Whilst repurposing is Poetic Home’s middle name, I must issue a warning about wood pallets and their potential toxicity.  I was planning on repurposing wood pallets as bookshelves for my son’s nursery, but my maternal instinct had me research the safety of the wood — and it turns out, wood pallets could be incredibly toxic for your health!

In fact, the pallets could be treated with chemical pesticides, fungicides, and preservatives.  Even worse, according to Wikipedia, “imported palletized goods are routinely fumigated with highly toxic pesticides.”  And in a CBS news report that is worth viewing, more than one third of wood pallets have been found to be unsanitary, and experts believe these pallets can be making millions of people sick.

Remember the recent Tylenol recall that made some people vomit and very ill?  It turns out it was a chemical reaction from the treatment of the wood pallets on which the bottles and packaging materials were shipped that made all those people sick, as reported by Material Handling Management. Specifically, the chemical treatment on the wood pallets was 2,4,6-Tribonoanisole (TBA), which has “been identified as an environmental contaminant…used as a fungicide and a wood preservative,” according to Only Science, and that not enough research has been conducted on the toxicity of TBA to humans (read: BPA, phatlates, and all the other chemicals we’ve recently “discovered” is dangerous, especially to children.)

Some industry advocates state that many wood pallets are treated simply with heat, and not with chemicals — but why take the risk?  If bottles of Tylenol were that easily contaminated by the chemical reactions on wood pallets, why bring those pallets directly into your home?

Could you please help spread the word? I’ve seen too many repurposing projects involving pallets, especially in children’s rooms and even as bed frames for kids, and in good conscience, we must get the word out to protect our health and the future of our little ones.

Aloha friends!  We’ve made the puddle jump and are so happy to be living back in Hawaii, where you can spot ingeniously repurposed surfboard fences simply driving through the North Shore.   We are feverishly house hunting and cannot wait to get settled, especially for little Jet’s sake, and I hopefully will have photos of our new home to share soon.  In the interim, shall we be inspired by vintage surfboards repurposed into furniture?  They are quite epic.

A vintage surfboard is transformed into a relaxed, conversational coffee table, as seen in House Beautiful.

At Hotel California in Santa Monica, a surfboard is recycled into a warm headboard, as captured by charliebrewer.

Half an upcycled surfboard becomes a chic alternative to an Adirondack chair, as made by Karl’s Good Wood.

Stop by the River Inn at Big Sur, and you will be pleasantly surprised by a delicious menu displayed on a repurposed surfboard chalkboard, as captured by anytdiluvian. Brilliant!

Two chairs and a repurposed surfboard (although I actually don’t think that is a real surfboard, as it is far too flat) create a utility table, as seen in NY Times.  I actually think this one would be an excellent ironing board!

On Thursday, I’ll be saying goodbye to San Diego and aloha to Hawaii, and with this inspiration, I’ve rounded up more ideas on how you can repurpose vintage suitcases into new treasures.  Enjoy — and I’ll see you on the other side of the Pacific next week!

This is the BEST repurposed suitcase idea I have ever seen.  Yes, you are looking at a bass made out of a vintage suitcase by Daniyel.  And the best part is that this crafty musician has posted step-by-step DIY instructions on his blog.

Use your vintage suitcase as a planter tray for your indoor specimens, as seen via Junk Warehouse Online

I’ve blogged about suitcase tables before, but I love what lovenostalgicwhimsy has done with creating an entire set of luggage coffee and end tables with their color-coordinated legs.  Charming!

I once hoarded half a dozen vintage suitcases in the hopes of stacking two columns of three to four suitcases and then topping it with a glass piece or antique French door to turn into a desk.  Alas, I sold all of my vintage suitcases during my last move, but here is a modern creation made of leather briefcases from the talented Maarten De Ceulaear, who you may know for the pile of suitcase armoires.

From the uber-creative JunkTion comes a great piece of repurposed furniture – a sofa made from an old vintage trunk.  It’s like the human version of the repurposed luggage pet bed that has been quite popular in the blogosphere.

A vintage suitcase gets a new life as an ambient light by Jo-Annie Larue – what a clever idea!

