Create Little Works of Art from Pallet Bits
Y’all probably know by now that I love working with pallets. Each piece of wood tells a unique story and the dings and dangs add so much character to whatever we end up making. Some pieces are completely wonky and filled with holes and others are almost perfect. Pallet wood comes in all shapes and sizes so you kinda have to plan around that. We have a HUGE stockpile of pallets just waiting to be used in some project and lots of bits lying around that are beyond saving. They’re either full of nails that we couldn’t get out or as crooked as a politician. Those politically bent pieces usually end up in the fire. Or, if inspiration strikes, they make awesome little works of art. These small decor bits were made using one of those political pallets 😀
If you don’t have any pallets you can use any off cuts of wood too.
How To Use Pallet Off-cuts to Make Art
We found the gorgeous tiles at a craft shop a while back and I originally thought I’d use them in a mosaic, but it never happened for some reason. If you don’t have any pretty tiles lying around you can always make your own with this tutorial.
It’s not that obvious in the pic but the one end of the pallet piece is about 2 cm thicker than the other and it had tons of nails on the one side that we had to cut off because they were impossible to get out.
We gave it a light sand to get rid of any splinters and clean it up a bit.
We used the tiles to figure out how to cut the pallets. Fortunately the tiles are quite small so we could cut pieces in between those awful nails.
The pallet pieces were stained a charcoal grey to protect and seal them.
Once the stained dried it was time to glue on the tiles.
That’s it. The little tile with the birds went onto a pallet bit that still had one of the nails protruding from it’s side. It added such a nice touch I had to try figure out how to do the same for the other two pieces. We ended up screwing on an old hinge that we’d taken off the room dividers and a horse shoe.
What do you think? Does it work?
The little arty, politically correct, pallet bits are currently outside on our patio. For now. I think I’m going to take them down to our house by the sea. Mmmmmmhhhhh, or maybe I can make some more…………………
If you like the idea don’t forget to pin it for later
Oh and if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more amazing craft ideas to share with you 😉
Until next time, hope you have a beautiful, creative week.
Great ideas
Thank you so much Juliette
These blocks are great. Artworks come from things seem simple and easy to find. Saved it for an idea to decorate my house. Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much Jennifer.
If you’ve got it, you’ve got it!!! Really creative Michelle. Well done
Thank you Amy. I really enjoy playing around with pallet bits. They’re so solid and easy to work with
What a creative idea! Do you mind if I borrow your great idea to decorate my house? Thanks for sharing, Michelle!
Of course you may Jennifer, please share some photos.
You are so creative. I really love the little things like that. Very cute and lovely. Artworks come from things seem very simple and easy to find. All you need is creativity and cleverness.
Thanks Jeffrey 😉
You rock it, Michelle. I agree with Mary that they are great conversation pieces for sure. They look so antique and unique.
Thanks for sharing your creative ideas with us
Thank you so much Robert 😉
It definitely works Michelle. It will make a great conversation piece in your home. Everyone will want to know the history and you can make up all sorts of fancy stories about how it was saved from an old shipwreck.. Have I gotten too carried away. Well, you know I love anything that is unusual and outside of the box. That’s what makes your blog so special.
*insert blush emoticon here* Thank you Mary, that’s such a lovely compliment coming from someone who turns the ordinary into something WOW everyday. I’m going to have to use the ship wreck story, that’s genius, lol!!
I love the finished look!
Thank you Sarah 😉
Lovely Artwork Michelle! It’s crazy all the fun things you can do with pallet wood right? Your idea of using your unique tiles is really creative! It would look lovely in any vignette or shelf even as bookends!
Yay, thank you Katrin. I love the idea of making bookends. Great idea.
Michelle, these blocks are awesome!! What a great idea to attach tile to the pallet blocks! I also like the hinge and horseshoe additions. You have made some wonderful art blocks!!
Thanks Keri 😉 and they were so much fun to make.