After a slew of requests, we’re back to share some details about how we made our planter-turned-side table, our DIY doggy food & water station and our pooch-friendly floor pillows back when we spruced up our porch using whatever we could grab at Home Depot for Better Homes & Garden’s 48-Hour Challenge.
One of the parameters of the challenge was that we could only use materials that could be picked up at Home Depot, but they don’t sell green ceramic side tables, outdoor floor cushions or puppy-related paraphernalia. Until now. Who knew that a tube of Liquid Nails, a plank of wood and four $1 molding-pieces-turned-legs could create something so sweet for our always-thirsty-sometimes-hungry chihuahua?
Gotta love that it was a tool-free project (no screws, nails or hammer required!) – and of course a few coats of exterior semi-gloss paint made it porch friendly in a snap (we had Glidden’s Safari Green color matched to a small Behr paint test container for a super cheap transformation):
As for the bowls, they were items we already had (a few small accessories that weren’t from Home Depot were permitted to “finish off the look”) and we love how the yellowy-green dishes play off of the green pedestal that we made (we even got them pet-approved by showing them to Burger’s vet before putting them to use). So that’s the story of how Burger’s $10 feeding station came to be… but what about his floor pillows?
Well, we just purchased this great $25 lounge chair cushion from the patio furniture department at Home Depot…
…. and cut it in half to create two floor pillows for puppy perching:
Two plush floor pillows for $12.50 a pop isn’t bad at all, and cutting and hand-stitching each of them up on one side only took about 15 minutes. Needless to say, Burger appreciates our effort on a daily basis.
And then there’s our little planter-turned-side table project. For a grand total of $40 we snagged a giant green ceramic planter, a terra cotta saucer and Thompson’s Water Seal spray (specifically formulated for sealing terra cotta pieces). And we actually just used leftover porch and floor paint from painting our striped deck to paint the top and the sides of the saucer cream after we spray sealed the underside with Thompson’s Water Seal for a weather-proof finish (now humidity inside the planter or extreme cold won’t effect our paint job).
We love the pop of color that it brings to the whole porch, and now there’s a spot for a book, a little drinky-drink, or even a plate full of bbq.
So there it is. Three simple and cheap ways to make a side table, two floor pillows and a feeding station for your pet. No hammer or screwdriver required. We also shared our little lightbulb-cover-turned-hanging-candle-holder tutorial a few weeks back…
…and outlined how we painted our deck (with subtle stripes) right here. So there’s really no reason why our porch can’t be your porch of you so desire. Happy summer sprucing and puppy pandering, everyone!
City Chic - Jamie says
I LOVE the dog dish set-up, the color is perfect! My doggies are jealous!
Christie says
All such inventive ideas! Thanks for sharing them!!
Do you have anything on your site that would show me something creative to do with an old rocking chair?
Meg says
Hi Sherry! I’m glad to give your site a shoutout! You and your husband have such wonderful ideas!
I love the idea of the planter-turned-side-table. It’s very creative. Reminds me of a great idea I found recently about using terra cotta pots and saucers to create a cupcake/cake stand. I featured it on my blog ’cause it was just too cute not to!
Anyway, thanks again for your creative posts. Love them! :-)
Julie says
I loved your hanging candle holders and had planned to make them but hadn’t hit up Home Depot yet… I was at the $ store with a friend and found ribbed glass shakers. So… I bought 3 and made my own to hand from the pergola above our (UGLY) patio table! SO quick and easy! (It’s on my most recent blog post if you want to sift through all of the pics of my girl!)
Kim @ Yellow Brick Home says
Sherry, these are such great, inexpensive ideas – thank you for sharing! I’m wondering, how has the water station held up with the liquid nails? Does Burger’s water dribbles hurt the structure or weaken the solution? Liquid nails are amazing, but I’ve never used it to hold together furniture. Please share!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kim,
Not only is Burger’s little food and water station going strong after over two months of Burger’s drinking and eating and drooling and snorting- it has weathered some pretty big storms and humidity out there on the porch 24/7… and it’s still in perfect condition! Just as sturdy as if we used screws to reinforce it. I wouldn’t recommend making a human-sized bench with Liquid Nails alone, but for the pooch feeding station it totally does the trick! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Wendy says
I didn’t even know what the side table was until this post – I may just have to steal that idea!
