DIY Wooden Dog Crate [That Doubles as a Tabletop]

Hello! 

Everybody has a part of their home that they can’t stand. One of my ambitions as a do-it-yourselfer is to annihilate such spaces in my own home. One of these places is our giant, hulking, black, wire, dog crate. This crate is usually covered with a polka dotted sheet or three so the doggies can sleep in the peace and dark while we’re away. I hate this thing! It’s just so ugly and such an eyesore. When you walk into my living room, it’s the first thing your eye is drawn to, and not in a good way. My goal was to change that. Adapting Ana White’s wooden dog crate plans, Randy and I set out to change the focus of our living room. We wanted something that would give our living room desk more workable space, like a place to rest our printer, and maybe some binders. We also wanted it to provide a pop of color that our living room is sorely missing. Everything in my living room is pale green, blue, or grey. We decided to make the crate a bright yellow with the barest hint of orange.
Randy and I have actually wanted to build this crate since we got Basil as a very young puppy two years ago, but we could never bring ourselves to shell out the 100 dollars for the kreg jig (you cannot do this project without one… but you won’t regret buying it. I promise!) But we decided to do it after Basil had surgery on both of his knees and needed a small comfortable space to spend his recovery. We built this thing in three days, which is exactly how many days he spent at the vet after his procedure.

Here’s some eye candy to motivate ya… 

So let’s get started… 

Patriotic Entrance for July Fourth

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My beautiful sister is in town celebrating Independence Day with us! Tomorrow we will be going to see some amazing fireworks in the neighboring town and spending time with great friends.

Why You Shouldn't Get a Puppy

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Oh boy, this is going to be a long one... but it will be worth it, just stick it out with me!

I am at the age where all of my friends are getting married, getting pregnant, or getting pets. The last one is what I'm focusing on today. It’s understandable; most of them are just graduating from college, finally living in their own place, and have control over the choices they make, finally! But, that doesn't mean that one should jump into pet ownership. No, getting an animal isn't quite the same commitment as having a child or getting married, those are life changing decisions... except wait... if you have a dog you have to rush home after work to let him out, make sure he is fed, walked, vetted, has a crate or other space that is his and arrange care for him when you leave for long periods of time... hm. Sounds like a lifestyle change to me. The average dog lives between 10 and 14 years. So it’s only about a 5th of the time you are committing to a child or a spouse... but really a decade is still a huge commitment!

But they're so cute!

One of my friends recently had a situation where they needed to rescue a neglected puppy from a co-worker's backyard. He bought the puppy on a whim, he had his own place and he did it because he could. His friends came by to check on the puppy. He didn't feed regularly; you could see its ribs. Its fur was matted and disgusting. Its nails had never been clipped. It was left alone in the house during weekends so he could spend the night at his friends and party. My friend just took his dog, he was planning on selling to someone anyways. It had never been vetted, so it was never registered in his name. My friend is currently trying to rehome this sweet puppy and is getting it the medical care it needs.

Guest Bedroom Facelift Planning

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I started school this week, which means I haven't had much time for crafting, but I do have plenty of time for daydreaming. Every time I go into our guest bedroom (also the boys I nanny's room when they sleep over) I am just not happy which what I see. The curtain is very dark navy, so they don't wake up at the crack of dawn. The bedding is very tan and neutral.. in case of accidents. I have a busted up old side table in there that holds their clothes, and the one cute thing in the room is a chalkboard painted toy box, which really shouldn't be the one nice thing in there. I want to open this room up with bright colors and make it a relaxing haven for my guests...or even me when I need to escape the pile of laundry in my own bedroom.

I went to target recently to buy a Frozen storybook, the one that comes with the CD and chimes to tell you when to turn the page. I always get lost in the bedding department because they always have such cute selections. It was a miracle I only spent ten dollars on the book instead of my whole paycheck on sheets and pillows and a coral quilt. I promised the sheets I would be back for them..

I had to swing by Lowe's after Target and grab a couple of things, and this beauty caught my eye. I always resist temptation to buy wall art at stores (because I always think I can make my own, and then never do) but I couldn't let this one go, especially since it was in the clearance rack for 10 dollars.

When I got home, I searched for a spot for my brand new orange eye candy, when I realized I was meant to take this piece home. It was destiny.

A Day in New Orleans

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The past two weeks I have been on the phone pretty much all day and night trying to get enrolled in school (kind of a difficult thing to do when you have been to three different colleges so far and need a ridiculous amount of paperwork from too many different places) so I haven't had the chance to make anything for myself, or to post on this blog, so I thought I might write about our weekend trip to The Big Easy last year.

When Randy and I lived in Mississippi we were only about two hours away from New Orleans. Sadly, because Randy was working up to 15 hours a day in his tech school, we only went twice. Good thing he will be going back down there in a year, so the doggies and I can visit him and go to New Orleans!

Bark in the Park 2014

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This past Saturday Scout, Kaya, Randy, and I spent the morning at the Humane Society's Bark in the Park. It is an annual event that supports the Humane Society. This year's Bark in the Park raised over 78,000 dollars! Its a wonderful pet festival with a 5K, 1 mile fun walk, agility courses, frisbee shows, costume contests, and tons of booths with various vendors and rescue groups selling products and educating dog owners on various issues. There is also a booth where you can get your doggie microchipped for 20 dollars! Here are a few photos from the event.

Scout has his backpack on and is ready to go! 

Kaya has on her "adopt me" bandana and is ready to charm her way into a family!

Silhouette Decorated Step Stool for Boy's Bathroom

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I've been trying to update our downstairs bathroom so it looks less like potty training ground zero, and more like a place where I send guests who need to use the facilities. The two year old that I nanny is currently struggling with potty training and the downstairs half bathroom is normally where we turn when he informs us he needs to go.