At the end of the 2014-2015 school year, I was preparing myself for a subject change to science at the middle school. I was re-familiarizing myself with earth science, I reached out to other science teacher friends, and I was photographing geological formations throughout Pennsylvania and New York. I was going to rock (no pun intended) my first year as a science teacher.
Halfway through the summer, I got a phone call asking me to come into school. To my surprise, they decided to move me to first grade instead! I was stunned for the first few days, but also very excited! Ever since that call, I’ve been working 60+ hours a week preparing for the beginning of the school year! Needless to say, I’ve been neglecting my blog (well there are a ton of projects that I could post, but then my life blog would transform into a teacher blog).
TODAY IS OUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! How could that be? I didn’t even have a summer yet!
If you’re a teacher you know there are a plethora of tutorials for these crate seats on Pinterest (If you’re not a teacher, these crate seats would still work wonderfully in a playroom or reading corner for your kids, nieces, and nephews.) The Apple Tree Room’s tutorial is my favorite. Mine is not a tutorial. I just wanted to share some additional thoughts and tips.
I made 6 crate seats for under $20, but I had some of the supplies on hand. If you make 6 without having any supplies on hand, you could probably do it under $50.
Pricing –
Frames: The crates are selling at my local Target for $2.99 (I bought 3, and previously had three). We had leftover plywood from a previous project, but a typical sheet runs $20.
Cushions: Fabric can get expensive, depending on the print and type of fabric. Luckily, you have many options here. JoAnn’s often has 50% coupons (I only used 1 1/2 yards of fabric). Patterned twin-size top sheets can be found around $10 or even a cute fabric shower curtain would work. If you’re a crafty person, chances are you probably already have some extra fabric. Also, printed men’s dress shirts can be found at thrift stores for a small price. The foam was not on sale at my local craft store, so I used a twin mattress egg crate topper (Walmart sells them for under $10) and added two layers. The ribbon pull tabs aren’t necessary, but are nice. Luckily, most crafters have plenty of spare ribbon or you can purchase a spool for around $1.
XOXO,
Young Wifey
PS – If you look closely in the photos, you might notice another project I’ll be posting about soon...
PPS – It’s Pumpkin’s birthday today! Yay! Happy birthday, Pumpkin!