Ellen C says
Hi! I happened upon your blog/website recently and have really enjoyed reading. Your home improvement tips are great and you make them look so simple. I love the pup food/water station you highlighted in this post.
My husband and I are just getting out of the home renovation from hell…literally, huge home renovation and world’s worst/gutless contractor. Unfortunately we were taken for quite a lot of money and aren’t in the house anymore but are moving on with life. Reading your blogs make me happy that home renovs go well for others and give me hope that I can have a house full of cute home decor sometime in the not too distant future (I hope).
Take care and keep posting great tips!
Ellen
Erin says
I’m curious if you have any doggie tips to offer. My husband and I are getting a puppy next month (can’t wait) and I would love some tips on making the dog accesories fit with out home decor. Also, any puppy mess cleanup tips. Your rugs don’t look worse for the wear since getting Burger!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erin,
Here are some links that hopefully help:
-here’s where we keep Burger’s crate out of the way (he likes it because it’s his own “room”)
-here’s what we did to make his food and water dish a bit less dog-ish
-here’s a post that shows our desk area (where you’ll see two big white tins from Ikea where we keep Burger’s food and treats)
Other than that we always recommend tons of washable decor (slipcovered sofas, cheap white ikea curtains that you can toss in the wash, etc). And when you’re still in the potty training stage of course it helps to keep your pooch on a hard wipe-able surface until he or she gets the hang of it (we used a baby gate to keep Burger in the den back when it had linoleum floors) until he figured things out. Hope it helps! Happy puppy hunting…
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Becca,
No worries! I always get the “you look so much like my friend ____” that I’m used to going by a lot of names!
As for Burger, he’s an inside dog except for the occasional backyard playing session (it’s fenced in) but he likes to be wherever we are, so when we’re out enjoying the new front porch makeover he wants to be there too (which is why we made a little zone just for him). We also made a hook for his leash to keep him from darting off after a squirrel (you can read more about that project here). Disclaimer: never leave your dog leashed to your porch unattended as it can be super dangerous- we only use it when we’re out there with him!
And as for his inside food & water station, we whipped this up (it’s a similar concept to the porch one, just a bit more neutral to work with our white on cream color scheme in the den: https://www.younghouselove.com/dishing-the-doggy-dirt/
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Abby says
Your porch makeover so should have won! I love it. We were going to use as inspiration for our porch makover, but just learned that DIY Network is coming July 17th to film our house for Desperate Landscapes!! A whole new front yard and porch for free!!! WOO!!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow Abby! That’s amazing. We’d love some behind the scenes pics and a recount of the experience to share. I’m sure people would love to hear the scoop and see your clip on youtube or something! Keep us posted…
xoxo,
s
Krysten says
Thanks so much for all your creative ideas, they’re so inspiring!
Becca says
Hey Erin! Love, love, LOVE this. We just got a puppy a few months ago and I would just love to do a little project like this. Is your dog an outside dog? Or do you have this same set-up inside as well?
Becca says
And I’m SO sorry that I called you Erin! You look just like a friend of mine named Erin and I was thinking that while I was typing my comment. LOL!
Erin says
Thanks Sherry! I also love the leash holder on the porch…I plan on stealing so many ideas!
Robin says
How beautiful. I love your detailed instructions and commentary. Just one question–why not leave the lounge cushion whole? Aesthetically more pleasing as two cushions or does Burger prefer it that way?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Robin,
Good question! We definitely thought the lounge chair cushion would look more like it was meant to be on the floor if we cut it in half (otherwise it just sort of looked like a lounge cushion on the floor- like the chair had disappeared or something). By cutting it into two smaller square-ish pillows it resembled the traditional floor pillow shape (more square as opposed to long and rectangular). Burger will sleep on anything (my pile of clean laundry, John’s arm, even my purse!) so it was all about what would look good to humans (since apparently everything looks good to Burger!). Hope it helps.
xo,
s
ronda w says
I loved the hanging candle holders so much I made a couple. They are stunning and such a creative idea! Thanks.
kinha says
Hi!
