This June, we've partnered with
Michael's to get the word out on their new online shopping! Want to make something but have a hard time finding inspiration? You can now visit
Michaels.com and browse a variety of different project by clicking on the "find a project" tab. Once you've chosen what project you want to make, simply click "add all to cart" to have all of the items needed for that project shipped to your doorstep. Don't you love easy? Oh, and did we mention free shipping for orders over $50? More money in your pocket for more projects ;)
Shannon and I browsed the projects and thought it would be fun for each of us to put our own spin on the stained wood crate project found
here. Wood crates are SO versatile and can be made into anything under the sun.
IDEA #1 - Jen
For my take on this project, I decided to turn a wood crate into an organizer with built-in planter to give my crafting space a little extra zip (and clear up some of the clutter!)
Click
here to visit Michael's and easily add the crate, paint, and paintbrushes to your cart. All supplies for this project include:
, Martha Stewart multi-surface paints in
chestnut brown and
pea shoot, paint brushes, jigsaw, drill, 150 grit sandpaper, compass, measuring tape, plant in a planter with built-in drain tray.
First, grab your potted plant and use your measuring tape to measure the circumference of the area (in centimeters) that you want to fit into the hole that you will be drilling into your crate. Remember, anything below where you measure will be sticking through the hole, so don't measure too far up. I went about 1 1/2 cm from the bottom, and my circumference was 14 cm. A nice round number.
Now, you're going to have to do some math to figure out how to make the circle that your planter will fit in. And if you just groaned a little, just know that math was my least favorite subject in school too, so I feel your pain. Take your circumference in centimeters and divide by pi (or 3.14) to get your diameter. Take that number and divide by two to get your radius, which is the length from the center of your circle to the outside.
For me, my measurements were: 14 cm (circumference)/3.14= 4.46 (diameter)/2= 2.2cm (radius). This is the length that I am going to make my compass so that I can draw my circle. Got it? Ok, let's do this!
Now that you know how big you need to make your circle, you're going to mark where you want your circle to go. Rather than setting my crate on its side and having more space lengthwise, I decided to set my crate on its end and put my planter off to the left (which was more visually pleasing and provided more surface area for display on top.) This also provides more stability for the plant.
Since I now know the circumference of my circle, I eyeballed it and made a mark in the upper left side of my crate based on my measurement, but if you'd rather be more scientific about things:
ONE: set your crate on its end.
TWO: measure the distance from the edge of the crate to the edge of the crate's handle and draw a line marking the center.
THREE: measure the other direction and make a mark in the center.
FOUR: where these lines meet is the center of your hole.
FIVE: adjust your compass to the radius measurement you got above (for me it was 2.2 cm.) Set your compass point on the mark you just drew, and then trace your circle.
SIX: here is your finished circle. Yay!
SEVEN: now get your drill and drill a starter hole close to the edge of your circle. This will help you make your starting cut with your jigsaw.
EIGHT: use your jigsaw to cut around the circle you drew.
NINE: place your planter inside your hole to make sure you're happy with the size. Make additional cuts as necessary if you'd like a larger hole.
TEN: paint the outside of your crate with the chestnut brown paint and let dry. Paint the inside with the pea shoot color.
Now I have a pretty little organizer with built-in planter to add some fun to my crafting space! I love how it's both functional and decorative. It also gives me an excuse to show off my trinkets like the gems I got while gem mining in Asheville, NC 3 years ago, the embroidery hoop I made from
this tutorial (PS it's a free pattern), or the fun silver feather book ends I got while estate saling.
I love how the bottom of my plant peeks out inside the crate. Maybe I should paint it in a different shade for a fun pop of color? The Martha Stewart multi-surface paints really are fantastic. The colors are really rich and smooth (and they have fun names like "Wedding Cake" and "Cloud"). I watered the brown down a bit before painting to make it look more like a stain and so that the natural grain of the wood could shine through. Love.
