I have kids. Therefore, I have tiny plastic bricks laying around the house causing parental foot injuries. It may also be the source of all the bad words my children know. “Oh, fu-dgesicle!” “Shiiii-take mushrooms!” It’s no wonder I have a picky eater.
A couple of months ago I came downstairs in the dark. I knew my son had left his precious Lego creations on the floor. Heaven forbid that half firehouse-half motorcycle creation gets broken when put back in the storage bin! Anyway, my first step went so well and I continued to navigate through the area with ease. I had a momentary surge of pride that perhaps my son had been so concerned about his mother’s feet that he had sneaked downstairs and picked up all of those Legos. Then I flipped on the light.
I looked behind me and saw a Lego minefield. Teeny, tiny plastic bricks were littered everywhere. Every. Where. It was a Christmas miracle that I had somehow avoided stepping on one of those bricks of terror.
Right then and there I decided we needed a new plan for dealing with all the Legos. There’s nothing like a perilous household episode to motivate a DIY project.
I decided we needed a Lego table. The thing is, I didn’t want a kid-looking table. I also didn’t want to add any furniture to our home…especially something that didn’t really fit in with the rest of the decor.
What I had to work with were 4 rattan footstool things that I’ve had grouped together as a coffee table for eons. They were from Pier 1. I’ve had them for years and still love them.
The only problem is that they were easy to move around. Every time one of my kids leaned on one of them it knocked them all out of whack. I was constantly adjusting them back into a square position. Who needs that headache?
I decided I could solve two household problems (shifting tables and a place for Lego play) with one DIY project. That’s right. My coffee table needed a table topper.
So, I explained my idea to Handy Husband. It involved a re-creation of me stepping on a Lego. Then it involved some very specific hand gestures about length, width and overall shape.
He totally rolled his eyes got it. A few days before Christmas he used one of his days off to bring my idea to life.
I have to tell you what. This DIY project is at the top of my “favorite projects of all time” list. It has given my kids a designated spot to play Legos in the heart of our home. They always want to play right where the action is (aka where we are).
Now I don’t have to worry about stepping on Legos in the middle of the night. I don’t have to ask my kids to clear off the dining room table so that we can eat dinner. Plus, they have a safe place where they can leave their Lego creations out to display and play with.
As a bonus, the table topper is heavy enough to hold the stools underneath firmly in place. To protect the finish on the stools, I placed a towel underneath the table topper.
My husband made little “trays” where the kids can put all the little pieces they need while they are working on a specific Lego build. This helps with the “where did that piece go” problem when we’re trying to build something new.
Now, you might be wondering why we didn’t build more storage into this table. Well. It just didn’t seem like we could build a table big enough to hold an ever- growing Lego collection. Ha! So, for now, a bin nearby holds all of the extra Legos and can be easily hidden or put-away when not in use.
My husband used scrap wood to build this project and I used stain that we had on hand to unify the piece. Hallelujah for no-spend DIY projects! I might need to fire myself from stain duty though. Good help is hard to find, folks.
Now, when I was explaining my idea to Handy Husband with very expressive hand gestures, I had envisioned the sides of the table topper coming down a little lower. Clearly, I could work on my communication approach. However, the end result is just what I hoped for – better even. A table topper that holds those pesky rattan squares in place and a happy little spot for my kids to get creative.
Here are some other posts you might enjoy!
Lego Valentine’s Day Cards – Free Printable
Display Shelf from a Wine Rack (for those little Lego guys)
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