All week I have been day-dreaming about what I would write about this week.

I had decided on a project I complete a few years back that I always refer to as “the dog crate table”.  I have many pictures of the process of building the table, so I didn’t look too hard at all of the pictures we have saved on our computer.

Well….. shame on me.  I learned a little something about myself this morning, that I am just not that organized when it comes to saving pictures on the computer.  Who would’ve thought?  I mean, I consider myself to be a fairly organized individual, but as they say, there is always room for improvement.  🙂

The upshot to this discovery is that I am reminded by some many little projects that I have completed that weren’t coming to mind before I started sifting through pictures.  Just more to share with you!  Yay!

Anyone who knows my husband Bert and me, knows that our dogs are our pride and joy.  We have four dogs, and they are all crate trained.  Yes, this means that they are in their crate while we are at work.  Someday I will go into greater detail why we believe this training is important for our dogs, but today I will just say… crates are practical, but not so pretty.

I had two of the crates in the kitchen, which has proven to be a great and convenient location, but it also means the crates became a dropping location for all of our daily dumps.  You know how it is.  Everything from the daily mail and recyclable grocery bags, to the tools that belong in the garage but just didn’t make it that far, collect there all week long until the weekend comes and I organize the pile.

The problem with the crates is that they aren’t meant to stack your crap on top of them.  Stuff would either fall through into the crate, or the sheer weight of what we were stacking on them was damaging the crates.  Plus, who doesn’t love having a surface to put pretty things on display? I know I do!!!

For me, inspiration for a project usually comes from a problem that needs to be solved.  This was the perfect problem that needed to be solved.  I set out on the mission of researching a solution on Pinterest.  Usually I find myself looking at what Ana White or Shanty2Chic have posted.  I just love what they share.  I decided on a simple table that seemed easy enough for me to design and build myself.

There was no possible way that I would find a table the size I needed at a store.  Honestly, even if I did, it would cost far more than I am willing to spend, especially when I can do it myself for a minimal cost and a little effort.  Which is always super gratifying.

I needed a table that was 30″w x 92″l x 36″h in order to fit two x-large crates underneath.  I used simple 2″x4″‘s and 2″x6″ tongue and groove lumber from Home Depot.

I stained the top in a dark walnut, which is my favorite stain color.  Though lately I find myself wanting to experiment with some of the other beautiful stains that are on the market.  We shall see!!

For the base of the table, I was sooooo undecided.  Eventually, we intend to tear our our kitchen floor tile and install this porcelain tile that looks like wood flooring.  I just love this product.  We have installed it in our laundry room and front bathroom, and we have enough sitting in the garage for the kitchen floor.  Well…. in trying to envision this table sitting on top of that flooring, I knew that I didn’t want the table to be the same color as the floor.  Who wants everything to blend together?  Not me!!

I experimented with a few different stains, compared it to a piece of tile, even went so far as to stain the base in this grey color, but was not in love with any of it.  When all else fails, I just paint it white.  That is my safe place.  🙂

I just love this table.  It is so functional, it takes a not so pretty necessity and let’s me dress it up, and it wasn’t that hard to do.  I think I might have spent about $100, which some of that was purchasing stain that I didn’t end up using.  The dogs love their crates.  In fact, now that the table is over their crates, they lounge in there with the door open even more while we are home.  It is their safe place.  And it is pretty!