DIY: Pallet Craft DVD Storage

We've all seen the increasingly popular pallet crafts that dominate Pinterest. And if you're like me, you admire them but think, "where am I supposed to find all these pallets??" Well, after getting six tons of stone delivered for my backyard patio, I suddenly found myself with an embarrassing excess of pallets and an itch to create something - anything - out of them.

Enter Chris Baughman, my crafty partner in crime. Together we brainstormed ideas - a coffee table! A work bench! Book shelves! Eh, let's just get started and see what happens!

We began by painstakingly removing the boards from the top and bottom of the pallets. I'm gonna be honest here, that part sucked. The wood was so dry and old that it split very easily, and removing the rusty nails was no easy feat. I began to realize why most of the pallet crafts I found online involved simply repainting pallets and adding feet or cushions. Those people are smarter than we are!

Once it was clear that we weren't going to get long lengths of useable wood, Chris and I decided to scale down our project to something a little more manageable. I had been toying with the idea of making some attractive DVD storage boxes for my new built ins (!), and this was the perfect opportunity!

I began by cutting the split ends off the planks of wood, and then cutting the useable pieces down to 18.5" long. 5 pieces total made up the two front pieces, two bottom pieces, and one back piece. I want the back to be shorter so that it will reveal the DVD spines. My handy helper, Chris, sanded the heck out of the splintery boards.

I then cut some little blocks out of some scrap wood and nailed the front and bottom planks to them at the joints. This will help make the box sturdy.

My shelf is only 8 inches deep, so I had to trim the bottom board to allow for a finished length of 7.5 inches. After attaching the back board with my nail gun, I measured both sides and cut two more boards to length, then nailed those on.

After a coat of wood conditioner and a lot of beeswax, my box was done!

I did also add felt footies though, so the box doesn't scratch my freshly painted shelves.

And here it is, filled with DVDs on my new shelves. I love that it just looks like an inconspicuous crate - you'd never guess it's hiding my very embarrassing movie collection!

Now I can't wait to make a bunch more just like it!

DIY Pallet Succulent Garden

Anyone with a Pinterest account can tell you that pallet creations are all the rage. People are making all kinds of things out of them - coffee tables, headboards, lounge chairs, wine racks, book shelves, porch swings... the list goes on and on. But perhaps the most enduring pallet craft is the succulent garden. 

But as common as this project is, I couldn't find a very informative tutorial on just how to make one!  So I figured the best way to learn to make one of these is just to go ahead and do it. 

Here are the materials you need:

1. A pallet - try to find one in relatively good condition - the boards should be anchored strongly, not too much splintering
2. Lanscape fabric - this is pretty cheap, you can pick up a big roll of it at a home improvement store for about $10 (and you'll have a ton left over - better to find a friend with some spare landscape fabric lying around)
3. Planting soil
4. An appealing array of succulents
5. A staple gun

If you're planning to hang your planter on a wall, like I did, you'll also need:

1. A good drill (with a masonry bit, if you put it on cinderblocks like I did)
2. Long screws (again, masonry screws were called for here)
3. A board that is sized to the width and depth of the pallet (and /or a saw to cut the board to size)
4. Wood screws

Cut the landscape fabric to size, slightly bigger than the back of the pallet. Use your staple gun to securely staple the fabric to the back, folding in your edges so it's a little tidier and sturdier when stapling. Don't be stingy with the staples - there will be some weight on this, and you want a pretty complete line of staples to prevent dirt from seeping out.

Leave the top of the planter open (i.e., not wrapped in fabric), but bring the fabric over the bottom opening and secure it with more staples. Then attach the board to the bottom with the wood screws (necessary if hanging the planter, but not if you're planning on letting it sit on a solid surface).

Rest the pallet on the fabric side, and fill with planting soil, making sure it's pretty well packed behind the boards. Plant your succulents in the openings, and pack the soil tightly around them. I found it's better to use a succulent with a smaller base and a fuller top, so less dirt will fall out when you turn it vertical. Don't plant the top yet!

Once you're done, turn the planter (slowly) on it's side, and mount it to the wall with the appropriate screws. If you're feeling fancy, a french cleat would really do the trick here. I did not use a french cleat.

Once your pallet is firmly secured to the wall, plant the top opening, and there you have it!

Also, a quick watering tip: use a hose, set to "shower" or "mist". It's really hard to get a watering can into the different planter beds. I sort of wish I had the whole thing on a piano hinge, so I could lift it horizontally to water it!