the other one into place.  (The fabric is folded over, but I am still working on the cut area.)

All that's left is to hang and enjoy the shade!

Until next time,

Go Get Crafty, Sister!

~Sister #2

Birdhouse Show and Tell

Another show and tell, since I neglected to take photos of the process :(

I scored a pile of old wood from someone who was tearing down a fence (if you haven't already, you should Google "freecycle" for your area.)

I used the wood for several projects, and I was left with odds and ends of different sizes.  After a few cuts with my trusty table saw and a few shots from my nail-gun, I ended up with these:

I love how the knotholes worked out for the entrances!  I just drilled a hole in each one to accommodate the dowels.  A hook at the top and they were ready to hang!

Hope you liked them!
Until next time,

Go Get Crafty, Sister!

~Sister #2

Iron-On Wall Portraits

Renters and minimalists rejoice, for today you will learn how to take those photos that have been stuck in digital limbo and transform an entire wall (okay, maybe a small wall) into a photo gallery even your landlord can’t object to.  Using a $5 roll of fabric adhesive and your trusty iron, you can take your rented walls from ho-hum to a work of joy.  And when you're ready to move, these prints peel right off with no sticky residue or telltale nail-holes of horror.

 

  What you need:

1. ·      Black and white or color untrimmed photos printed on standard paper
2. ·      Iron-on lightweight fabric adhesive (like Wonder-Under or Heat 'N Bond)
3. ·      Painters tape
4. ·      Iron
5. ·      Thick fabric or towel
6. ·      Old pillowcase 

What you do:

1.  Cut a piece of fabric adhesive slightly larger than your photo.

 

2.  Lay thick fabric or towel on a hard surface, with photo face down on top.  Lay fabric adhesive, shiny side down, on top, so your photo is sandwiched between the thick fabric and adhesive.

 3.  Following the instructions that came with the adhesive, use your iron to fuse the adhesive to the back of your photo.  (If the idea of ironing paper scares you, cover your "sandwich" with the pillowcase before ironing.) 

5.    Trim your photo and peel off the adhesive backing.

6.  Lightly tape your photo in place on your wall and tape your pillowcase over the photo.  

7.  Using the same setting on your iron, fuse your photo to the wall.  If you have heavily textured walls, you may have to go over the fabric several times.  (Alternatively, you could fuse only the edges of your photo to decrease ironing time and minimize the amount of texture picked up by your photo.)

8.  That’s it!   Repeat with remaining photos and enjoy your wall!

But wait!  What if you want to remove it?

When you're ready to remove the photo, just peel it off.  If your iron was too hot when you ironed the image on, part of your photo might refuse to budge.  In that case, simply reheat with your iron to loosen the adhesive and continue peeling.