More mini pallet chairs!

I've made several more miniature pallet chairs. I just love mini things. My first "proto-type" pallet chairs can be seen -here- in an earlier post.

You can see more photos of these new popsicle stick chairs here at my -Etsy shop-.

I use one of my original chairs as a cell phone stand in my office and another chair as cute bookshelf decor.

Combining Opposites: Wood tones and textures

I love when different wood tones and textures are used in single spaces:  light and dark wood, natural and stained, textured and polished. I find these contrasts inspiring!  Below are more of my inspirations and some of my creations:

Bathroom: Rustic medium tones in the flooring and the door next to smooth, shiny, dark stained cabinets.

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One of my creations: A table centerpiece and candle holder made from salvaged wood flooring.

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Etsy

Another example of contrasting wood tones in this beautiful bathroom:

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Inspiration: I love how the rustic, raw, organic tree branches in the chandelier contrast with the smooth, linear, dark planks of the ceiling.

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More beautiful rooms with light and dark, rough and refined contrasts: kitchen, dining room, living room, bedroom

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Creation: Bringing a touch of these stunning spaces to any home with modern-rustic tree branch and driftwood key hooks/coat racks. I've combined a simple, smooth, rectangular, dark wood plank with the light and medium toned, organic, complex, natural shapes of the driftwood.

Etsy

Etsy

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Etsy

Etsy

Inspiration to creation - From modern rustic cabins to affordable and DIY decor

Inspiration: Modern rustic spaces like this living room.
--Rustic because of the stone fireplace, worn wood of the coffee table, and earthy colors.
--Modern because the designer added dark, glossy wood floors and dark, smooth exposed ceiling beams; contemporary sofas and modern leather and chrome lounge chairs - all with clean and simple lines and angles.

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And this inspirational space:

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Again, these spaces all have a mix of wood tones and textures crafted with modern, simple and clean lines completed with contemporary and modern sofas, lounge chairs, and other furnishings.

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I LOVE these gorgeous homes which have reinvented the traditional cabin. And I LOVE taking elements from these to make home decor that *anyone* can have in their own home!

Creation! Modern rustic key and coat rack with hooks made from driftwood tree branches.

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I combined two different pieces of wood: One a smooth board, the other a rougher cedar plank, then stained them both a dark brown/black color using Rustoleum Kona.

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Modern lamp which mixes smooth, finished wood with rough, weathered, mother-nature sculpted pieces of driftwood tree branches. Shiny and matte, smooth and textured, light and dark, simple geometric base with randomly-sculpted driftwood pieces:

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And...

Shiningcity at Etsy

Shiningcity at Etsy

Tree Branch Candle Holder Centerpiece

DIY success! I'm so excited about how this modern rustic tree branch candelabra turned out!
See it at Etsy here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/167423697/birch-tree-candelabra-rustic-branch

I made the base from reclaimed and upcycled wood planks (sanded, stained, glued and screwed all the pieces together. This thing is sturdy!).

For the actual candle holding pieces, I cut the branches to different lengths. Drilling the hole in the middle for tapered candles proved a challenge since I was doing all this by myself. I solved the problem by first securing each branch with screws to my "work table" (aka kitchen stool).

Once each branch was drilled, I sanded the tops, polyurethaned them, then screws each branch to the base.

There are 9 candle holders comprising this one centerpiece. Votive or taper candles fit. I think the textures and colors of each piece of wood are stunning!

Easy modern rustic wood wall decoration

Take a tree branch, introduce it to a bandsaw (or  coping saw) and some wood glue and what do you get? A one-of-a-kind modern rustic wall decoration!

If you're not into DIY, you can purchase this piece here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/117498191/modern-rustic-wood-slices-wall

DIY modern rustic pencil holder

A bit of modern rustic for the office-- and it was easy to make!

Supplies:

--a small branch or two

--popsicle sticks

--acrylic paint

--wood glue

--wood stain

--polyurethane

I started by making a simple box from 1/8" hardboard, but any square or rectangular box from wood or hardboard would work fine. 

I used a bandsaw to cut the branch and popsicle sticks, but a coping saw (an inexpensive hand saw) would work just fine.

Next came the stain for the popsicle sticks, followed by a quick, light sand to the branch slices. While sticks were drying, I painted the dividers and the box a slightly grayish blue. Then I just started gluing! 

I cut the dividers from the hardboard, but they can easily be constructed with popsicle sticks and glue. Because I wanted the dividers angled, I added small strips of wood for strength to keep them in place. 

Once I was happy with the look and the glue was dry, I gave the entire box inside and out a coat of polyurethane. I finished by giving the inside a couple more coats for added durability.

My inspiration: 
Modern landscaping design and interior use of wood slices:

Modern Landscape design by San Diego Landscape Architect Argia Designs Landscape Design & Consultation

Traditional Media Room design by New York Interior Designer Laura Kirar Design

I love how it turned out!

Pallet chair for your cell phone!

I love shipping-pallets-turned-furniture. So, I thought, why not create the look of modern pallet chairs but for a different purpose...for a cell phone.

So, a bunch of popsicle sticks and some wood glue later, here they are!

==2016 UPDATE==
More of my mini pallet chairs!  -Click here for the newest post-
Check out several for sale on my Etsy site: etsy.com/shop/shiningcity

I used a bandsaw to cut the sticks, but a coping saw (an inexpensive hand saw) would work also.
Then I just starting assembling. I finished off each chair by drilling tiny holes and inserting cut up toothpicks to work as "nails" with wood glue. These are sturdy little chairs!

For one of the chairs, I added dark stain, and both were coated with polyurethane. To keep the chair from sliding, I added tiny pieces of self-stick rubber no-slip pads.

My inspiration:
Actual pallet chairs like this one:

And, it worked!