Introducing PalletPalooza Judge William Crown - Wood Working Expert

Say Hello to William Crown, President of the Woodworkers Guild of Southwest Michigan.

William Crown

We are honored to have William lend us his woodworking expertise as a judge for PalletPalooza™ 2017. Bill has been a member of the Woodworkers Guild for over 20 years now, and has been serving as its President for the past 7. He is a passionate woodworker hobbyist and has been making furniture for over 35 years.

The Woodworkers Guild of Southwest Michigan is located in the Kalamazoo area and meets every second Tuesday of the month except for the summer months. You are welcome to attend a meeting and you are encouraged to join. A few of the recent programs the Guild has enjoyed at their meetings include:

· Visit to David Lewis Figures of Wood saw mill, road trip

· Joe Beam custom furniture

· Woodcraft presentation, spray finishing

· Aaron Stinson - Chainsaw carver - builder

· Tom Niehl - Wood Identification

· Kendall School of Design - Furniture Design - road trip

· Blacksmithing and barrel making - Chuck Andrews - road trip

Guild members also donate hundreds of handcrafted wooden toys each year to the Portage Community Center and the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission. If you are interested in woodworking, you are encouraged to come and meet with other fellow woodworkers from the Kalamazoo area who enjoy sharing their love of the craft, and learn more from the programs and from one another.

Woodworkers Guild of Southwest Michigan

The Woodworkers Guild is located in the Kalamazoo area and meets every second Tuesday of the month except for the summer months. Check their website for the directions and location of the next meeting www.woodguild.org Everyone is welcome! Current dues are $25 per year.

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Thank you to all of our judges for PalletPalooza™ 2017! Are you a woodworker or woodworker at heart? Then try a recycled pallet creation! And then enter it into PalletPalooza™. Enter Period has begun - enter now through June 30, 2017. PalletSWMI.com

It's fun, it's for a good cause, and you could win some money!

If you need inspiration check out our Pinterest Pages

Say Hello to our Second PalletPalooza™ Judge - Lori Moore

We are thrilled to introduce our Second PalletPalooza™ Judge - Lori Moore, host of "The Lori Moore Show".

The Lori Moore Show

You can watch Lori as she interviews local guest highlighting the best things about West Michigan on CW7 every weekday at 4:00 pm. When you watch her show, you will get to know this amazing community that we live in. Lori books her own shows and her contact list is vast because she is out there emceeing events, hosting something, guest speaking and attending and enjoying so many events throughout the area.

Lori is one of those special people who is in the community and for the community.

And now Lori has kindly added one more thing to her activities - Judging PalletPalooza™ - and we are very grateful!
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P.S.Lori has booked the PalletPalooza Team for her show this Friday! Be sure to watch.! 😊
"The Lori Moore Show" 
Lori on Facebook!
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Ready to sign up for PalletPalooza?

The entry period is May 22 through June 30, 2017

Click on over to  PalletSWMI.com. 

I Heart Pallet Projects - DIY Pallet Projects Featuring Hearts

We really do 💗 pallets! This is a pallet wall art piece that I created and is hanging in my cubicle here at Goodwill:

This was a simple project - the pallet that I chose was a beautifully sun-bleached pallet that
was perfect for a beach themed project. I folded a piece of copy paper in half and cut out a heart - those elementary school skills come in handy!

This paper heart was my guide for hot gluing my shell collection on the pallet.
Here is the back of the pallet:

And a close up:

Another quick pallet heart project:

Take a small pallet board, sand smooth.

I wanted this to be a quick project at my desk here at work, so I used what I had on hand. 😊 That is the beauty of working with pallets - they can be rustic, charming, and simple and you should not have to run to the store each time you have a pallet project inspiration. I had dark red craft paint and a bunch of old keys.

My art skills are limited, so I had to cut out another heart for a template. 😀

I had a small collection of generic looking car keys, so I picked one that looked the most unusual. My old nail is one that I pulled out of a pallet, pounded it straight through the keyhole about half way and bent the nail with my hammer. Done!

This was my inspiration piece from beyondthepicket-fence.com.

SOURCE: Beyondthepicket-fence.com

Much cuter, but again, use what you have! Make it unique to you! So easy to make and give away! #KeyToMyHeart

Looking for more heart-themed pallet projects? Here is our round up:
renew-create-restore.blogspot.com has instruction for creating these four lovely pallet pieces.

SOURCE: Renew-create-restore.blogspot.com

Scavengerchic.com  combines a little "junk" and pallets to create this sweetheart piece.

