DIY Garden Series: Repurposed Pallet in 6 EASY STEPS!

Last summer I acquired 3 pallets from a pave-stone order & have been dying to use them in my garden. There's definitely a hype around recycling old wood pallets at the moment. You've all seen them - the numerous Pinterest tutorials on how to go about re-purposing a pallet into many, many things. So for the past year I have been Pinterest-pinning like crazy anything pallet-related. However, none of the tutorials were very helpful. I found that my pallet was different from most, specifically the way the back was structured - to hold heavy duty things. If you find that you also do not have an ordinary, standard-built pallet as portrayed in most other tutorials, I hope this tutorial helps you :) This is also perfect for utilizing the most amount of space in a small backyard!

I plan on using the first pallet as a herb garden, the second for cascading vines, & the third for succulents. I will post updated photos when growth actually occurs, but I didn't want to wait till then to get this tutorial up knowing my green-thumb gardeners will be seeking out this tutorial right about now! So without further ado, lets jump right in!

You will need the following materials:

Safety goggles - wear throughout the entire project!!!

Gloves - wear throughout the entire project!!!

Hand saw - use caution!!!

Hammer - use caution!!!

3-1x5 Cedar Planks (Cedar is moderately rot-resistant & very inexpensive)

Nails:

Step One: Using a hammer, remove every other panel.

 

Front - Before

Front - After

 Step Two: Remove the 2nd and 4th panels. Also remove the middle beams using a saw.

Back - Before

Back - After

Step Three: Take the panels that you discarded in the previous step and place as shown in the 2 images below. If you could not salvage any panels, using a 1x5 cedar plank & trimming it to fit the corresponding area will work just as well.

Step Four: Now for the bases. Since I ran out of scrap wood, I trimmed & used 3-1x5 cedar planks to act as the base for each row.

Secure each base to the pallet by driving a nail through each side, as shown:

Can you see the nail-head? :)

Step Five: There will inevitably be some gaps within each row of the pallet. Since you don't want any soil to fall through, stuff these gaps with plant liner. Tiny gapes are find & don't need to be stuffed since there does need to be some drainage. You can use landscaping fabric, but I find that plant liner looks the most natural & earthy.

Step Six: Choose your herbs, fill each row with potting soil, sow your seeds, and the waiting game begins!

Link me to pictures of any pallets you've repurposed & comment below telling me if you found this tutorial useful :) Happy gardening!

How-To: Hydrangea Wreath Tutorial

I can't believe I'm saying this, but with Memorial Day coming up in less than 2 weeks (WHAT?!), it is now that time of the year to begin thinking about all things Summer! And what better way than with a front door wreath (big surprise coming from me, ha)! Artificial summer flowers can sometimes be hard to work with. Most of the ones in various crafting stores are too saturated. To me, that actually makes it look too fake & can come off a bit tacky if not styled properly. So I focused on cool (temperature, NOT state of self) colors to avoid this dilemma & this inadvertently makes the room seem cooler (temp again) - a future necessity in the weeks to come :( In addition to twine, wire cutters, and ornament wire, you will need the following matertials:

Light bulbs(Hobby Lobby) - $1 each, originally $2 each; Baby's Breath(Hobby Lobby) - $2, originally $4; Hydrangea(Michaels) - $6, originally $16; Bouquet(Michaels) - $10, originally $20.

 I have had this obsession with hydrangeas for too long - I mean who doesn't?! They are so luxurious & tranquil-looking. So when I purchased this one a year ago (talk about delayed gratification), I knew I had to make it the focal point/inspiration of a Summer decor project..and here we are :)

Cut the stem leaving 1/2 an inch to 1 inch with your wire cutters.

If you find that the proportion of the flower to the bouquet doesn't mesh well to the eye, simply trim the branches at the bottom in order to size-down the circumference of the hydrangea.

Place hydrangea as shown:

Secure by looping twine around the branches surrounding the stem of the flower, as shown. (You can also use a glue gun in addition to the twine.)

Next up, bulbs. Trim 12 baby's breath pieces, as shown.

Carefully insert three stems into each bulb. I used a chop stick, but you can use a pen, etc.

 Seal.

Take your twine & wrap around the top of each bulb, knot at the base to secure.

How much twine you should use depends on how low you want them to hang from the bouquet. Once you determine this, knot at the top.

Secure to the bouquet with ornament wire. Placing the wire right under the knot helps it from sliding down, but feel free to use 2 pieces of wire if needed.

Place, THEN secure. 

1...

...2...

 ...3...

DONE!

This piece is so unique & something you definitely won't find in any craft store. The mixture of soft whites with cool turquoise adds the perfect pop of Summer color into any room...

...inside...

...or outside!

 

Share with me your Summer home decor projects in the comments below!

DIY Garden Series: Wood Flower Box

This year is my second year having a garden....or to be more specific - second chance. I made a lot of rookie mistakes last year & also added things to my 'garden wish list' a little too close to Fall. So I'm determined to get it right this year, or at the very least have one thing survive. And you know me - there's no better way to start the gardening season off than by making something to call your own :) 

Materials:

4-1'x6' Cedar fence planks

Deck screws (You can use regular screws, but they will eventually rust)

Safety glasses

Power drill

Power saw

Gloves

Clamp

I decided to use cedar fencing because it is moderately rot-resistant and very inexpensive ($1.28 each @ Lowe's!). Not to mention it smells amazing!! 

I overestimated the amount of material needed & only ended up using 4 of the 6 fence planks.

Cut the top portion off

Then cut into 3' pieces

Take one of the planks and cut FIVE 8" pieces (shown below). Take three of those five pieces and cut them in half vertically (image not shown).

Make two 90 degree angles, as shown.

Secure to each other toward the bottom using a screw.

Take an 8" wood pieces and secure as shown. Do the same to the opposite end.

Add a second level by taking those 8" pieces you vertically cut in half and place them as shown at all corners.

Add additional support to the bottom.

And your done! You can add a paint if you wish, but I liked the natural coloring of the cedar - looks more home-y :)

Now time for the fun part - the flowers :) I didn't feel the need to drill holes in the bottom for extra drainage because there is enough spacing between the planks anyway.

Finished :)

 I especially love the coloring of the wood after a rain storm :)

2 months later...