Today I am excited to be teaming up with the great folks over at Crates and Pallet to bring you some AWESOME new build plans featuring their ever popular Large Wooden Crate! I am sure you have seen these available at many large retailers, including Home Depot.,,

Which bring me to some other exciting news!  I am teaming up with some of my favorite blogger friends Jaime from That’s My Letter and Jen from The House of Wood, along with the wonderful folks Crates and Pallet to bring you some giveaways!

Enter below for your chance to win a $50 Home Depot gift card! (Three winners will be chosen!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

When it comes to hiding toy clutter, I love to reference Pottery Barn Kids for great inspiration!  They recently carried a”Low Crate Storage” dresser, it was perfect solution for the kids room/ toy room dilemma. They don’t currently carry this piece of furniture, but that is no problem, because today  I am going to show you how I made my own using the “Large Crate” from Crates and Pallet!

How to Make a Pottery Barn Inspired Crate Dresser

Materials Used:

• (1) 4’x 8′  3/4″ Plywood
• (3) 1″x 3″ Board
• (3) 1″x .5″ Board (Typically found with specialty woods, mine came in 3′ pieces)
• (6) Large Crate
• 1.5″ Pocket Hole Screws
•  1.5″ nails
• Wood Glue
• Wood Stain

Tools Suggested:

• Drill
• Kreg Jig
• Table Saw
• Nail Gun
• Miter Saw
• Sander

Cut List:

From the 4’x 8′ x  3/4″ (See Diagram Below) 

• (2) @ 61  1/2″ x 13″
• (1) @ 63″x 13″
• (2) @ 28 3/4″x 13″
• (4) @ 9″x 12 3/4″

From 1″x 3″ Boards 

• (3) @ 64 1/2″ WITH 45° angles on BOTH ends.(It will measure 64 1/2″ from long point to long point)
• (6) @  13 3/4″ WITH 45 ° angle on ONE end. (It will measure 13 3/4″ from straight cut to long point)

From 2″x 1/2″ Board

• (6) @ 11″

Step 1: Assemble Frame 

When joining the plywood together,  I suggest using  wood glue, pocket holes, and pocket hole screws at all joints.

Step 2: Add Dividers

Again, when I join  plywood together I always use pocket holes, and pocket hole screws. For added security  I usually use wood glue as well.
Step 3: Add 1″x 3″ Trim

After the base unit is assembled,  attach the 1″x 3″ trim boards.  When attaching mine, I used 1 1/2″ finish nails and for added strength I used wood glue as well. ( This piece is going in my kids toy room, so I will basically  just slather the entire thing in wood glue, for good measure.)

Repeat the same process on the sides. Just slather it, and attach with 1 1/2″ nails.  When attaching these, mind that they are square… (You can do hard things!)

Step 4: Add 2″x  1/2″ Trim 

You are almost there!   All you need to do is add  the 1/2″ trim pieces. Same routine, slather, and then nail.

Step 5: Finish

At this point you are essentially done building! Now for the fun part… (I’m trying to be an optimist… today.)  Next you GET to fill all the  nail holes!  Once the filler has dried,  you have the opportunity to sand the entire unit! Lastly,  pick your color and finish that sucker!  I used Jacobean by Minwax. (It is my Ol’reliable.)

Step 6: Add Back Panel (if desired)

I set my dresser up against a wall so there was no need to add a  piece of back paneling.  However it is an option, should you need it.  If not, step back and enjoy  the fact that you are done! And soon, very soon there will be far less toys strewn about the floor. (Haha,  good luck with that Momma!)

 Thanks so much for stopping by!  Make sure you enter in the giveaway at the beginning of the post and you check out these other awesome sites  to see how they use crates!

House of Wood 

That’s My Letter 

One Arsty Mama

Damask Love

At Home with Natalie

Take Luck,

 Corey

The post Pottery Barn Inspired Crate Dresser appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

So Andrew (My Husband) brought it home, and I honestly didn’t touch it for a few days.  I was not really sure if I wanted to completely  change the entire thing, or  go the easy  route, and just refinish it.  This time I opted for the easy  easier route.

I was originally planning on simply  painting  all of the wicker drawers,  but after a few coats, I realized it is NOT the look I was going for.  So I re-grouped and decided to add paneling to the sides, and cover the wicker. I used construction glue, and  caulked the edges to create a finished look.   It worked like a charm. I then resumed priming the newly resurfaced bins.

Next it was time to paintthe actual unit. It needed a new paint job, and some structural reinforcing.  When I take on a project  like this,  I usually prefer to take the entire thing apart, and  work on nice flat/open surfaces.  Yes, it is more prep work,  but it will save you time in the long run! 

  Once all of the paint dried,  I re-attached all of the drawer-glides, and then reassembled.

