Trash to treasure: 2x4's

I have been finding so much fun in picking up, in essence, trash off the road, by the dumpster or really anywhere. By the way, people love to throw away good stuff and leave it by their trashcans/mailboxes here in FL....not sure why, but I've never seen as many pieces of furniture, toys, pianos (you name it, I've probably seen it) thrown to the curb like they do here. SO, in light of that, here's a recent trash find I redid into a little decor for the kids rooms. 

I found these 2x4's in the parking lot of our apartment....weird?! There were some pallets out there for a couple days and I'm assuming they came out of that pile at some point. They were super duper beat up. Like splinter valley. They were an odd yellow wood color. I honestly wasn't sure what I would do with them or if I'd even be able to transform them in any way. But I gave it a shot. I forgot to take a picture before I sanded them, but I was able smooth them out just enough to keep a distressed look without splintering my hands every time I touched it! And thankfully that awful yellow color was only on the surface. 

Next I decided to try whitewashing them. It took about 5 million coats, but I finally reached a color I was happy with. 

If you've never whitewashed anything, then well, you should. Just mix a little water into your paint (you kinda just have to play with the consistency, depending on the look you're going for), use an old t-shirt and dip that sucker right into the paint and wash your wood as if you were trying to clean it. Let dry in the sun (usually takes about 15 minutes) and repeat until your desired color is reached.

Next, I used a tip my awesome MIL (that's momma in law) told me about. I bought a dark brown ink pad and just went to town with it! Around the edges, on the corners, I even used my fingers to highlight some of the grain showing through the whitewashing. Here's what I was working with now!

I went on the hunt for some antique looking hardware to throw on here, but got a little impatient and decided to just go to Lowes instead. Grabbed a couple knobs and a couple hooks and attached them.

This one is in the boy's room. The other one is going in Clairsy's room, but the screws that came with the knobs for hers weren't quite long enough, so I have to get some of those to finish attaching hers. Pretty much looks the same....only its two knobs and one hook, and they are a brushed nickel.

I love the way it turned out! From trash in the parking lot, to a statement on the wall :) Now what to hang on these hooks? I was thinking maybe some of his favorite things? Or maybe I'll hold onto the baby in him a little longer and dig out his little hospital booties, and first baseball cap? Suggestions?? 

I hope you are inspired to look for junk! ha! No really though, be on the lookout for things like this! Try to look past the paint job, rough surface, or missing hardware. Whether it be furniture, scrap wood, old dishes, planters, most things can be redone with a minimal amount of talent or money. 

Thanks for reading! Look for more posts labeled "Trash to Treasure" here in the near future. I found some great things the other day that I can't wait to transform! 

Happy humpday, y'all!