Hello friends! More apologies for being MIA – still dealing with my dad’s affairs – but I’m EXTREMELY excited to announce that me and 9 of my bloggy friends are participating in The Great Crate Challenge! (Let the ooh’s and ahh’s commence!) Each of us has taken a plain Michael’s crate – available here – and transformed it into our very own creations using unique materials!
Here are all my lovely friends that are involved in this fabulous challenge; be sure to visit each of their blogs and follow on bloglovin’ and social media for more of their fantastic posts!
Tara from Anything and Everything
Breighanne from Average but Inspired
Bre from Brepurposed
Leigh Anne from Houseologie
Kendra from Joy in Our Home
Sarah from Little Red Brick House
Kristi from Making it in the Mountains
Nicole from Meet the B’s
Christina from Operation Home
The Michael’s crate is extremely versatile as it features well-constructed, sturdy, raw, untreated wood, which is perfect for all the different stains and paints you could try! Just imagine the possibilities! It’s also the perfect size – not too little and not too big; perfect for holding books, blankets, toys and more. The best part? It’s only $13.99! When I went to get mine I also had a 50% off coupon so it cost me next to nothing for a great piece that I could customize to my liking!
Without further ado, here is my take on the Michael’s Crate challenge – my very own crate console table/display shelf!
Materials I used:
– Rust-Oleum Early American Wood Stain
– Rag
– Gold String or embroidery floss (not pictured)
– Hairpin legs (not pictured)
– Screws (not pictured)
– Drill (not pictured)
First I went about staining my piece with Rust-Oleum Early American Wood Stain in an easy squeeze bottle applicator! I’ve never stained anything in my life before, so I simply followed the instructions on the bottle and it turned out really well! I applied the stain to the rag and in some spots directly on the wood and wiped with the grain. Some of the wood was rough one my crate so it was a bit harder to apply, but with a little persistence and elbow crease I got the piece covered! I looove the color 🙂
Once the stain dried (it was dry to the touch within minutes and set within an hour) I wrapped the gold string around the handles of the crate for a touch of bling and textural interest. I simply just tied a know, and started wrapping until I got a nice layer. Just use a bit of hot glue or E6000 to secure the end!
Next I used my drill and screws and attached the hairpin legs to the underside of my crate! I got these gorgeous hairpin legs from Hairpin Legs for Less – they are super affordable and come in so many fun colors, sizes, and finishes! I only got two because my side table is going to be attached to the wall and I liked the simplistic look of just two legs.
There was a blank space underneath the wall-mounted TV in our bedroom that was just begging for a little somethin’-somethin’ to brighten it up! I simply leaned it up against the wall and screwed the back of the crate into the wall so it’ll stay put. And there you have it! A super quick and easy side table to make using a Michael’s crate! This project only took me a couple of hours and was a breeze to complete. I ADORE how it turned out! My succulent planter gets a nice little home to live in now – look how much it’s grown!
{still need to figure out what to do with those TV cords!}
{Mumford wanted to say hi!}
Wanna see more awesome crates?? Check out the linky below to see all my friends’ wonderful Michael’s Crate Challenge projects! You don’t want to miss out on a single one. Trust me.
Incredible. This was my plan from the start but I couldn’t justify buying 4 hairpin legs. I simply LOVE the fact that you only used two and then attached it to the wall. It’s amazing. And that gold thread?! Perfection. You rocked this Erica. I’m kinda obsessed!
Aw, thanks so much, Bre! I TOTALLY agree – I couldn’t bring myself to buy 4 either plus then it might have ended up kind of bulky on the bottom? I’ve had so much fun doing this challenge with you ladies!
How do you make this so it stands without securing it to the wall?
Hi Silvia, thank you so much for visiting my blog! To get the crate table to stand up, I put in to small screws through the back of the crate and into the wall. They’re easily removable if I want to move the table, but otherwise keep it standing up straight and able to bear weight!
What size/type of screws did you use to screw the legs into the crate? With the front plank being so thin do you use a short screw and then 2 longer ones for the holes that go into the non-planked side?