  At this point the whole unit was white, and looked very  dull.  It needed some two-tone action!

 I opted for Minwax Jacobean Stain for the top, and followed up with a coat of Satin Polyurethane.

  Last finishing touch ?  It needed hardware.  It originally  didn’t have any pulls.  I found these pulls at Lowes for $0.51!  Yes,  $0.51!  They were  discontinuing a few styles and I bought ALL of them!  

So let’s break it down..

• Media console:           FREE
• Paneling:                     $5.00
• Paint/Primer:             Had on Hand
• Pulls:                            $1.53
• 1×6’s:                            $8 (Crazy good deal in clearance section.)

                   Total:                           $14.53

                   Sold :                           $175.00

         Profit:                  $160.47

  I listed it on Craigslist and it sold within  a day!  All in all, I will call it a win!

 Thanks for stopping by!

Corey

The post Makeover Media Console appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

You may recall a post I wrote  a while back documenting the transformation of our under the stairs closet into a “Fort” .      It has been a few years, and  my kids  have grown up a bit.  The oldest is now five and the youngest is three,  and both have a small obsession with all things fire fighters.  So, for Christmas this year I decided to give their under the stairs fort a  makeover.  IT WAS A HIT!  They love it, and you can read  a little bit about the process below.  Enjoy!

 The Exterior

 I ended  up using a paneling  that was made to look like brick.  I purchased this 4×8′ sheet for roughly $25.  It saved me a whole lot of work, and was fairly sturdy!    I cut out a custom sign using a jigsaw, and painted the sign by hand.  I think it turned out adorable.   I ended up adding trim  that I painted to look like concrete accents.  I also figured it needed some windows, so I trimmed those out as well.  Love it. I added two lanterns,  that I purchased for $5,oo a piece and then spray painted gold.  I decided to not make these fully functioning lights. (Live wires,  and toddlers didn’t seem like the best combination.)

Top Floor

In order to access the top floor  I thought a red ladder was more than appropriate, PLUS it was super easy and CHEAP  option.  All the materials only cost $7!?

  I think  my favorite part of the entire Fire Station is the upstairs “locker”.  Truth be told, I didn’t really know what I was doing with this area  until the day before  Christmas.  (Talk about a last minute gift.)

I had originally planned on just sticking to hooks on the wall for their costumes. But  then I  I got an idea…  uh-oh.  I  decided they  needed a place for their helmets, AND their firefighter accessories…  (Basically it will never ever be good enough.)

 So,  I whipped up this shelving unit with  scraps I had in the garage.  I cut two long  pieces of  3/4″ ply wood and  then glued and tacked in place support brackets.  After which I added the shelves.  It was a fairly simple build. All that was left was to sand, prime, and paint!   I used some left over paneling on the back wall, and then added the hooks, and mounted the shelf.  ( To ensure it  would be secure.)   The last finishing touches were the baskets and the lights!  I got the baskets from the  Dollar Tree and spray painted them to match, and used battery operated push lights for the lighting.  It turned out better than I had ever hoped!

My Husband ran to Home Depot  to grab a few odds and ends, and  came home with an  awesome idea!  He hooked up a water spicket, hose, and nozzle for the kids to play with!  They love it, they  pretend to put out fires for hours on end! 

Last thing  it needed was a phone!  When  my kids are playing ” Fire Fighters”,  they inevitably receive a call about a “fire emergency!”.  For $2.00 I picked up an old phone from the thrift store and spray painted it to match.

 The Bottom Floor

The ladder was a great way to get up,  but coming down ?  You simply  CANNOT have a fire station without a pole.  For the pole I used a piece of  2″ conduit.  It worked perfectly, and for only $8, you can’t beat that!

This is the view from  looking from the exterior window down.

I took out some of the existing bins and added some playing space.   The white table top you see below was actually a scratch and dent Ikea cupboard door for $5. Booyah.  Now they have a cute play area, as well as a place to store their larger toys.  Perfection.

The bottom floor previously had a  tool  bench built into the wall.  The kids  never really  got into it.  They played with it occasionally, but it was never a BIG hit.   In all seriousness they have logged more play hours  with the  “fire truck” in the last 24 hours , than they  ever did with the tool bench in the last 2 years.

In order to convert the “tool bench” into a  fire truck dash board, I used a play ground steering wheel, (that I painted to look more realistic).  Added some buttons and knob, and finished it off with an old CB radio and rear view mirror!  All it needed was a  quick mural painting and it was good to go. 

The last  area to undergo renovations  was the “hidden room”,  originally  the room did not exist. When my husband and  I were originally  making “the fort”  we discovered some unused space.  So naturally we knocked down the wall, added some drywall and carpet, and increased the kids square footage.  Naturally.

