The pallet desk project - Part 6, the BIG reveal!

~ The Pallet Desk Project ~

(all parts to date here)

Part 1 - defining the need 

Part 2 - gathering materials 

Part 3 - preparing the materials and design

Part 4 - sink that monitor!

Part 5 - finishing details

Part 6 - the big reveal! 

Today

 Part 6 - the big reaveal

Did you see part 5? It was also posted today, so don't miss out on how I did all the things you're about to see here.

So are ya ready?!?

~ This is where I blog ~

I was thrilled when I read about Kate's "Where do you blog?" party. It was the perfect motivation to concentrate on getting this series to a close. And guess what. I did it! :) Thanks Kate!

My blog office is located in our dining room. I LOVE blogging in this room because it's central to everything else that transpires in the household. There is no need to hide away in an office or bedroom and miss out on what the others are doing. I'm right here.

What makes this office extra special though, are all the elements I've surrounded myself with. I love everything on that floor to ceiling storage system. Every object inspires me!

 But what makes this post really special today is the fact that this long awaited funky table is now complete!

I desired a bigger table than what I had, as well as the top secret feature this desk hides. The 27" monitor is sunken into the desktop! This enables me to have my eyes level with the top of the screen, no longer looking up, which was really hard on my neck. ( see part 4 above )

And the build couldn't have been easier, especially for a non builder such as myself. Two sawhorses are the legs...

... and the old palette boards for the top were simply screwed onto the ladder framework below. I made no effort to hide the fact that a ladder was used because I thought it added an additional whimsical detail.  AND a place for the meat grinder pencil holder to sit of course. :)

Old palette boards were sanded and attached in a slightly random style to encapsulate the feel of someone gathering different boards over time, saving them up to create something special.  All the wood was left in it's natural state. The top of the desk will receive a matte finish in due time so it's extra cleanable.

No two boards are alike which is what makes them extra special. The odd white one was even thrown in for good eclectic measure.

Plenty of random screws, big bolts and stenciling just add to the gathered over time scrap look I was after. I felt the boards resembled railway ties in a way, hence the chosen words used for the stencil.

What's not to love, when you surround yourself with all the things you love?

I especially love the desk for the fact that it isn't fussy. The more wear the boards will no doubt receive, the better they'll look over time. If you start with something old, you get the look far faster than if you start with brand new.

Just so I don't miss out on any action, the desk was designed so my son could sit with his laptop right beside me. He wants to start a Lego/photography blog, so stay tuned for that one! I'd like to entice that artistic ability he has any way I can. And what better way to encourage/monitor his doings than having him right beside me? :)

And for those that know me well, it comes as no surprise that I'd incorporate my rusty gears and cogs into the mix on my side. :)

And this little bit of numerical fun changes every 5 minutes. I'll eventually figure it out. :)

Another thing I LOVE about blogging here are the double french doors I generally have wide open in the back. I can glance over and see the entire back yard and mountain view at any given moment, feel the wind and hear the giggle of happy kids doing their thing.

Blogging is a wonderful hobby, but this location makes it all the more special. :)

 When I moved in:

It turned out exactly the way I imagined it. And if I wish to freshen up the top, nothing a coat of white paint, distressed wouldn't cure. :)

Since this is part of a series on telling it like it is, it's safe to say I somewhat hesitate to hit that PUBLISH POST button.  Gaaa...  here we go again. Whoever said breaking new ground was easy?!?

Holding breath, taking the dive head first...

*click*

Part 5 on how I added the details was just posted today as well. Click HERE to get there.

Related posts:

The wall unit build is HERE.

The wall unit staging reveal is HERE.

The Palette Desk Project - Part 5, finishing details

~ The Palette Desk Project ~

(all parts to date here)

Part 1 - defining the need 

Part 2 - gathering materials 

Part 3 - preparing the materials and design

Part 4 - sink that monitor!

Part 5 - finishing details

Part 6 - the big reveal! 