Emailed you! Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂
I have the same question! I’m scared the wood of my crate will split. Did you have to drill pilot holes?
Hi Riley – thanks for stopping by! No need to drill pilot holes – I just went for it with the screw and the wood held just fine! As long as you use a screw with a nice pointy tip and isn’t too big then you shouldn’t have any splitting issues 🙂 Hope that helps and that we see you at Dwell Beautiful again soon! 🙂
LOVE what you did with your crate! That stain color is gorgeous and I think I need to find some hairpin legs now!
Thanks so much, Nicole! I love yours, too! 🙂
hey there, what height hairpin legs did you use? Thank you! 🙂
I believe I got the 21″ version! I hope that helps 🙂
This is SO pretty! LOVE the gold!!! I could totally see making a couple of these for either side of our bed!
Thanks so much, lovely! This would totally make a great nightstand – I hadn’t thought of that! 🙂
I LOVE this table and what a fun additional to your room! Great Job!
Thank you so much, Katie! I think it was just what that empty space needed 🙂
Those hairpin legs! Oh my! What a great use of the crate, Erica. And the gold string around the handles was an excellent touch. Beautiful!
Thanks, Sarah! That gold string took a long time to wrap around, but it was totally worth it! I LOVE your crate storage table! 🙂
Oh my gosh, how cute is this, Erica?!? I love the twine around the handles and the hairpin legs. It is awesome!!
Thanks so much, Bre! Definitely had a lot of fun making it 🙂
Your table turned out so pretty, Erica!! I love the hairpin style legs (I’ve honestly never seen the, before!!) The stain color is so pretty too!! Love how it turned out!!
Thanks, Kendra! I love how it turned out, too 🙂 I’m totally in to hairpin legs right now and they are even things that one can make themselves with a bit of thick wire!
What size screws did you get for this?
Just stop it with those adorable hairpin legs! This is adorable!! It really plays off the beadboard and adds so much character! LOVE!!!! 🙂
D’awww, thanks, friend! I like having character! 😉 Yours turned out so great as well. Ah!
This is fabulous, Erica! The gold twine around the legs to the hairpin legs, everything turned out great!
Thanks so much, Tara! I adore your wine rack as well! If I was crafty enough with a saw and stuff I totally could see myself making that!
Oh I love it! This turned out awesome! I stained a few crates for outdoor decor in the beginning of the summer , but I probably will be moving them indoors as it gets cooler out…sparking some ideas for me : )
Deb
@Seeking Lavender Lane
Thanks so much for stopping by, Deb! I’ve never stained anything before and was nervous about the process but it was surprisingly easy! I’d love to see what you do with yours once you move them inside!
So dang cute! It looks perfect sitting against the wall. Pinning!
Thanks so much for the pin and for the compliment, Sharon! Comment Luv tells me that you posted about homemade mac and cheese – I’m going to have to check that out STAT! Mac and cheese is my absolute fave 🙂
This is SO cute! I might have to try this someday. The gold string really makes it special 🙂
Aw, thanks so much, Deonna! It was a super easy project – nothing was too hard to do and it took no time at all! If you try it I’d love to see pictures! 🙂
This is really cute! You did a great job! #thursdayfavoritethings
Thank you so much! It was really fun to make 🙂 And #thursdayfavoritethings is a great link up!
oh man, that is so so good, especially with those legs!
nice work!
b
Thank you so much! The legs are my favorite part 🙂
Great Crate! I like your project so much, very creative. I think the stain is the perfect color too.
Thanks so much, Tracy! I love the stain color, too 🙂
Adorable idea! I love the hairpin legs and that it’s attached to the wall.
Thanks, Leigh Anne! I’m in love with the hairpin legs too – they are a little spendy, but totally worth it for a cool piece of furniture 🙂
This is so awesome and it looks amazing in your room! Pinned :)I’d love it if you shared it over at The Makers link party going on at my blog, UpcycledTreasures.com.
Have a great week!