SOURCE: Scavengerchic.com

shanty-2-chic.com has great tutorials to make all of the pieces and parts to create this pallet sign:

SOURCE: Shanty-2-chic.com

#PalletPalooza is a recycled pallet creation cash competition and event.

 Visit our event website and mark your calendars - entry period starts May 22!

 PalletSWMI.com

Pallet Halloween Decor at Goodwill Headquarters

It's a fun part of my job.... making things out of pallets for inspiration. I find ideas on Pinterest and start pallet hunting. Any time I see a little pallet, little baby pallets I call them, I add them to my stash. So I am ready when the right idea comes along! These are the things I made to decorate for Halloween at the Goodwill main office on Alcott Street in Kalamazoo, MI.

Team Member Pumpkin Patch

This pumpkin patch was cheap and easy! I liked this project, because I didn't have to do much other than make a couple of cuts with a jig saw and paint away! No need to take apart the whole pallet. I also scored a gallon of orange paint at Lowes for $5 because it was a mistint. (Yes, now that I have a whole gallon, I need more orange pallet projects!)

The Boo sign was even easier. I simply grabbed one of my boards from my stash, I didn't do anything to it, no cutting or sanding, rugged was good. I am not an artist, so I cannot free hand letters. I picked a font that I liked, and printed out the word "BOO" and cut out the letters. I then traced them onto the pallet plank with a black sharpie marker and then filled in the letters with .50 cent black craft paint.

Across the hall from the pumpkin patch is the Mummy Family! 

More pallet boards from my stash! I wrapped boards with an old white bed sheet. I snipped the top of the bed sheet with scissors, and then tore the rest of the length because I wanted the threads and frazzle. I hot glued a sheet strip to the top of the pallet, wrapped it around, and glue the end to the bottom.

 The eyes, mustache and eyelashes are from a single sheet of black felt and hot glued in place. A little bow with small piece of red lace for the little sister, and a found window cling heart for the baby. A team member thought they still needed a little something "extra" when I had finished.  I had purchased a package of cheese cloth ($2) to wrap the mummies, but it was only going to be enough to wrap one board, that is why I switched to a bed sheet. So I wrapped a thin strip of the cheese cloth around each one, I had just enough, and glued down the edges.  And just that little bit gave them more dimension.

The Trick or Treat sign is again, just a longer board from my stash painted orange. I was running out of time and black paint to hand paint the letters, so I cheated a bit. The letters are simply printed and I cut them out and glued them on the painted pallet. In order to get the spacing and size correct, I measured the length and width of the board and created a document that size in Microsoft Publisher. I picked a font, typed out my words, printed my document, cut out the letters, and used Modge Podge to apply the letters and seal them. Even up close it is hard to tell that they are paper letters!

Pallet Divider Halloween Characters

These funny little guys were soooo simple to make, and they are pretty cute and not the least bit scary to look at or to make. They are made out of the dividers of large pallets. I save every thing that might be of value when I take apart a pallet - as  you know those things do not come apart easily, so it is worth keeping as much of the pallet as you can!

I didn't do anything to these guys, no sanding, cutting, nothing, just acrylic craft paint! As I said before, I am not an artist, so I took my artistic daughter's advice and she said "don't try to paint the picture, just paint the shapes that you see." And since the shapes are pretty basic shapes like triangles and ovals, I think I did ok :)

Little Black Cat Family

These little kitties are so cute! I used a bandsaw to cut out the ears from a pallet board. I saved the triangle pieces and hot glued them to the back of the cats. This is how they stand up. Painted them black, let them dry and sanded the edges to give them a primitive look. Tied on some raffia and glued on googly eyes and done! They are purrrrfectly sweet!

If you are new to making things out of pallets, try one of these! You will have instant results and that is very satisfying!

PalletPalooza Day - Live Music Vinyl Tap

PalletPalooza Day is this Saturday! We have a fun event and awards presentation afternoon planned! Rain or shine - it doesn't matter because we will be indoors!

While you look around at the amazing pallet creations entered into the competition, enjoy some food, craft booths and activities for young and old, you can listen some live music by Vinyl Tap.

Vinyl Tap

How about a little preview?

In early 1994, a group of individuals loosely referred to as “gentlemen” congregated in the basement of a home in the People’s Republic of Portage and began playing what was supposed to be Rock n Roll music. It seemed like every other song was from the Rolling Stones because the lead singer at the time couldn’t sing anything else. The founder, Al, called the group “Al’s Basement Band”. Al was the drummer. Al kept getting promoted at Kellogg’s, leaving the country and coming back and each time he came back, Al’s Basement Band was re-created with essentially the same cast of characters.

