If you’re a regular reader, like I am, of the blog Young House Love, you might be aware of the Pinterest Challenge issued by Sherry and her friend Katie over at Bower Power.  Home-design over-achievers that they are, they decided to issue a challenge to all their readers to participate with them in (*gasp*) actually creating something using inspiration from Pinterest.

If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, it’s positively disgusting how inspired and addicted one can get to this site.  It’s a virtual pinboard from pictures all over the web that you can pick and choose to “pin” to your own customized inspiration boards – everything from fashion and hairstyles, to funny quotes, to DIY ideas…the possibilities are endless.  It’s like having all of your favorite magazines right in front of you without having to tear out pages you like, and without those annoying automatic re-subscriptions.  I’m totally hooked.  I’ve been pinning DIY ideas for the house and for the kids like crazy, but I have yet to make anything from all that inspiration.  Hence, The Challenge.

I had noticed from my pins that I’m quite obsessed with wooden palettes for some reason, and conveniently, some roofers from the house next door left a few palettes in my driveway.  Christmas in July!  So many ideas to choose from!

But I had no idea what I wanted to do.  I didn’t need a wall garden or an outdoor coffe table.  Then it came to me:  During our master bathroom makeover, Lukus and I had always planned to put in a little half-shelf-wall thingy to partially block the view from the bathtub to the toilet.  Not only did we want to add some privacy to the toilet area without blocking out all the window light, but we wanted a place to store toilet paper rolls, magazines and the hilarious Jack Handy quote book.  But we had very little space.

Also, I wanted something that would warm up our modern bathroom.  I love soft modern, but I think the best look is to mix it up with some nature and rustic elements.  A wall made out of a wooden palette would be perfect!  We measured the palette, and with just a little bit of trimming, it would fit perfectly and perform all the needed functions.  Lukus measured using a level and a straight edge:

Then he cut down both sides by just a couple of inches:

Then he sanded while I went to the hardware store for some clear varnish and some accessories:

Can you tell where I’m going with these?

That’s a special pottery bit that I pick up for under $2 just for this project and used it to drill two holes in each pot.  Then I took some twine (and yes, my nails don’t look great in dark purple):

I pushed the twine through the holes and tied a knot on the inside of each hole, like this:

By then, the varnish I had put on the night before had dried, and Lukus had installed the palette using only a single screw into the baseboard.  I drilled a hole into the palette and screwed in a drawer pull that I’d purchased:

Then I hung the pots with some lovely succulents planted in them, and stood back to admire mine and Lukus’ handiwork:

Here’s the view from the toilet (I promise I am standing up and fully-clothed while taking this picture):

I used some small shims to slide through the planks to hold up my favorite catalogs from West Elm.  Granted, the palette is a bit out of style by itself in this modern bathroom, but our shower curtain is hanging from the rod by twine, and I plan to purchase a jute runner rug to place in front of our sinks.  I think that with those three, small, natural elements in the same color tones, it will be just enough “rustic” to warm up this space and bring cohesion between the modern and the earthy.  And if we decide we don’t like the palette, it’s very easy to remove with just the untwisting of a screw.

In any case, I successfully completed my attempt for The Pinterest Challenge, and went from viewing to doing.  I’d love to hear what you think, and what projects you’re up to.  Have you heard of Pinterest yet?  Or are you already fully addicted and stay up until 3 a.m. cataloging ideas?  Uh…me neither.  Check out the other bloggers who spurred this whole thing on:  Sherry, Katie, Emily, Lana.