Never giving up on a task at hand is key to seeing the finished product. My home is full of old historically rich pieces and items that spark pure joy. Living in a small home is fun and has immobilized my creative juices for design and organization. The tiny entryway to my humble house needed a piece with a width no bigger than 10 inches, had an elegant but rustic farmhouse/industrial style, and provided enough storage for my plethora of gardening and health books. I finally came up with the plans for this piece and took a day to get the supplies.

I started with four wooden crates that you can find at Jo-Anns or at your local craft store. I fastened two together with a wooden support on what would be the underside of the shelf. (Update: Add more support if you are putting heavy items on the shelf)

The wooden pegs came next. I predrilled holes where I wanted the pegs, coated the screw on the peg and the predrilled hole with wood glue, and hand screwed them in.

Using a sheetrock shaping tool, I scuffed the edges of the crates and created some wear and tear, making the piece look well used and well loved. Then the staining began. I stained it with “Special Walnut” wood finish by Minwax, putting a little extra in the crevasses and scuff marks I created.

I left the top crates unattached to the two base crates for versatility.

Finally, after a day of curing they are ready to come in!

Done and good. See where a little determination will take you.

Do you have a DIY project you would like to share?