Stenciled Wooden Toy Box

Our dogs are spoiled. They probably wouldn't agree, but you just have to look at their pile of toys to see it. We buy them new toys at Christmas, when we go on vacation, or any time we see something cute in a store that we think they might like. And then there are the toys they get from other relatives. I feel like I have a toddler with the way I'm constantly going around the house collecting toys and putting them back where they belong.

Their stash has grown so large that we've resorted to using one of the wooden storage crates that we built last month as a toy box. And to make the crate a little more fun and personalized, I stenciled it this weekend with a special message.

For detailed instructions on how we built the crate - please refer to this post.

I cut the stencil out of self-adhesive vinyl using my Silhouette Cameo. The Silhouette machine comes with its own software - you plan out your design on your computer and then send it to the machine to cut. I cut it out all on one sheet and then cut out the individual words to lay out on the slats. You just need to peel off the backing paper and apply your words or images to the surface.

Once the words were in place, I masked off the rest of the crate as I was planning to use spray paint and didn't want any over-spray on the wood.

Several light coats and a few hours to dry completely, and I could peel off the stencil. (It kind of looks like a KitKat, doesn't it?) The paint I used was Rustoleum's American Accents Plus in Espresso.

How cute is that? And so very true - home IS where the paws are. Our dogs are such an important part of our lives. It's probably why they get spoiled so much. :-)