Guest Post - DIY Little Dog Step Stool by Solana James

Another special treat for you DIY addicts today. I'm really excited to have DIY'er extraordinaire, Solana James from Solo Thais guest blogging again! I'm sure most of you already started following her blog after seeing the amazing DIY Hemp Pendant project last month, but for those you don't already - Solana's blog is always a great read! 

Read on to learn how Solana turned a throw-away table into an adorable step stool for her Chihuhua, Miguel.
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"It's Solana here from Solo Thais bringing you another "do it yourself" project. This time around I used materials I had on-hand, which resulted in a very economical project!"

Sometimes you just have to look past the ugly...like this table for instance. This was in the throw-away pile at my grandpa's and I decided to save it from the dumpster. The legs were loose and spindle rails are never rarely flattering {sorry Gramps}. Five years ago I took this table into my arms and decided to give it a new life. I plucked the spindle rails off the top and filled the holes with wood filler, tightened the legs, sanded it down and painted it a pale green. This was not a huge transformation, but for the next few years it served as a plant stand and then extra storage in my small apartment bathroom. 

As I was preparing to move into our new home this summer, I decided I had enough of this table. The top was starting to warp from being in a non-ventilated bathroom, but as usual I couldn't just throw it out...plus it was my grandpa's and I wanted to try to do something else with it. As I took it apart I realized the top section would be a perfect little step stool for Miguel. Even though my bed is only 18" off the floor, for some reason he won't jump up on his own. So the plan was on! Here is how it came together...

After disassembling the table, I put part of it back together to create a small stool.

I wanted to add a cushion and fabric to the stool so I cut out a piece of foam from an old egg-carton mattress.

I found the fabric I wanted to use and upholstered the top of the stool. 

I spray painted the legs and added furniture pads to the bottom to protect the hardwood floors. 

The result is this adorable little step stool for my adorable little dog. Miguel is very happy to be so independent now!

 

As for the rest of the table parts, I attempted to put them back together, but it wasn't worth the parts and pieces I would need to buy to make it sturdy again. The overall cost of this transformation was $0.00 since I had everything on hand. I almost used the stuffing from an old pillow and I could have used a t-shirt with an interesting graphic on the front. Before running out to the store it's always a good idea to look around the house to see what might make an interesting piece for your home.