Crate Awakening Storage Ottoman

We did this cute crate craft for Create and Decorate. Kitty has it in her studio and she uses it to keep bird seed for her feeder!

J&K

Turn a rustic wooden crate into a lovely footstool with storage to boot!

Materials
Medium-sized wooden crate (flea market find)
Plywood, ¾" thick, cut to fit on top of crate
Printed decorator fabric, measure plywood and add 3" to each side
Grosgrain ribbon, 1½" wide, twice the length plus twice the width of the plywood
2 Pieces of high loft batting, measure plywood and add 2" to each side
4 Medium duty swivel plate casters, 2" with mounting plates
16 Wood screws, #8 size, ½" length
Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac
Staple gun and staples
Drill and 1/8" drill bit
Screwdriver
Iron
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil

Instructions
1. To find a suitable crate, look for a medium-sized wooden crate large enough to prop your feet up on, but not so big you can't carry it to the car. Inspect the crate for wood rot and insect damage. A little wear and tear is charming, but the crate should be sturdy.

2. To create a padded lid, layer the two pieces of batting. Lay the plywood on the batting and wrap the edges up around the lid. Staple the edges of the batting to the wood. At the corners, fold the batting around the edges until they meet in a mitered corner. Trim the excess triangle of batting then staple down the edges.

3. Iron the printed fabric, then use it to cover the padded lid. Fold the edges up and staple in place. To make tidy corners, fold the fabric in like you are wrapping a present.

4. Cover the rough edge of the fabric and the staples with the grosgrain ribbon. At each corner, fold the ribbon over itself. Use Fabri-Tac to glue the ribbon in place.

5. Before you attach the casters, mark the holes using the mounting plate as a guide, then pre-drill the holes. Screw on the mounting plates with the #8 wood screws.

Liner Notes: If the bottom of your crate is thinner than your mounting screws, you might wind up with screws poking through. Hide them by covering a piece of foam core with fabric and using it to line the bottom of the crate.