Pallet walkway

I really thought I had already talked about this. It was a very interesting project that I did last summer. But it turns out, I've not posted it. OOPS!

So, 4-years ago I bought this house. One of the big selling points was that it came with a really amazing shed that had electricity and storage and all kinds of interesting things already in residence. 

The issue was that I have two dogs, and getting to the shed in the dark or when it has rained was always a less than pleasant experience. 

I put down those cement stepping stones, but when I re-did the entire yard last summer (Wait, I haven't talked about that yet either? Double oops), the pavers became less than practical. 

I really have tried to use reclaimed resources as much as possible, because I don't have the $$ to spend, and I had found some really great old boards and talked a friend into helping me haul them home. But I was at a loss as to how to make them a raised walkway without spending tons of money on brick or rock or more wood. 

 

One day, I was staring at the pallets I had left from another project and an idea popped into my head. I quickly borrowed a truck and brought home more pallets and started to plan. 

First, I layed down some landscape fabric to stave off grass and weeds from growing up under my walkway. Then I started placing the pallets down, with an idea of them providing as much support as possible. 

It took some thinking to avoid big empty spaces, and since I wanted a clear boarder, I added in several 2x4s cut to length in spots, but finally I was able to lay my reclaimed planks. 

I did have to build a transition stoop at the shed doors, as the pallets were higher than the door clearance would allow. The previously mentioned stash in the shed provided excellent wood for that. 

I used long deck screws to connect the planks to the pallets, added in some old landscape border I pulled from another location in my yard, and used some bricks gifted from a friend to finish it out. 

I really like it, actually. It is very functional, and the wood was already weathered, so the look was right. 

NOTE: As you can see, a couple of boards were pretty warped, and over the last year, as I have seen long boards laying around, I have hauled them home and used them to replace those warped boards.

I've also added in some of those Dollar Tree solar stake lights so I can see the path in the dark. I need to get out there and mow so I can post an after-after picture. 

Total time: a solid weekend, with the hauling and placing and cutting

Total cost: $8 for the box of deck screws. 

Outcome: success!

Update to the previous post

A friend decorates for EVERY holiday, and liked the patriotic centerpiece that I made, so I gave it to her.  Then, I realized that I wanted one for myself. lol

So I grabbed dad's drill bit again, and threw this together in less than an hour! 

As a bonus, my sister moved last weekend, and was cleaning out her stuff and had some wooden slats that she had used to support a bed.  They had nice rounded edges, so I used one and cut it up to create the box and coffee-themed centerpiece that can stay in my kitchen, year-round.

Those ladies at Shanty2Chic really know how to inspire!

My take on someone else's idea

Let me start by admitting that I got my idea from seeing something the wonderful ladies over at Shanty2Chic posted several months ago.

Here's their creation. 

I, as previously mentioned, happen to have a large supply of empty glass Torani bottles, so I knew I would be making something similar. 

The July 4th holiday was around the corner when inspiration hit!

I had more of the 12" fence picket sections mentioned in a previous post, and 3 bottles for nicely on one section. 

I built a box to surround the bottles, and borrowed a 1.5" drill bit from dad to drill holes in the top section. 

I tried just using the 1" drill bit that I already had, and just wriggling the bit around. Yeah. Not the best idea. I wound up having to scrap that wood and start over.

The right tools make ALL the difference!

Next I picked out the stickers that had the font I wanted and applied them to the bottles. 

Then I spray painted each bottle the appropriate color, and let dry.

I opted to spray paint the outside of the bottles, instead of painting the insides, so that I could put water in them and use as vases for the flowers from my gardens. 

When the paint was dry, I peeled off the stickers, placed the bottles on the bottom board, and used small nailed to attach the top piece. 

Voila!!

Project cost: $8 for red and blue spray paint. 

Project time: could be done in 1 afternoon. 

Outcome: SUCCESS!!