DIY nightstand from old wood- a free project!

Some people see these old shipping crates and think, "junk."

I see these shipping crates and think, "victory!"

I found them on craigslist, and sent my amazing, willing, forgiving and oh-so-compassionate Happy Hubby to break them apart and bring it home to his creative wood loving wife. 

Wow, I did just type that...

I know pallet projects are all over the place, and I love it!
They are cheap, they reuse/recycle (I'm a huge fan!), and they are so darn cute!

My side of the bed has sadly been looking like this for awhile:

Yikes! That's embarrassing! 

Looks like a dorm room. 

Needless to say I was eager to turn free loot from the pile of crap above into a functional less of an eye sore nightstand... 

So, we got to work.

we cut.

we screwed.

we sanded.

and sanded.

um, and sanded.

we painted.

we sanded.

we sealed.

and here she is...

The shelf to the right is going to go soon...

We are looking less like a dorm room! Yipee!

Not bad for free huh?!

free wood.

white ceiling paint left over.

spare screws.

left over poly-acrylic. 

(Yes, it yellowed a little, which was fine for this project.)

I'm considering adding a little something to the front of the shelves... 

we will see how that goes, you know you'll hear about it when it happens ;)

It compliments our homemade headboard and our luxurious pin tucked duvet cover from old Rit dyed sheets! 

Happy, happy homemaking- one project at a time!

Do you have any free projects or pallet projects you'd like to share? 

Post a link in the comments, I'd love to see 'em!

Natural Laundry Detergent

Yay! First blog post about what I have been doing with my life recently. I have mentioned a little business endeavor to some of you- well I am "sweetly inspired" and I'm working on my etsy shop as I type this. Literally, my etsy page is minimized as I compose this blog!!! Must keep this short and sweet, but I made the most divine cleaning powder for our laundry:

Grate one 8oz or two 4oz bar of dr bronners or mrs meyers or what ever natural bar soap you like 
2 C wash soda
2 C borax 
I shred mine up even finer in the food processor, but it's not necessary. I used mrs Meyers lavender soap it smells amazing! It ends up being only like 2 cents a load and you have all the stuff to make other natural household cleaners. Preston's (my baby boy) skin is super sensitive so we are going to give this a whirl!

You only need to use one tablespoon for a full load.

I put my natural detergent to the test on the first load- Sweaty and stinky yoga clothes! They came out smelling fresh and so clean! btw: the cool star jar came from ikea :) Happy Laundering!