Pallet Shelve I Stole from Pinterest and a Handy Boyfriend

So recently I have discovered pinterest.com and developed a strong love for the site, maybe even an obsession.  For those of you who haven't visited the site yet, it's like facebook, but only in the sense that it is a collection of blog links from your friends by pictures.  I can't tell you how many ideas I have found on the site for everything from recipes to DIY projects.  And it's free! 

Anyhow, I found this pin from this site and thought this would be a perfect project for Michael and I, mostly Michael since he has all the "man tools."  You use old wooden pallets to make shelves, tables, bed frames, etc.  Since my dining room basically bare, I wanted to make a decorative shelving unit and a wine rack to give the space a little more character.  And the price was right since I already had most of the supplies which included pallets, sandpaper and stain.

First we pulled a few old pallets my former roommate had left from the garage.  They weren't in the greatest of shape so Michael had to piece them together a little bit in order to get them to be the right design for the shelves.  It took a little configuring, but not too long.  The hardest part was that some of the planks split when he removed them.

Next we sanded the heck out of them.  I wanted them still to look distressed, so we didn't overdo it, but this still was the most time consuming part.  Not to mention it was freezing outside.  We used an electric sander (mouse) and did a couple of rounds with the coarse and then down graded to the medium, just enough to get the splinters out.

Then we stained them a dark walnut to go with other projects we had done.  Eventually I would like for everything in my house to match, but I have a feeling it is going to be awhile before that day arrives. 

Now came the hard part, hanging.  Living in an old house makes hanging just about anything a challenge, but this sucker was heavy.  After a couple of talks with his dad, Michael picked up some brackets with some super powered supports.  We measured, leveled and then went at it, not too complicated, but not easy either.  Thank goodness for a drill!  

Finally we decorated.  I had so many random odds and ends that I didn't have a place for.  Now they have a home.  We also put some random bottles just to give it a little more character.  I am super pleased with the final project, but it is still a work in progress.  

We also made a wine rack but that is going on a wall that has brick directly behind the drywall, which of course means more fancy tools.  The only downfall to the wine rack is that the bottles stand straight up, but they don't last too long in my house so we should be okay ; )