During the “fort” era, it had been a “ball pit” with a mini-basketball hoop, and various ball activities. They  loved this room for a long time,  but as they got older it  did not get as much use.The room had a dramatic slope to the ceiling ( remember we are under the stairs),  so it made it hard to use the space for play, and toy storage.  BUT it made for a perfect TV room!   I simply mounted the tv  above the entry so that the kids could lay down and watch a movie, and I didn’t need to worry about the tv getting knocked over. Win.   

All in all I can say the  closet, turned fort, turned fire station was a complete success!

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

Corey

The post Under the Stairs Playhouse/Firestation appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

Regardless,  I have a lot of projects that I didn’t have the foresight to  document the process.  These projects  have been hidden away in a folder in the deep recesses of a desktop folder.  But maybe, just maybe they will spark some  of your own ideas.

 Today  I want to show you what  I did with a shelf/hutch,  that was left  behind  by our homes’  former owners.

 The left behind this huge  ugly  hutch.  I am assuming it was apart of a buffet  table in it’s former glory.  We kept it in the garage for a while, for fear that  maybe the previous owners were planning on retrieving it. BUT, it was taking up so much space!  Finally,  I started ripping it apart so I could  more easily  dispose of  it…  LIGHT BULB.

Instead of trashing it,  I came up with  a new destiny for the scrap pieces.  It was destined to become the kids toy bin!   So  I got to work.  It was a little tedious  piecing it all together but,  I love the look that it created!

    This is my only  “during” image,  but it is easier to see the different pieces of wood.   It also  illustrates  what a difference a coat of paint can make!

As you can see it is fairly large,  my husband and two children wanted to prove it. ( Watching attempt to get out,  made all  time making it, totally worth it!

Over time I realized that  I didn’t really love the color, and the  kids had a hard time retrieving their toys from the bottom of the crate.  So  I made a few  modifications .

 I added a shelf in the mid section.  It made it  perfect for storing some of the kids bulkier toys, while still being easily  accessible.

It really the was  perfect addition to the  family room, it added character,  while still creating storage!

So what do you think ?  Do you have any  great  renovations,  makeovers or flips !?  I would love to see them, and maybe we can feature your ideas on a future  “Makeover Monday”.

You can submit ideas, tutorials, and/or images here.

Happy  Monday!

Corey

The post Trash to Toy Trunk appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

 The “Bottom Floor”

Instead of heading up the stairs, you can duck  under and find this little area.

The lower level of the fort is dedicated to toy and play space.  It is complete with a nice clean and convenient toy storage.  I just love organization.  (I am pretty certain my kids may be doomed to a future of OCD.)

Once you get to the end of the toy storage it splits off the left…  This always surprises everyone!  At the far end they  have  “busy board” and a built in tool bench.

What always shocks people even  more, is  secret room if you continue around the corner!

This fun hideaway has become known as the ball pit…how original.

Complete with wall maze, and basketball hoop.  I would have killed for a place like this when I was little.  In fact  I recall making a “fort”  in the dirt crawl space under our house…  yeah that was gross.

 

Fun fact:  While we were in the midst of  building the fort,  my husband brings in a hammer and says…
Andy-” I want to hit a hole in the wall..”
Me- ” Makes sense, Why ? ”
Andy- ” I want to see whats behind this wall” (pointing to a nicely finished wall)
Me- ” Of course you do.”

Well his odd curiosity , is what  brought about the ball pit.  We busted down the wall made a door and completely  finished off the space , that was even further under the stairs. (Yes,  this detour project was included in the 5 days we had to finish  it.)

“The Upstairs”

If you  go up the stairs to the top floor you are greeted by some of the kids favorite characters.

The evening before their birthday  I stayed up very late working on these guys.  Look how cute  Wall-e is even eating popcorn.   Why is he eating popcorn ?  Because , my dear,  they are…

watching  a movie !  Can I tell you how nice it is to NOT have to watch/hear Curious George ?  It makes all the hard work completely  worth it.
On occasion Andy and I will crawl up there with the kids and watch a movie.  It is a pretty  big space,  it can actually  fit a twin size mattress…  just ask  my  younger brother. (We may or may not have had him sleep in there.)

The dvd player is conveniently  located out side the fort in the hidden storage area behind the treetops/curtains.

My kids love it and when friends come to play,  they all just  stay in there.  It’s great.  Not to mention, all of their toys are contained to one place.  They aren’t strewn about all over the place.  I love it.

So, do you have an odd size storage space somewhere ?  Maybe you should sort through all the random books that you now have in digital copy,  and clothes that are too small, and make it into a kids hide-away.

Just a  thought. You will be glad you did.

Have a great day !

The post Under the Stairs Fort appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.