Pallet – Dust Bunnies and Dog Toys

Today I want to share a quick DIY sign I recently created. I’ve had this Uppercase Living vinyl for some time now, as in more than 3 years because it was purchased for the house we planned to rent in FL when we thought we were being transferred there. Anyway, I loved the phrase so I kept it with the intention of using it at some point. Unfortunately, I’d ordered it in “oat” which was just a shade lighter than our current wall color so I knew it wouldn’t show well if I applied it directly to the wall. I’d considered using a scrap board as a background like I did for the Laundry Room sign, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. Then I spotted this pallet board at Michaels and inspiration struck, especially since I had a coupon for 40% off!

The construction was pretty basic, several boards secured on the back with cross pieces and a twine hanger at the top. There were several color options – unfinished, white washed and this stained color, which I was immediately drawn to and knew would contrast nicely with the color of the vinyl. With my coupon it cost me around $10.

I was pretty sure it was just the right size for the vinyl, so when I got it home I tested it out and it fit perfectly!

I followed the instructions that came with the vinyl and applied it to the board. I could have called it done then, but I wanted to give it a bit more character so I decided to rough it up a bit with the sander.

Although I did a very light pass on the entire piece there were a few spots that got a little too roughed up due to how they sat on the joints of the wood.

I was slightly distraught about it, but decided to try to find a solution rather than give up on the project.

I started small with the leaf that that was damaged to build my confidence. I used an exacto blade to trim small pieces of damaged vinyl away, reshaping the leaf as needed to work around the missing pieces. I think it worked pretty well.

I did the same on the lettering with decent results. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than the rough edges I started with.

I took a step back to get some perspective and realized that neither spot was very noticeable from a distance. Luckily, our guests don’t typically inspect my décor up close, so it passes muster. I love that the sanding gives it a rustic feel, which also plays into being a little imperfect.

And here it is in our bedroom above the TV. At that height no one will notice my little ‘patched’ areas and it also disguises my other little goof on this project. I’m not saying what that goof was because I want to see if anyone else notices it or if I’m just being too much of a perfectionist! If you think you know what it is, leave a comment below! 🙂

The last critical move in project was a dog run for the girls, who have a doggie door at the deck. We had planned to install a fence near the clearing line, but now that winter has frozen the ground solid that isn’t an option until spring. Instead, we created a temporary dog run along the back of the house from used kennel panels I scored for just $100 on a local buy/sell page and free pallets from companies around town.

We closed off two sides of the deck by layering pallets on top of and next to the deck, screwing them together and then to the deck itself. A design the Klampets would be envious of! LOL

We tied the kennel panels together to make the main area of the run, from the deck to the hot tub, which also ended up acting as a portion of the run’s barrier since it’s so close to the house. It’s not ideal, but it gave us a place to strap the kennel panel and a single pallet to, to complete the enclosure. As you can see the girls don’t much care what it looks like, as long as they have toys to play with in the space.

It’s certainly not pretty and it’s not a big space, but it allows them to go outside during the day to go potty and play when we’re not home, so it accomplishes the goal.

We open the gate when we’re home so they can wander in the woods and explore a bit further, which they are totally enjoying. They are pretty good about sticking close to the house so that if they are out of sight it only take a few moments for them to reappear when called. Sangria has also learned that she can go out the gate and around to the front of the house when she hears someone working in the garage, so she quite often ‘shows up’ to help if you leave the garage door open! That girl is one smart cookie! Tequila on the other hand, apparently doesn’t care enough to leave her toys to see what’s happening, because she rarely follows Sangria around to the front.

Unfortunately, the snow on the roof slides off right into the run, so we’ve had to be vigilant about keeping the area shoveled so it doesn’t accumulate high enough to block the gate, or encouraging anyone to jump over – either the girls to the outside or critters to the inside!

I’m not sure how moose proof the run is as we haven’t seen any on the property since moving in, so I’m guessing that the girls make enough noise to keep them at bay. I’m certainly ok with that, especially if it means I don’t have to shoo a moose out of my garden come summer!