Today

 Part 5 - finishing details

I received an email from my artist friend Dan. He thought the table was cool, but enticed me to use random screws for attaching the palette boards to the ladder.

I thought of hiding the screws, gluing the boards, all kinds of options that were discussed with the Facebook crew. (thanks all!) And in the end, I resorted to not only the easy way, but the funkier way. Dan was right. Let's go to town! And that's when I dropped the perfectionism and hit the hardware store, bought a handful of this and that, and went crazy.

Remember the nail holes from when I pulled the nails out? I even put 'pretend' working nails and screws into them for added bling. :)

Tip: predrilling the holes created a much cleaner look, otherwise the wood tended to splinter abit

I had another windfall in the past week. I had been wishing I had all kinds of crazy giant bots and washers on hand so I could decorate the desk top even more. And this bucket is what I found at my fav palette shopping mall the very next day! Oy... I giggled the rest of the way home.

See?!? Tell me this isn't cool! Right then, I knew what I needed this desk top to look like. So I started drilling random holes slightly bigger than the screws, and simply dropped them in place.

And found other weird stuff in the bucket like that thing on the left. No idea what it is but it's staying! In case you're curious... I installed all the fancy stuff away from work zones and legs so they won't be in the way. And if they are, I can just pull them out for the timebeing.

 Next up was deciding how to decorate the boards via paint. The bolts, rustic boards and random screws just told me to leave the look as random planks nailed together. They resembled railway ties in a round about way, hence, the logo.

I was mildly inspired by this crate I found on the net, but wanted more colour than shown here. So I revamped the design to suit.

I created 2 toned decals. 

 The black went on first, then after it was dry (nearly), I applied another layer with white. 

FYI: I own pro signmaking equipment for my day job - CorelDraw, Signlab, and a 20" vinyl cutter and simply used old vinyl on hand 

Simple acrylic craft paint was all that was used. And I used a stipple motion for application so it left a mottled appearance from the get go.

Once I stenciled the design on the boards, I changed my mind on placement. Doh!!! After mild panic subsided, I simply unscrewed the boards and moved them where I desired. Now THAT was a brilliant move those screws were...

I then distressed the paint with a palm sander, proving to be effortless compared to doing it by hand. And had more fun with paint in other areas.

Once all the designwork was painted on, it was easy to see where embellishments would work, so I kept adding and adding.

What? The boy's hungry? Yeah, I got him to cook. I was busy workin' after all! :)

 Another detail I had already thought of but Dan also suggested was to not line the board edges up so perfect. He simply confirmed that it was a good idea. Remember the pic of my cat sitting on the  boards here? If you look along the edge, that's what I did although abit more subtle than what you see. I wanted it slightly random looking without a comical aspect.

Reveal time! Today as well!

Wow. We're finally down to reveal time! So I have a treat for ya. I've also got a Part 6 that will follow right after this post, so be sure to look for it. Not only did I want you to wait any longer, I also wanted to be a part of a blog party on "Where I Blog" so that little deadline really pushed me to get this all done. There is NOTHING like a deadline, folks! :)

See ya shortly over at:

Part 6 - the BIG reveal! (link is up HERE)

Thanks to the Facebookers that offered their helpful opinions during this project!
And they get teases sneak peeks too!

SNS #45 brings you ~ OLD

Intro

Welcome to Saturday Nite Special #45!

If you're new here, join in! There are three categories to link to. Home Decor as well as Crafts, Sewing, Recipes, plus the themed link! Check below for this weekend's theme.

Party starts Fri night and ends Sunday 11pm pacific, so you have all weekend to join!

I LOVE to highlight inspiring posts during the event on the sidebar, so make sure you check in several times over the weekend. You may be next. :)

~ This weekend's themed link ~

OLD

I've been holding out on all of you. I've been following someone that knows how to work with old stuff like no one's business.

Meet Jim Healy, who posts on Junk Market Style. And he's a beater. A furniture beater that is. He likes beating up old things to make them look even older. And if they aren't old to begin with, he fixes that right up pretty darn quick.