I’m glad to visit a great blog. Smart posts and beautiful photos. I like to contact people, all over the world, by their blogs.
Amy says
I love these ideas – not expensive and very do-able!! Thanks for sharing! I especially love the planter side table. Off to find a suitable planter. BTW, I also have that exact same chair cushion, except that I use it for the intended purpose. Great job!!
The Perfect Palette says
Such incredible ideas!
Abby says
Sherry,
I’ll definitely keep you posted on the makeover and send fun pics your way.
Quick Burger question – Doesn’t his leash get all tangled? I always want our guys (Chi/Pug mix and Jack Russel) on the porch with us, but they get their leashes around their legs and around chairs so fast, it’s not worth the effort. I spend more time untangling them than I do enjoying myself. Any tips or is Burger just a chill kind of guy?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I think thanks to Burger being just one dog, and usually being pretty relaxed we don’t have that problem- but I can totally see how two dogs could get all tangled. Is there any way to add two hooks in different spots so their leashes don’t overlap much (ex: one hook on one side of the deck and one on the other, so the dogs can meet in the middle and be close but not be on top of each other since their hooks are stemming from the same spot?). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Natalie says
I really love the little doggie drinking/eating station!
Question/suggestion: have you considered cutting two holes in the wood that are just a teeny bit smaller than the bowls, and placing the bowls inside? I’m not sure how tenacious of a drinker Burger is, but this could prevent spills. :)
P.S. Actually, my husband and I moved to Virginia after getting married, so we’re practically neighbors! Aren’t you loving the mild summer we’re having? It’s so much better than last year’s near constant humidity. I’ve enjoyed actually being able to go outside instead of hiding inside with the AC!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Natalie,
Yeah the two-holes-to-sink-the-bowls idea is a great one! We considered it but one of our goals for the 48-Hour Challenge was to whip up easy projects that anyone can do, so we thought that cutting holes might be a bit more advanced (plus Burger’s the daintiest eater/drinker- really, he eats one piece of food at a time!). But it’s a great solution for anyone who wants to kick their DIY food & drink station up a notch. And yes, we are also LOVING the gorgeous VA weather. We’re going for walks all the time now, so Burger’s loving it too!
xo,
s
Jane says
Hi Sherry! Awesome ideas, as always!
Just wanted to chime in on the pet mess clean-up question. When those unfortunate accidents do occur, it’s always good to use an enzyme-based cleaner to zap the smell and the stain. Nature’s Miracle and Simple Solution are two I’ve had good luck with.
Becky says
Love that picture of Burger lounging on the pillows! I have a miniature chihuahua at home named Paco, who looks similar to Burger, though he has more white than black on him. Chihuahuas make such great pets, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them for couples with young children.
Natalie says
hahaha my mom’s chihuahua eats the same way! She and Burger should hook up! :p Hope all 3 of you have a fabulous day :)
The Tiny Homestead says
I must say my favorite part of this post is the picture of Burger relaxing on his little cushion. He owns that front porch scene!
Kim says
I just discovered your blog a little while ago and have been reading backwards…. Anyway, the reason for my comment, these photos aren’t showing up anymore. Just thought I would give you the heads up! I really love your blog and you have beyond inspired me. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kim,
Thanks so much for the heads up! We’re in the process of fixing that little image snafu right now. Hopefully they’ll be up and running completely in a few hours. Please feel free to let us know if you ever run into the same problem on another post. Sometimes we’re the last to know!
xo,
s
Peter Tusa says
Very creative ideas, they’re so inspiring! And will keep in mind for future projects.Keep up the great work..
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Andreas says
I like the way how you make side tables. Good idea