~Katie
Aw, thanks so much for the compliment and for pinning! I’ll head over to The Makers now and link up 🙂
I love this! Thanks so much for sharing it at the Grace at Home party–I’m featuring you this week!
Great project to use the crate! Thanks for sharing at HSH!
Thanks so much, Sherry! Love HSH! 🙂
Hi, I just wanted to stop by and say that your crate is my favourite of your challenge! Great work! Oh, and I also have a cat that comes running everytime I want to take pictures of one of my projects 🙂 DIY-Bloggers and cats are just ment to be together 😉
Greetings,
Ronja Lotte
Aw, thank you so much, Ronja!I’m so flattered! 🙂 And I totally agree – cats and bloggers make the best teams! My kitties are always trying to “help” me with projects haha 🙂 So glad to have you here and I hope you’ll stop by again!
Thanks so much for linking up at Creativity Unleashed last week Kat! I love love love the design on this erica! Pinning and featuring you tonight on the blog and hope to see you back for another great link party!
Thanks so much, Jocie! Great link up! 🙂
Amazing work, Erica! I’m sharing this with my readers, I know they’ll love it!!!!
Great legs! I also love the hemp twine you used around the handles. Lovely! (And I just tweeted it, too 🙂
Thank you so much, Zandra! I had a ton of fun making it 🙂 And thanks for the tweet!!
This is amazing!! I’ve been thinking about doing something similar to wooden crates as a countertop/extra storage space in a nook in my tiny kitchen, so this is a perfect model to go off of! In your opinion, do you think that the crate/hairpin legs will give enough support as counter space?
That’s a great idea, Jessi! I think crates as extra table/storage space would be a fantastic addition! My crate table is definitely sturdy on the hairpin legs, but it’s even sturdier because I screwed the back of the crate into the wall. If you are going to be putting heavy items on it or moving things on and off and doing prep work on it, I would definitely suggest either adding hairpin legs on all four corners or screwing it into the wall like I did so everything stays put!
This is way too cute! What height legs did you use for this/buy from that website? Let me know! Thanks 🙂
Thanks so much, Hillary! I used the 20″, I believe, with 3/8″ diameter in the raw steel finish. I hope that helps and happy DIY-ing! 🙂
I love it! What size hair pin legs did you use?
I believe I used the 1/2″ size that were between 18″-20″ tall! I hope that helps! Happy DIYing! 🙂
Yay, that’s just awesome. I think I need one of this in my bedrooms. You ideas of creating such has inspired many people, I included. Thanks a lot for sharing. I don’t know what I could have come with myself 🙂
Cindy
So glad you enjoyed this post, Cindy! The crate table was such an easy thing to make and I’m sure it would look great in your bedroom! Come back again soon 🙂
Hi there! What size screws did you use to screw in the legs? I’m doing this same thing except I’m using 4 hairpin legs. The planks are so thin that I don’t want the screws poking through. Thanks so much!
Hi Danielle, I don’t recall the exact size of the screw I used – mostly because I just used some random screws that I had rolling around in my garage! But I used ones that were very short and they not only provided a secure hold, but didn’t poke through the other side! I hope that helps and I apologize for not having a more specific answer :/
Good to know that there’s a lot of things crate can do. Aside from being a shipping container, it can also be good for walls. I guess to make sure that this craft are properly installed in-wall we can use drywall hanger to be sure that is is sturdy enough to hold things.
This crate wall table is so cute and I love the hairpin legs! I am pinning it now.
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Good to know that there’s a lot of things crate can do. Aside from being a shipping container, it can also be good for walls. I guess to make sure that this craft are properly installed in-wall we can use drywall hanger to be sure that is is sturdy enough to hold things.
Good to know that there’s a lot of things crate can do. Aside from being a shipping container, it can also be good for walls. I guess to make sure that this craft are properly installed in-wall we can use drywall hanger to be sure that is is sturdy enough to hold things.
Amazing DIY crate Ideas. Love these homemade Ideas, will love to try this one. Thanks for sharing this one with us.