seasoned pallets part 1

while i was waiting to move into our house i was really enchanted by the photos people had posted about the endless opportunity a pallet can create. since we had sold all of our furniture and are on a limited budget i thought this was a fabulous idea!

here's what sold it... you can make beds, shelving, tables, sofas, chairs...the possibilities are endless!












so once we moved in, i decided to take it on. i convinced michael that this was an irresistible idea. we would make a compost pile, shelving, a couch, and our beds would all be made from this incredible resource. So we borrowed a truck, found the adds on craigslist and filled it up and brought them home.

split boards

prying up the nails

checking out the pieces

happy girl!

The first project was a screened doggie door for the front door. Michael took this on and made it look easy. Next we made a hanging shelf unit for xylia's room. We found out that each pallet has it's own personality. The nails are spiral grooved and barbed, which makes them incredibly difficult to remove. And usually when removing the nails a good 1/2 of the wood will split, so you have to account for lots of waste. However after all of this discovery we were able to complete a shelf for xylia's room. we haven't stopped there now that we have figured out a formula for shelving.

restart

ok, so maybe i jumped the gun with starting this blog in August, but it takes a while to move in and get things settled. never-the-less, i've had it on my mind everyday.

here are a few of the lessons i've learned in the past month...

lesson # 1  "you need stuff to save stuff"

what my spices look like...a little chaotic, yes?

i've found that it's pretty challenging to start this project from nothing. when we moved into our 10x10 storage unit over a year ago we got rid of a lot of things you acquire easily, like jars, bottles and bags you can reuse. We have again started to restock and make purchases in containers that we can reuse. Also we have in our new community some great stores that offer awesome bulk purchasing! Which is really a dream come true if you're trying to cut down on your trash...however, if you don't have good containers, then you end up with lots of those plastic bags to take everything home in. We've also just been buying jars, big and small. I do like to can and make jam, so mason style jars are an easy pick.

lesson # 2 "it takes a greater community"

Ball mason jars

our town has some great stores that really support bulk buying, which is really key. We can get bulk cooking oils and cleaning products, shampoo, soap, teas, herb, and spices, just about everything...just about. So now that we begun to acquire some containers we can bring these to the store. Weigh them first this is important, then fill 'em up. It's easy here, the checkers expect it... I remember doing this in Mother's Market in Costa Mesa and it was like the world had to end for them to figure this out. (They will adapt, and I hope Mother's will grow their bulk department!)

what does your town recycle? super important question. look it up and ask. some cities will separate it for you and others want you to do it. if it's recyclable then it's not trash...super cool! except, you gotta make sure it goes in the right place. our town has a fairly good recycling program, most things go directly into a "co-mingle cart" that gets picked up curb side every other week. However a lot of plastic for us does not get recycled. They do offer us a drop off program for such items...how often i'm not sure yet. But it looks like they won't go to the landfill.

lesson # 3 "you can do it!"
Well, i never claimed to be an expert at this "zero waste" living thing...i just wanted to give it an honest try. However, i have found that once you set your consciousness to it, a lot seems to fall away and can become pretty easy. And maybe this is because we as a family are not big consumers to start? All of us also love the idea of homesteading and growing, preparing, canning etc. so the transition for us could have been a long time growing. We've slipped a few times, recent road trips that required an unplanned coffee stop. We had to repaint our new place, so there is painting trash (tape, trays and rollers). But overall i can see it coming together.