Kennel Covers and Book Shelves

Of all the things I have commissioned DH to made for me, this project right here is my favorite. We have three dogs, all kenneled trained and they love their little "rooms," often choosing to chill in there when there is nothing exciting going on. The problem with the kennels though is that they are not very attractive.

They are down right ugly.

So first we looked at DH building a end table kennel to make them functional, like this one on Ana-White.com. We even considered incorporating them in the entertainment center. But then I remembered that my lab mix sometimes gets sick when she is in her kennel and I did not want to have to climb in to a create to clean that out.

Finally, we settled on tables and hanging shelves for my books. The tables are large - like huge. The one in the top picture would probably be a nice dining table for a family of four if its legs were a little longer. Anyway, the tables offer plenty of space for knick-knacks, picture frames and books.

The shelves on the walls are definitely my favorite aspect of the whole project. They were originally designed as floating shelves, but a lot of the plans we found for them made it seem that they were not as stable as what I was hoping for. So we tweaked the plans a little.

Each shelf is framed underneath with a nice fascia board and stained top. These suckers are anchored to the wall so well I could probably let E or A climb them like a ladder! The pieces on each end, which look like they would be used to hang the shelf, is more a decorative bookend than anything else.

All in all, I love these pieces. They are functional, pretty, sturdy, and unique. They set the design tone for the entertainment center and lighten up the feeling of the room.

My Ladder Shelf

A while back I decided I wanted something new for my living room. I wanted some shelves, something to display some pictures, a few little pretty things I'd picked up or been given and a place to store some blankets in a decorative but functional way.

Naturally, I searched Pinterest for some inspiration. It took some scrolling but I fell in love with the idea of a ladder shelf. What a unique way of getting my fish tank up to eye level, storing blankets and displaying some of my favorite things. And, with my living room essentially shaped as a boring rectangle, I could put this pretty much anywhere and it wouldn't completely divide the room.

I took my idea to my DH and asked if he could build it for me. Really, having him build me something is the best way to get exactly what I want, usually for less, and it makes him happy because he gets to play with his toys. Everyone wins.

It took some figuring and planning, but he built me this beautiful shelf! I love it. Knowing we would have a ten gallon fish tank on a certain shelf, we were able to reinforce it. And there was plenty of room underneath for E and A's project trays and a cloth bin that holds their coloring books and crayons.

The biggest compromise was came with whether or not it would be painted or stained. He loves the wood grain and I like light colors to keep it from feeling heavy. Yes he won, and we stained it. But only because we had stain left over from when we did the floors.

I still have a long list of things for him to build me - including a pretty console table for under the mounted TV just so I can get rid of the blah store bought media stand.

Take A Seat

 DH loves when I say I want a new piece of furniture for the house. Until about a year ago, it made him shiver with fear at the cost of what I might have in mind. (Truth be told, I don't go crazy and we only buy furniture when it is absolutely necessary because, I mean come on! Have you priced that stuff lately???) Now he gets a little giddy when I ask for something.

When DH retired from the military in June 2012, he decided it was time for him to decide on his awesome retirement hobby. One thing that had always interested him was carpentry and wood working. I've indulged this even though the tools can be a bit expensive (I have a craft stash that can hold me over for a while so I'll let him splurge on his new hobby) because in the end, I knew I would reap the benefits!

And now I have. I saw this amazing bench over ana-white.com and I fell in love. I have a soft spot for the farmhouse style and have been trying to balance it with the modern home DH wants. I got lucky and DH loved the bench. The one thing we agreed on was the original size given in the plans (NINE FEET LONG!!) was a little long for our day to day needs. So we did a little tweaking and he made it about four and a half feet long.

It turned out beautiful! The plans were so clear and easy for him to follow, and to tweak. The added bonus was the cost: about $25 for the materials! I've already sweet talked him in to building me a second one for added seating during the holidays.

If we didn't love our antique dining table so much - or just had space for a formal dining room - I would beg him for the table that matches the benches. For now, I just need to focus on making some cushions to put on top, as soon as he will let me cover his work!