~thrifty thursday~{pallet + crate storage}

This is a very rustic project. 

I am planning on using it outdoors in a covered area this summer for sunscreen, bug spray, flip flops, etc.

You will need 4 casters, pallet wood, 3 crates, 1x2 pieces of wood,  and a nail gun {or you can do it by hand}

Start with one crate and add 1x2 pieces to the inside of all 4 corners.

Nail in place.

Center a second crate on top and nail in place.

And the same with the third.

At this point, you could stain it or paint it and leave it like this.

But, I wanted to be able to push it up against the house and not see all the junk inside.

So I covered the front and 2 sides in pallet pieces.

The easiest thing would be to measure the side and cut all your side pieces at once. Nail them in place and then start on the front.

When you get to the part with the 1x2's like you see in the photo below, you will need to add another rough cut piece of 1x2 to raise it up a bit so you can attach your pallet pieces.

 When you are near the bottom, flip the whole piece upside down. 

Attach casters to the bottom with screws.

To disguise the casters

{because they are new, and not really rustic looking}

I added a "skirt" with 3 more sides of wood.

And to finish off the top, I just used the remaining 1x2's cut on a 45 degree angle and attached to the top with my nail gun.

Here it is all finished.

This is the front.

The side:

And the back!

Like I said, it's very rustic, but perfect for all those misc. outdoor things that come with summer.

It can easily be wheeled out of the way and pushed up against the house when not in use.

I love getting emails from people that have used my tutorials and created something on their own!

Be sure to send them to me at:

lakeliving4@yahoo.com

xoxo

~thrifty Thursday~{French crate}

Here is how I made this tray for $3.00, and you can too!

I started with this piece of expanded steel. You can buy this at home improvement stores.

I happen to have this in my studio, so I didn't have to buy mine.

Think outside the box here. You don't necessarily need a piece of expanded steel for this project.

Look around for unusual pieces in the right size.

Perhaps plexi glass, grates, old windows, etc.

My piece of expanded metal measured 32" x 19"

You are going to need to pick up 3 1x2's at the hardware store.

These are I believe 8' long and are only 97 cents each.

I purposely picked out the roughest ones I could find because I wanted my crate to look old.

So grab ones that are cracked, rough, and a little beat up.

For my crate 

{you will need to adjust to the size of your insert, meaning metal piece, etc.}

I cut 6 bottom pieces slightly larger than the 19" width.

I cut them at 20 1/2"

Then I cut 4 end pieces at 18 3/4" and 4 side pieces at 34" and finally, 4 short pieces to brace everything together in the corners. These are 5"

Again, you will need to adjust to your own measurements, this will just be a guideline for you.

Next you will need to darken up those pieces of unfinished wood.

You can use a stain, or if you are impatient like me and want a quick dry product, wipe on a little dark wax. I bet you could even use shoe polish. Does anyone still have any of that?

Now it is time to assemble.

I first laid my 6 pieces flat on the ground. This is what your metal will lie on top of.

Place the metal on top and make sure the bottom pieces are straight.

Add the end pieces and the side pieces. I used a air nailer to attach them all together.

If you don't have an air nailer, wood glue and small nails would work.

Note that the sides and end pieces of wood should be sitting on the taller side, not laying down like the bottom pieces.

{sorry, I am horrible at tutorials!}

Here is  a close up of what it should look like at this point.

Next, take the 4 shortest pieces and place them in each corner securing with your nails.

Attach the 2 remaining sides and the 2 remaining ends flush with the top of the shortest pieces.

Notice how one of my pieces of wood is totally broken off and because my measurements were slightly off, the pieces of wood don't meet up?

Yep, I like to call that character :)

Here it is all done!

Oh, and I don't know if you can see it real well, but I used a French stencil to add some wording to the centers of each side, just to really give it that old crate feel.

So, are you going to make one, or have I totally lost you with these directions?

xoxo