In 2000, another group of individuals never referred to as “gentlemen” congregated in a Richland garage and formed “Boy’s Night Out”. After stealing the singer from another band, they played regularly at Bayview Gardens in that first decade until the customer base who liked them went to sleep at 10 p.m.

In the meantime, members of both bands got together periodically and when Al relocated to North Carolina, formed Vinyl Tap. The players are the best from both bands and consist of:

Bob Bauman – lead singer

Jeff Brown – Drums and backup vocals

John Brown – Rhythm guitar/bass and backup vocals

John Dillworth – Keyboards and backup vocals

Brian Maturi – Lead guitar

Tim Morrison – Sound and whatever else he decides to do

Our focus is on 60’s and 70’s rock n roll songs and a number of songs that other cover bands just don’t play. You’ll recognize the song if you’re of a certain generation and even if you’re not, you’ve heard them and sang along with them!

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Vote today for your favorite pallet creations! Go to VOTE NOW!

Say Hello to Kamps Pallets and Kamps Krafty Wood

We are so excited to have Kamps Pallets joining us for PalletPalooza™!

Kamps Pallets

They have a new product line called Kamps Krafty Wood - and here is a bit about it!

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Introducing….Kamps Krafty Wood

Kamps Pallets has been contributing to recycling since 1973. Our founder and CEO, Bernie Kamps, started Kamps in 1973 by collecting and selling sawdust and wood shavings throughout west Michigan. He soon realized that pallets in good condition were being thrown into landfills. Bernie started collecting these pallets, repaired any broken pieces and resold them. In 1974, Kamps, Inc. opened its first pallet plant. Since then, Kamps has grown to be a leader in the pallet industry. Kamps is now known as a leader in recycling.

At Kamps, we believe that nothing should go to waste. If you walked through our plant, you would see re-manufactured pallets built from boards previously used on other pallets and damaged pallets repaired for reuse (reconditioned pallets). If a pallet is beyond repair, it is put into a pile to be ground into mulch.

Kamps has taken its innovation a step further. Pallet wood and pallets are becoming a decorating choice of many. Kamps recognized this, and Kamps Krafty Wood was born!

Kamps Krafty Wood

Kamps Krafty Wood is intended to be used by creative minds. Since there is no limit to imagination, there is no limit to what you can do with Kamps Krafty Wood. This bright and happy pallet art was made by a customer using Kamps Krafty Wood.

Pallet Art with Kamps Krafty Wood

Kamps Krafty Wood is currently sold at Allendale True Value and will soon be available on Amazon. 

 Allendale True Value

5425 Lake Michigan Dr, Allendale, MI 49401

           

Kamps Krafty Wood at Allendale True Value in Michigan

Come check out our booth at the PalletPalooza™ event to purchase Kamps Krafty Wood, ideas and information!

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Thank you Kamps Pallets for sponsoring PalletPalooza™ 2016!

Pallet Creations will be on display next week! More information coming shortly.......

VanderSalm's Pallet Flower Stand

Did you miss VanderSalm's Flowershop & Garden Center's Pallet Flower Stand Demo?

We want to give a big THANK YOU to VanderSalm's in Kalamazoo for giving a demonstration this past Saturday and encouraging everyone to give a pallet project a try.
This was the project they demonstrated.

It is so gorgeous filled with flowers - no wonder the pallet look is so hot!

If you go to Goodwill's Facebook Page - you can see a short live feed from the event. Facebook.com/GoodwillSWMI/

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Here are other inspiring pallet garden projects at VanderSalm's:

Please stop by VanderSalm's and enjoy a nice walk around the place. They would be happy to answer any questions you have about creating your own pallet project today! 

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We can't believe it! 

This coming weekend is the last weekend to finish your pallet project and submit it to PalletPalooza! 

The deadline to enter is June 30, 2016

Have some fun, support a good cause, and you could win a cash prize! 

PalletSWMI.com/

Pallet Feather Flag Stand

We just got this awesome feather flag for PalletPalooza Day and other events.

Checking the fit and sturdiness inside our sorting department. 

 But being that I do a lot of the purchasing at Goodwill and that I am frugal both personally and at work, I didn't purchase the flag stands. I re-purposed an old pallet of course! I made a lucky find of a large pallet with 2" thick wood. It had a lot of giant staples that must have held a sheet of corrugated, but with a little work, a couple screws and corner brackets, voila!

A virtually free and sturdy base. Happy am I.
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Have you already made a Pallet Creation in the past? Show it off and enter it into PalletPalooza™! Enter today at palletswmi.com
Need more encouragement to enter? Here are some reasons people are entering.

PalletPalooza

Repurposing Pallets for Good

PalletPalooza came about as a unique and fun way to raise funds for Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan and support the mission of the organization.

