DIY Pallet Wall

We've been trying to think of ways to make our living room a more unique space, with a warm/inviting feel to it. Well last weekend we were bored and decided to take on another project...a pallet wall. It was so fun, fast, and the best part - inexpensive. The only materials we bought were nails and sand paper!

Charlie was able to find serval pallets for free on Craigslist. I think he collected about 15, which was more than enough to cover our small wall. With the help of our friend's jig saw, he was able to disassemble about 10 pallets within a few hours. I sanded down some of them and then they were ready to put up. It was a giant game of tetris. :) 

Some of the boards were oak, which were hard to hammer through. A nail gun would have made the process a lot easier, but we got through the old fashion way. 

Before...


During...


 After 

The Nursery

My husband is one of the most creative people I know. Once we decided on colors for the nursery, he ran with it. He has always loved painting trees and jumped at the chance to paint one on his daughter's wall. Look at how awesome this turned out...

 

To conserve space, he also made this bookshelf... 

 

DIY Curtains

DIY Curtains

With one income, a baby, and a new house we have learned how to make this house our home while on a budget. One of my favorite things in the house are the curtains hanging in the living room. I was able to cover four windows with two sets of long $10 curtains from Ikea. I added a little flair to the ones in the living room with some leftover grey paint from Nora's room.

Measuring out the lines was probably the most challenging part, especially for a perfectionistic pregnant woman. I made them 49 inches long, making each line 7 inches apart. Then I cut off the excess material and used no sew adhesive (I think it was $4 at Ikea) to hem the bottom. Once I had my lines measured out and taped, it was time for the paint. I put the curtains on top of an old sheet and started painting. I live in Colorado so it dried quick. Whenever I finished one line, I would separate the previous line from the sheet. Since the curtains are sheer, the paint did not leave a thick dark line, but left a textured look. Once the paint was relatively dry, I removed the tape and viola, perfect horizontal lines. The lines have a vintage look to them when the sun shines through. So fun!

 

They make a great background for photo shoots as well :)