Monday Made It: Crate Seating

Ok, I know I'm 5 years behind everyone else on this trend but I finally made some crate seating!  I've been wanting to switch from "decorating my classroom to fit a new theme every year" to "decorating my classroom with things I like since I spend more time there than in my own home."

Anyone else out there with me on this one?!?

At the end of the school year I "discovered" Hobby Lobby and their fabulous array of fabric (sorry Joann).  I chose 3, crossed my fingers and hoped it would all work out!

I've covered 2 bulletin boards and made a pillow with the yellow chevron.  I'm using the teal chevron and floral in new window valances and as covering for the crate seating.

Here's my process (and the places I found everything) for the crate seating:

1.  Purchase the following supplies:  crates (Walmart $3), foam pads-4 pack (Walmart $5), fabric-1 yard will give you enough fabric for at least 2 crates (Hobby Lobby $6), staple gun-I opted for the Stanley Sharp Shooter Light Duty Staple Gun (Target $9), staples-obviously (Target $3-$4), and sand paper (Dollar Tree $1).

The reviews for the staple gun I recommended were terrible but it worked wonderfully for me.  It's smaller than the others but that was perfect for my tiny, delicate lady hands.  Save yourself a headache and make sure you buy light duty staples to use in the gun (all the info you need is on the package).

2.  Roll up to the Home Depot with one of your crates in tow (no shame).  I explained what I wanted to do and that the crate would need to hold between 40-80 lbs.  He helped me choose a sturdy wood about 1/2 inch thick.  He measured ridge above where the file folders would hang (if you were using it for that) and then he cut the wood down to size.

3.  Square block, round hole.  The corners of your board will come to a point while the corners in your crate are rounded.  You could probably ask the Home Depot to slice off a bit of your corner but I wanted a snug fit (no seat bottoms falling through and smashing everything inside), so I hand sanded the corners down until the board fit easily but still snuggly.

4.  Trace the rounded wooden rectangle on one of your foam pads and cut it out.  I cut out a second foam pad about an inch smaller all the way around for extra padding.

5.  Lay your fabric out flat then add the foam and wooden board.  Wrap the fabric around the board and trim extra fabric.

6.  Staple the fabric to the board.  Make sure to wrap tightly.

7.  Fold and staple ribbon to the bottom to make the seat easier to remove.  I added a staple along the side to keep it from slipping under the board.

 

This is my finished product!

Monday Made It!

Welcome back, to me and you :).  You probably didn't notice my obscene sabbatical from all facets of The Curious Catfish.  I decided to take a lot little time off to focus on family, friends and hammering out a few DIY's.  I love creating activities and sharing my teaching adventures but time definitely disappears when I do.

This break has given me at least a year worth of Monday Made It posts.  I'll start by sharing what I did with and Old Blue, a chair I've had sitting around my classroom for years.

It's a pretty sad old thing that I picked up for $5.  Old Blue was worth fixing up because he's pretty sturdy and has BOATLOADS of character.

To the left you will see a picture of the finished product.

Below is a picture of Old blue in my classroom before the big, sexy make-over!

 

My Dad was pretty excited to have a reason to break out his power tools and he had Old Blue sanded down for me before the end of my first week off!  Love that guy :)                                                                 

Notice the weird leg in the right-hand picture?  I love it!

Next I spray painted 2 coats of Rust-O-leum Painters Touch Seaside.  In between coats I used a fine grit sandpaper to smooth the surface.  Finally I painted on a topcoat/sealant and let it sit for a few days.  

 

This is the finished product!  My mother suggested adding a pillow to tie it in with the fabrics I am using to redecorate my classroom.

Sneaky peek of my fabrics :)

So I taught myself how to sew and overstuffed this chevron baby.  I will just have to sit on it all year to flatten it down :)

                                                                                                                        

I hope you enjoyed my first Monday Made-It!  There will be a whole lot more where this came from!