Here's an awesome sample of the magic he creates.

Jim desired a kitchen pantry but much like me, wanted and needed it to look old. But authentic meant alot to him as well. (extra points, Jim!!) So he collected reclaimed lumber and went to work.

Jim designed this kitchen pantry from scratch. Check out that retro profile!

 
So what inspired this piece? Three coke bottle openers found at the flea market. I am totally DIGGING the white/black/red colour scheme. It truly does look like the real deal.

Old refrigerator drawers give this piece even more authenticity. Never thought I'd love a fridge drawer but these I do!

I'm crazy about his description on how he distressed this piece...

"I've never distressed one of my creations as much as this one. It had to have the look of shopping carts smashing into it for the last 75 years.
I don't think I beat it up enough. It only looks like 62 years of distress."

Out of curiosity, I asked Jim which of his pieces was his personal favorite.

"My all-time favorite project is the dining room table I created from copper pipes and fittings. The piece has a soul. Never has anything I've built fallen into place with as little effort as this one.

(me - check out the beat up patina on those chairs! die!!!!)

  
 "My dining room shape dictated a round table and I had a feeling I would find what I needed at one particular flea market. I didn't realize that what I would find was a box full of old components that would evolve into a table. There was a vendor with TONS of copper and steel strewn all over his space. I literally could visualize the completed table by staring into this mass of metal."

  
 "I hadn't planned on building the table myself, let alone from copper, so I had no idea of the quantity of materials required. I sketched out a design on the palm of my hand which not only became my materials take-off but was my "blueprint" to build from.
"Your thoughts and feelings are the blueprints to your life. In my profession, they REALLY are."
 
All of Jim's creations can currently be viewed HERE on Junk Market Style.
 
However, he's building a blog (currently under construction HERE) and I highly recommend to follow this guy so you can keep up with what's shakin' in his workshop. Now if he'd only move that workshop of his next to my workshop, I could borrow his tools and steal his junk help the guy out here and there...

And don't worry. He makes plenty of things you can make too, such as this ultra cool spool table.

And is one mean interior decorator as you can see with this ski lodge headboard.

He also carries a line called [Wreckage], so please contact Jim directly at junkarchitect@yahoo.com if you're interested in checking out what he has for sale.

You can also follow Jim on Facebook HERE.

And as if this post wasn't long enough, I'm going to share my #1 top secret trick on how I get a real authentic old finish. And I don't mean just distressed with sandpaper old. REAL old.

The best way to achieve a true distressed look?

Work on top of original patinas.

All too often we sand off original patinas only to be left with virtually new surfaces again. These stairs had been uncovered for about 2 years before I painted them up.  I let them get stained,  paint splattered, you name it while the house was being renovated.

I then stenciled and stained directly over top the original dirty and paint splattered patina.

This look would have been MUCH more difficult to achieve if I had used brand new wood or had sanded the area down too far. Take advantage of that old patina already there to get the look you desire!

What method do you use to achieve the OLD look? 

What's your fav project you've worked on with something OLD?

Share it in the 3rd themed linkup!

Voting ends Sun 11pm Pacific, so check back for the most popular choice!

 

 

The fabulous 10 winner giveaway event for a Shaklee cleaning product is still on! 

Click HERE to enter, and good luck!

 ~ SNS blah blah linkup rules ~

1. Please link up your intended post, NOT your blog homepage url. (post, then click the title of your post, cut and paste that url)

2. Please put a link in your post that leads back to the party so others can see what's up! (scroll button on sidebar if you wish)

 3. This party is geared for DIY type projects we can all attempt to make ourselves. Items for sale may be linked up IF your entry is posted on your blog and in tutorial style (unless making the item is self explanatory).

5. For Home Decor and Crafts, Sewing, Cooking, please link projects up that are new to SNS and within 1 month old. The 3rd weekly themed link may have older posts and not brand new to SNS.

If you can't decide which category to enter yours in, please just pick ONE and go with it. It's all good!