Pallet Loads of Talent!

 

You have all seen my creative endeavours.... I love to create beautiful things, for me it is like soul food! Be it knitting, sewing, crochet(my favourite) baking, cooking, jamming... you name it, I enjoy it!  I love watching a project come together, form and become a functional item in my home, or become a gift for someone special....

 

My sister and I are kindred spirits in this aspect, she too enjoys the creative side but unlike me she is more creative, in that she simply can look at something and create it, me, well, I need a starting point...Something I can look at and then change it to suit me, make it easier.... then it is all system go....

 

 I am getting to the point...

 

I have been trawling pintrest for months now, pinning all manner of pallet furniture! I have begged LSO to make me a table and benches for our back garden, but I am all met with a raised eye brow and am told  and I quote ' I don't want old junk littering our back garden' has he never heard of up cycling? So when Cin announced to me that she felt like doing some wood work, I was on it like white on rice!!! And she is a BLOOMING GENIUS!!!!



  

I showed her all the pallet pins and asked if she could possibly conjure up some pallet furniture for me, namely a table and benches for my back garden and a potting table. And while LSO was away the proverbial mouse would make pallet furniture!! Cin was very un phased  about it all - "Of course I can make that"  and I think I even heard a pfffftt as I walked away!

Pallet were sort and bought ( very cheaply I might add R150.00 for 5 large pallets) She pulled them apart and like magic, she began to make furniture!

I honestly thought there would be plans drawn up, lots of head scratching, but I was very very wrong. Now I kid you not when I say, she picked up a piece of wood pallet, looked at it , picked up the next piece and started to drill, screw and occasionally hammer.... it was like watching someone do a jigsaw puzzle...  

 

And within a few hours, there was a table. The wood was inlaid into a frame, not simply on top as I had requested! This was the only time  I saw her sweat a little.... as you can see in the picture below, 1 piece just didn't want to fit.

So she simply planed it, and bob's-your-uncle it slotted it like it was meant to be there! I must tell you that I watched her in awe, I have never seen wood work being done like this! And at the risk of sounding all waxy and lyricy, it was like watching an artist, pick up, look, no that piece was not going to work., put it down , look for another piece in huge pile of planks, pick it up - mmm yes that one will do, put it in, it works... pick up the next piece... it was really amazing to watch....

 

She wasn't quiet happy with the legs, said they looked a bit thin, so she added another piece, then  asked if I wanted a planter in the middle of the table? I didn't want to mess with the master piece(which is how I saw it) Cin whipped out the saw and cut a hole in the middle of my gorgeous table, made a box, inserted it and was done! Once again I must say I was in awe!!!Seriously in AWE! 

I will not bore you with every plank, nail and screw that was drilled, hammer or screwed in, but over the next 3 weeks I had a beautiful garden table and two benches......

Little Madame had a  tiny bench, for her fairy garden! Her two friends helped her paint it, amidst much giggles, laughter and  more paint on the girl  than the bench....

A sweet lemonade stand! that was used at our first market day, and she made a lot of money selling fresh lemonade that her by-now-you-must-admit-talented Aunt has taught her to make(an American thing!)

And finally but most definitely my favourite of all the pallet furniture.... A potting bench! Made with pallets, some old shutters that I was going to up cycle and some very old bits and pieces I had found when we first moved into our home! It is Gorgeous!!

Even LSO has said that he loves all the pallet furniture! I am trying soooo hard  not to be too smug! It really suits our very eclectic home so much!

I was sitting here wondering how to finish this post and I got to thinking about my siblings! Now not to blow our collective trumpets...  There are 4 of us, and with the exception of my younger brother(the creative gene by past him, he does however have other skills),we  are all creative, all talented and all LOVE working with our hands. My older brother Jon, is a very talented, he  makes the most beautiful  Ballroom and Latin dancing costumes and the most sublime wedding dresses! He can also draw and paint beautifully! His art graces the walls of all of our homes! Me - I am a bit of a jack of all trades  - but you  know that already,   Bringing up the rear of this creative bunch is my little sister, CIN! The gentlest, kindest soul I know( Yes, I know I am her sister so I  am a bit bias) She is RiDiCuLoUsLy talented, she can draw, paint, cook, bake, do amazing wood work as you can see, and you need to see the beautiful jewellery she is now creating with old cutlery!

 

Am I proud as punch of my brother and sister? You bet your life I am - I mean honestly who wouldn't be - We ROCK!xxx