DIY Pet Bed

Hey y'all! I have another project from a few years ago to share! Look at me, two posts in one month! 💁👏

Rewind a few years... I've talked about the passing of Heather's and my grandmother in 2014 and how hard it hit me. I had just moved in with a friend, was working full-time at a new job as an SLP-Assistant, and was in grad school. Life was hard and after she passed, I was depressed...so I self medicated. Not with medicine or alcohol or the typical things people turn to when they are depressed, but I got a puppy. In my mind, a puppy was a new start, but I had no idea just how therapeutic that dog would be (and is continuing to be!). I named her Ruby because my grandma loved the color red, but sadly, the name Ruby didn't quite fit my dog's face. So, I gave her the middle name Snuggles because she looked a lot like the mascot bear for "Snuggle" laundry products. Even though I call her Snuggles, her first name is really special to me since it's a small nod to one of the most incredible people I ever had the opportunity to know and love.

My Ruby Snuggles is still pretty cute, but when she was a puppy, oh my gosh...just look.

So, I had seen some really cute pet beds online that were made from repurposed furniture...Um...cute, functional, cheap...yes, please! I went to the same flea market that I got my kitchen pantries from and found an old drawer for $5. This actually seemed pretty expensive to me after buying those pantries for $10 a piece, lol, but it was the cheapest and best size I could find.

I sketched out the headboard and borrowed my dad's Jigsaw to cut it out of the back of the drawer. I smoothed everything out with an orbital sander.

ignore Snuggles' leash...it's a common thing now for toys, leashes, etc. to be scattered around!

Then, I removed the handle, used wood filler to fill all the holes/cracks/etc., painted everything white, then used sandpaper to rough it up (I love the rustic style, and it helps that you can make so many more mistakes and just say you were going for a "rustic" look😉).

Next, I printed up my doggy's name and traced it onto the headboard. I went over my pencil marks with a gold paint marker.

Unfortunately, I hated this, lol. So, I added some distressing with stain.

I liked it a little better, but still not quite what I was hoping for...so, I grabbed a stencil and added a little swirly flair... then a little more distressing with stain and sandpaper.

I also distressed the rest of the drawer with stain/sandpaper. My dad is amazing, and cut some little feet for the bed. I'm pretty sure these were actually baseboard corner blocks and were less than $2 a piece, but I'm not entirely sure...when I shop at a hardware store, I just buy stuff that looks right for my project, with no idea of what it actually is, lol... I attached the "feet" and headboard with liquid nails. Then, I put a little cover I got on sale at Petco (for around $5) over Snuggles' very first bed (which was technically an ugly cat bed for around $10). I learned to crochet that year as well, so I had made a practice square to learn the stitches. It was crooked and I had no purpose for it...So, it became Snuggles' throw blanket! Here was the final product. Pretty cute for a <$30 pet bed if I do say so myself!