The perfect addition to pretty up my crafting space!
IDEA #2 - Shannon
As soon as this lovely wooden crate arrived at Chateau de Venanzio, the cats wasted absolutely no time in declaring it belonged to them. Within minutes, Skilo was inside the crate clawing at the wood while Sparta was outside, swatting at Skilo, trying to get in. The cats pretty much told me what I was going to do with this crate. Make them a bed. **cue angelic choir accompanying grand revelation**
This may seem somewhat daunting because power tools are involved, but trust me... it's a cinch! Building the actual bed took less than 20 minutes. The hardest part was the painting/staining. Here we go!
First up.. supplies!
- Wooden Crate
- Martha Stewart Satin Craft Paints
- Painters tape (I ended up not using this)
- Paint Brush
- Pencil
- 4 Legs with pre-installed hanger bolts (I got mine at my local hardware store for less than $2 each)
- Drill & Drill Bits
- Hammer
- Blanket
Next, set your crate on the edge of a table, letting the first plank overhang as shown above. This is where you get to use your hammer! Rest your arm/body weight on the top of the crate and use the hammer to knock off the overhanging plank. Do this with the top 2 on one side. It came off extremely easy, but if any staples stick to the crate, use pliers to remove.
To install the legs, I used a
circle template as a guide. I lined it up on the corners of the crate and marked the spot I wanted to drill, making sure the leg would not go past the edge of the crate. To properly choose a drill bit, hold it against the hanger bolt. It should be slightly smaller than the bolt to assure a tight fit when screwed in. It's better to start off too small. If the hole you drill isn't big enough, go one size up in drill bit. If you start off too big, your leg will fall out and you'll have to move the location of your hole.
Since the crate is made of pine, the wood is relatively soft and should allow the bolt to screw in easily if your hole is the right size. Remember, you want it slightly tight to hold the leg in place. You'll need to apply some pressure in this process.
Voila! Pet bed! Now it's time to make it pretty. I used the Satin Martha Stewart Craft Paint in Acorn. I wanted this to look more like a stain, less like paint, so I watered it down a bit. Since Pine is so soft and porous, watery stains tend to run quickly. To prevent feathering, start from the inside of the shape you are filling in and work your way out, allowing the wettest part to be the middle. (Can you tell we like triangles over here at ESM?)
The finished product! Just add a blanket or cushion and let your little ones make themselves at home!
It took Skilo not long at all to acquaint himself with his new bed. He seemed quite pleased!
Sparta on the other hand... it was quite a process getting him to accept it. He's the skeptic in our house... not very trusting of anything. Especially, wooden crates, apparently. But, he finally realized this could work in his favor and had a minor meltdown from the excitement (see last photo). He's our special cat.
We couldn't be more excited to be part of such an amazing group of bloggers! Talk about inspiring! Make sure you check out all the other amazing projects from the
Michael's Makers.
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*This post is in conjunction with the Michael's Makers blogging collaboration. All opinions are our own. You can find our full disclosure here.*
For the longest time, our TV in the bedroom lived on top of a cheap, ugly, Ikea dresser. The Blu-ray player and cable box were stacked on top of each other and it was just... unpleasant. The before is at left... it's wretched, I know! I couldn't stand the empty space above the tv, the harsh lines of the dresser completely clashed with the rest of the room. I just hated it. So, we made a change. It started with mounting the TV and concealing the cables. We found a strip to hide the cables in that you can paint so it blends in with your wall. But, then I had to solve the problem of where to put the Blu-ray player and cable box. I had found these rustic brackets at an estate sale for $10 for the pair. I had been hanging onto them, kind of unsure what to do with them when I realized they would be a perfect solution for this project. I bought some wood at the local hardware store, stained all the pieces and screwed them together to make a shelf. To allow the cords to be concealed within the strip, I fixed the shelf to the brackets leaving a one inch gap between the shelf and the wall. It worked beautifully! 