This past weekend we were promoting PalletPalooza at the Summer Craft Show at the Expo Center in Kalamazoo. It was fun sharing our event with the other vendors, some who were selling reclaimed wood and pallet crafts. (Yeah!) and talking with visitors to the show.

One man who stopped by to get one of our flyers said that he and his family just returned from a trip to Thailand. He said that there is a huge and thriving pallet industry there. He mentioned that the pallets at one time were made of the hardwood teak - which is a valuable tropical wood. Of course this was intriguing and I have been searching the internet for information about Thailand and pallets.

One of the articles I stumbled upon was a ministry that teaches woodworking classes to fathers in Bangkok as a way to earn extra money.

I found a couple of  other projects featuring pallets that were being done to help one another and so here is my round up Recycling Pallets for Good.
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Thailand
Building Pallet Furniture Restore is a small training/business initiative set up as a way to create opportunities for fathers we know who are unemployed but have a desire to work. Restore uses recycled pallet wood to build pieces of furniture for sale. From time to time, Restore hosts workshops teaching basic carpentry skills and tool maintenance for people looking to pick up a trade and find work. Read the rest here.

Rooftop Garden Mother Earth magazine featured an article about a rooftop school garden in Bangkok. The garden is helpful in teaching students about gardening skills. They also sell the produce to staff and parents to buy more seeds and supplies. They started the garden by building 50 raised garden beds made out of 100 donated wood  pallets. Read the whole story here. 
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U.S.A 
Pallet Stage Church Stage Designs is a whole website to help churches build stages for their building or an event. They have a multitude of ideas to create designs using recycled wood pallets. Learn more here.

Horse Barn Lean-To 
Walk onWater is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving individuals the opportunity to experience and bond with horses in a safe and loving environment.  A group of students from Miami University helped them build a lean-to from recycled pallets for the ministry's miniature horses.

Walk on Water

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Time is running out to enter PalletPalooza! The deadline is June 30th, 2016. 

Enter Today! palletswmi.com

Introducing PalletPalooza 2016 Judge Matt Giraud

Isn't this exciting! We are so happy to have Matt Giraud on the PalletPalooza Team as a judge for our inaugural PalletPalooza™ competition!

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Matt Giraud

Matt Giraud is a singer/songwriter from Kalamazoo, Michigan who achieved national recognition and acclaim for his performances on the hit Fox TV show, American Idol. As a favorite of the judges, he was the first ever recipient of the judges’ save, Matt went on to finish 5th on Season 8 of American Idol (2008-2009).

Since then, Matt has appeared on various media outlets and talk shows (i.e. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live with Regis & Kelly). He continues to tour all over the world and most recently has been playing with some of the biggest symphonies in the US. He has performed on stages such as The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, The Phoenix Symphony Hall in Phoenix and for a crowd of over 9000 for the Taste of Kalamazoo in Michigan.

Matt has also had major successes on iTunes by working with seasoned songwriters and artists. He recorded a cover of the song "You Don't Know Me" with Anna Wilson, which can be found on her album titled Countrypolitan Duets. The song went on to be #1 on the iTunes Jazz chart in 2010. He also recorded the song “Thank You” with Jim Brickman in 2010, which reached #16 on the Hot AC charts.

Matt continues to perform and write new music. He  released a full-length album in 2014 and released an EP called "Live at River City" on December 17, 2013.

Matt's Official Website: mattgiraudmusic.com

And more good stuff:
Facebook.com/mattgiraud

twitter.com/ImMattGiraud

Instagram.com/immattgiraud

itunes.apple.com/us/artist/matt-giraud

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Ready to enter PalletPalooza? The deadline to enter and submit photos of your finished creation is Midnight June 30, 2016. 

Enter Here: PalletSWMI.com

Introducing PalletPalooza™ 2016 Judge - Jim Bridenstine

We are so excited to announce our Judges for PalletPalooza 2016. Our distiguished judges will be deciding the top five pallet projects in each of the four categories. They also will be awarding the overall PalletPalooza 2016 Winner! Today we would like to introduce you to PalletPalooza Judge Jim Bridenstine.

Jim Bridenstine

Jim Bridenstine served as the Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts for over 24, almost 25, years. He is an art historian who earned a bachelor's degree in history from The College of Holy Cross and a master's degree in the History of Art (American Art) from George Washington University. He also completed Harvard University's Institute of Arts Administration program. Prior to the KIA, Bridenstine was the director of the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. Raised in Detroit, he also worked at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Toledo Museum of Art.  Bridenstine helped build the KIA's permanent collection, which has developed into more than 4,200 pieces, 1,700 of them collected during his tenure.