Update: As of August, all of the card catalogs listed have been sold, but don’t despair!  I will be publishing regular lists of card catalogs for sale throughout the country.  To stay updated, please feel free to sign up for Poetic Home’s RSS feed and leave a comment with your location so I can add it to the hunting list.  If you have a library card catalog for sale and would like to be featured, please email me for details.

Many of you asked, and now you shall receive — a regular compilation of library card catalogs for sale across the country!  Volume I of this series focuses on the West Coast, and I’ll make regular rounds traversing all the way across to the East Coast. If you would like for me to scout in a specific state near you, just leave a note in the comments, and I’d be happy to include it in my searches.

If you become the lucky owner of one of these, please do let me know, as I would LOVE to see photos of them in your homes!

In Arcata, California, this 72-drawer library card catalog cabinet on rollers is for sale for only $150!  Call Lee at (707) 407-7194 to snap up this amazing deal. (P.S.  Yes, you are welcome!)  SOLD

In Jackson, California at “Antiques Downstairs,” this vintage industrial metal library card cabinet is for sale for $150.  I’ve never seen a metal one before, and I love the combination of academic aura and industrial edge.  Call Laurie at (209) 418-8254.  SOLD

From the 1950s comes this card catalog with two filing cabinets no less, which was originally used in Chemawa Middle School in Riverside.  This is currently for sale in Redlands, California for $300.  SOLD

And for the greatest steal EVER, snap up this antique library card cabinet for only $40 in Fresno, California!  Call (559) 287-9648 and then give me a share of your first born child as a token of your appreciation   SOLD

In Tucson, Arizona, this three-section 56 drawer library card catalog is for sale for $550.  SOLD

This impressive, dramatically sized library card cabinet is for sale in Redmond, Bend, Oregon for $400.  SOLD

I hope you enjoyed Volume I of Poetic Home’s series of Library Card Catalogs for Sale!

After waiting for years on the sidelines for the real estate market to correct, I now have house hunting on the mind!   Where will the hubby, baby and I be house hunting for our first home?  Our beloved Hawaii, where we previously called home and where we will be raising Jet…starting at the end of this month!

We are looking for a fixer-upper to restore, but considering the major extent of termite-damage many of the older homes incur in Hawaii, this is not an easy task.  That’s why we are also considering building a sustainable, green home off the grid — a “poetic home” that incorporates as many repurposed and vintage building materials as possible, of course!  I hope you will join me on the journey!

For either option, being thousands of miles away from the Mainland means being very resourceful and creative.  I’ve been looking at flooring options, and here are four repurposed flooring materials that make a beautiful and creative alternative to wood.

McKay‘s Whiskey Barrel Flooring turns your floor into an entire conversation piece.

Submitted to the sadly defunct Domino’s Cheap Tricks section, this floor is made from old wood crates.  I think this would be a gorgeous option for kitchen floors!

German flooring company Parador‘s laminate flooring is inspired by salvaged fruit and wine crates.

Gallery West‘s repurposed gym flooring is fun, hardy, and gives gym glass a whole new meaning.

What do you think of these repurposed flooring choices?  Have you seen other fun alternatives?

While perusing Bel & Bel’s portfolio beyond their Vespa office chair, I stumbled upon the greatest conversation piece one could own: a vintage 600 SEAT Model D car repurposed into a sofa!

The sofa is equipped with working headlights, which are perfect for ambient lighting in a room, as well as an audio player.  I simply am in love with this piece and wish they shipped to the US so I could buy it for my son’s room!

Not to waste any piece of the SEAT 600, the back of the car has been ingeniously repurposed into a CD rack, which also has a built-in audio player.

Of course, there’s a version for the iPod, using the rear of the car as a repurposed docking station.  My oh my, I will never look at auto junkyards the same again!

If you are looking for inventory for your Etsy vintage shop or antique mall booth, or you’ve been itching to increase your personal vintage collection with an abundance of chic treasures, then this is the jackpot you’ve been waiting for!

