It's been a while since my last post. I blame my day job. How rude that it interrupts my blogging time.
Today's blog is going to get a little crafty. I've realized that I'm actually kind of good at some Pinterest-y type things. Not all things though, that's why there are websites like this with photos like that:
But over the years I've found that I am a decent scrapbooker (which I don't know if I can call myself that since I've only done one complete scrapbook), a great birthday crown maker, knitter extraordinaire, 30th celebration thrower and an okay-ish baker (yes, I've turned banana bread black and made dirt instead of bars). And once upon a time when my husband and I lived in Boston, I took on the task of creating: Crate Nightstands.
We NEED Nightstands — STAT
Back in Boston, we only brought out what our little Cobalt could fit. This meant when we arrived, there were no chairs, no couches, certainly not a bed and definitely no nightstands. Yikes! And while we found a lot of great furniture on Craigslist for cheap cheap cheap, nightstands seemed to be lackluster. You'd either find dingy pieces that should be burned instead of sold, or "vintage" pieces that were way overpriced. Instead of buying brand new, I did the next dumbest thing — create my own.
Keep in mind, while I think I'm okay at craft-type activities, I'm not a natural. I don't know where to find good deals and I don't have extra stuff lying around to use at my disposal. But, I was desperate for nightstands and knew this was my only option.
After searching on Pinterest for a while, I came across this post. It seemed easy enough. Milk crates and a stain color of my choice. All for the low low price of $15! With a plan in mind, I was was ready!
Ready to Craft
NOTE: While I had found the perfect, cheap nightstand situation, I'd say the prices were a bit off. For starters, it said I needed two crates... well that equals four since there are two people and two sides of the bed. And because I don't know where crafters go to get great deals on stuff like that, I had to succumb to my only option: Michaels. Since these type of DIY projects are all the rage, they could definitely jack up on the price. Which they did. Michael's website says each crate is $10 (which I can't remember what they were for me) which starts you at $40. Then add a stain (which I picked up at Home Depot), and you've hit $50. Plus. Then I needed rags to stain the wood and sand paper to sand these crates. So needless to say, this project was nowhere near $15.
In the long run, the project was still cheaper than brand new, and prettier than my Craigslist variety.
Because we lived in an apartment, I had to utilize the parking lot for my crafting extravaganza, noted in this picture:
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| Got all the essentials! |
Don't worry, I didn't obstruct any cars from getting in or out. There was a random little patch of asphalt that fit my project perfectly. It was time to begin!
STEP 1: Sand the crates. Then sand them again
Sanding wasn't so bad. It just took a long time. And it was hot. And there was no shade in site. In retrospect, this part could have been done under a tree, but I figured I had already set everything up and didn't want to have my spot taken by another potential crafter.
After I sanded my crate, I soon realized that there were rough patches. Everywhere. Sure, the outside of the crate was easy, but trying to get through each slate and all along the inside was a less-than-ideal situation. I lacked patience, so I moved forward. It wouldn't matter right?
STEP 2: STAIN
I picked a very dark stain for these crates. I love darker wood and it matched our bedroom decor. Plus, if I screwed anything up, the darkness would hide it. I hoped.
Let me tell you. Staining is tricky. I didn't do any research on staining, but I just figured you'd pour the stain on your towel and rub. No. It depends on how much stain you have on each section, how much you rub into the wood, if you reapply, if you let it sit without rubbing it, etc. And once you've done all but one side, how do you flip it without getting stain all over yourself and everything around you? You don't. You cannot avoid the staining of the stain. And someone PLEASE tell me how to stain between each slate! Good grief.
Afters hours had passed, and heat stroke had set in, I ended up with these beauts:
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| Ta-da! In all their imperfect glory |
I forget how long they had to sit, but I think I was glad to leave them in their place and go inside where the air conditioning would bring me back to life. In the post that I had gotten this idea from, they went a step forward and used nails and wood glue to keep the two crates intact. We decided to keep them unattached so we could move them as we pleased. And it has worked well for us!
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| I'm basically a nightstand craft queen, wouldn't you say? |
I would say the only issue I have with them is that the dust collects on the inside and since I did a
Happy crafting to those who decide to tackle this project! Share some photos while you're at it!
Always,
A
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