Currently he is enjoying retirement but is still very active in the Kalamazoo scene.

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The deadline to enter PalletPalooza is June 30th! So don't delay! Your projects must be completed and a photo submitted by midnight 6/30/16.

Enter at PalletSWMI.com

Have questions? You can reach us at 269.382.0490 or email info@palletswmi.com.

Deadline to Enter PalletPalooza is June 30, 2016

Time flies and I hope you are having fun working with pallets.
June 30th is the last day to have your project finished, entered and photos uploaded.
Here is a link to the website: palletswmi.com
This is the link to ENTER (and the rules): palletswmi.com/enter
Here is information about PalletPalooza Day: palletswmi.com/palletpaloozaday
Questions or Comments? palletswmi.com/contact-us

Since we are talking about time - how about a round up of pallet clocks? Here are a few gems with great tutorials.
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thistlewoodfarms.com is a great blog for finding inspiration for that farmhouse style. She has a very simple and easy to follow tutorial.

Thistlewood Farms.com

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flamingotoes.com tutorial for make this pallet clock has a lot of helpful pictures and even walks you though making the stencil. 

Flamingo Toes.com

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downoxfordstreet.com used regular wood for this clock, but we know it could be done with pallets. 

downoxfordstreet.com

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palletfurniturediy.com has step by step instruction. Change up the color to fit your home. 

palletfurniturediy.com

Questions or Comments about PalletPalooza? Follow this link for our contact information: palletswmi.com/contact-us

 

Picking Perfect Pallets

The title of the blog is a little misleading. A perfect pallet doesn't mean new wood, no splinters, or no bent nails. Perfect means a pallet that perfectly fits your vision for your pallet project.

I will walk through the building here at the Goodwill Alcott street location and spot a pallet and I will be like "Stop...wait a minute... that pallet would be perfect for a coffee table, or that pallet is just the size I need for a garden pallet creation.

I wandered through our pallets that we have for free for Makers ready to get started on their pallet creation to enter PalletPalooza.
 (Entries are due June 30, 2016 - To Enter or to see the rules click HERE. )
With over 2 billion pallets in circulation in the United States you are bound to find the perfect pallet:
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These blue pallets are monsters - they are super heavy. But maybe that blue chippy paint is exactly what you are looking for. And if your need a really solid pallet - these are it.

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This pallet has really wide boards - unusual for a pallet. And the three cross pieces, stringers, are, I am guessing 4" x 4". If you took this apart you can use them for two different projects.

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A smaller pallet with more wide boards - these are good to have in your stash.

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Yes - the rare green pallet - perfectly weathered. I will need that forklift driver to swing on over and help me uncover it! 

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I am fond of the weathered gray pallets. I think they are beautiful. That isn't strange is it? 

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If your perfect pallet is indeed a new pallet - you can still find these ready to be recycled. The standard North American pallet, or GMA pallet, has deckboards of 40 inches and stringers of 48 inches. If a pallet isn't that size, it is often discarded, or set aside. With the boards together like this one - I think this could be cut in half and made into a coffee mug holder. 

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Another pallet with the deckboards close together - this would be perfect for a sign.

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This is not showing up that great in this picture - but this pallet was so weathered and bleach by the sun - it was almost white. I am going to go pick it this afternoon and do something with it. I am not sure what... Any suggestions?

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I spotted this darker gray pallet. When I see that - I see rustic picture frames.

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Love the red. These stacks are getting ready to be reused for their intended purposes - shipping. 

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But when I found a broken one few weeks ago - it became a piece of art - now hanging in our commercial sorting department. 

I took the back off. These are typically very large and very bulky. I used a pallet buster tool to get the back boards or stringers off, then a big hammer to knock off the fat spacers. that left me with just the deck boards and they already had stringers keeping them all together. I didn't do any sanding because, one, the boards weren't that bad, two, I wanted to keep the weathered look intact, and three, I knew that it was going up high where it wasn't going to give anyone slivers. I hung a giant silver metal star in (almost) the center. Here is a close up.

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Find your perfect pallet at one of our Pallet Providers.

Goodwill Industries Alcott Street Donation Center

Barber Packaging in Bangor, MI

Home Improvement Salvage in Paw Paw, MI

Mulder's Landscape in Kalamazoo, MI

Stafford Smith in Kalamazoo, MI

And these two Consumers Concrete locations:

East 3809 E. Michigan, Kalamazoo, MI

1505 Burlingame SW, Wyoming, MI

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Enter your Pallet Creation in PalletPalooza soon - the deadline is June 30th! palletswmi.com