Since I am in the midst of moving out of state (more details to share soon!), as well as enjoying the giggles and laughter of four-month old Jet, I don’t have time to list and sell items individually in the Poetic Home Etsy shop.  Thus, I’m happy to offer this “wholesale” lot of treasures originally intended for the Poetic Home Etsy shop, but which will be equally happy in your home or Etsy shop!

Here is a list of what the vintage wholesale lot includes (which is not all shown in the photos):

• VERY COOL 1920s telephone pole lettering kit! This comes in a metal box with three trays of vintage type of numbers and letters in different sizes, original paint, spatulas, and more.  Retail: $100
• Vintage red wall mount rotary phone. Retail: $65
• Vintage Wizard Husky fan (works perfectly!). Retail: $30
• Vintage GE fan (the motor and blades work perfectly, but since it rotates a bit shakily, I recommend this only for decoration purposes). Retail: $20
• GE Electronic Tubes traveling case (that opens up with shelves inside). Retail: $25
• 2 vintage Tensor lamps (one is gooseneck, while the other is mid-century modern). Retail: $40
• 2 perpetual calendars. Retail: $40
• 2 vintage pencil sharpeners. Retail: $50
• 1 wooden two-hole punch. Retail: $15
• Miniature “bookshelf” of paper supplies, wherein some of the “books” still contain air mail labels, photo corners, and more. Retail: $5
• 4 antique maps of France, Europe, South America, and Italy (each is already wrapped in cellophane and backed in cardboard). Retail: $60
• 9 pairs of vintage cat eye glasses. Retail: $225
• 3 10″ and 1 16″ vintage Hollywood movie reels. Retail: $90
• 4 home movie reels and canisters. Retail: $20
• Kodak Instamatic Hawkeye Camera in its original box (They still make the film for this!  I have not tested the camera, however.).  Retail: $30
• Antique wooden stereoscope with 12 black and white stereoscope cards. Retail (via eBay auction prices): $150
• 2 wooden antique shoe molds. Retail: $15
• Pottery wall art by a Benedictine monk (the original sales tags are still attached). Retail: $15
• Plaid vintage suitcase in great condition. Retail: $20
• Antique leather war field phone.  Retail: $50
• Vintage watercolor palette (which has been lovingly used, but is still quite cool with life left) and typewriter erasers, an assortment of wooden alphabet blocks, a handful of vintage thread and spools, and more odds and ends!

The lot would retail about $1000, but I’m selling the entire lot for only $350, plus $50 for shipping within the continental United States. If you are a local buyer picking it up in San Diego, I’m happy to include an antique 1920s Underwood typewriter as a free bonus too!  You can buy the lot via this listing on my Etsy shop.  Thanks!

Look out Herman Miller! Repurposed Vespa office chairs may just take you by storm. We all loved the faux repurposed Vespa rocking horse, but this reincarnation by Bel&Bel works for the coolest of adults too.

The repurposed chair has all of the modern workings of a comfortable seat, including ergonomic considerations, a hydraulic piston for height adjustments, and soft supple leather for the upholstery.

Better yet, the chair is available in white, red, gray, silver, and blue.  Decisions, decisions!

While catching up on my DudeCraft reading, I stumbled upon Sean Woolsey‘s work, and his recent lamp logs really intrigued me.  I love the wild feel of these lamps and how each neck is shaped based upon the unique base.  The reclaimed wood wall in his studio (which serves as this photo’s backdrop) is wonderfully rustic and wabi sabi too.

Poetic Home has needed a spring cleaning for many seasons, and I am very proud to unveil the new look, which I believe is much more symbolic of the Poetic Home aesthetic.  The website is not 100% complete just yet, as we have a few bugs to work out, but I’d love to hear your feedback!

With all of the spring cleaning, I’m also hoping to get your input about what type of content and regular features you’d like to see.

Would you like more repurposing goodness, vintage interior design posts, and peeks into chic vintage-inspired homes?  I’m also thinking of introducing new regular posts, such as a weekly round-up of library card catalogs for sale, as well as guests who share photos and stories of typewriters in their lives.  What do you think?

I sincerely welcome and appreciate your thoughts!