Zoo, Stuffed Animal Storage/side Table Organization #30dayflip

Christina Robart
by Christina Robart
I have 3 boys and stuffed animals are a MUST but are also a MESS!! They refuse to get rid of any but they were constantly on the ground and stuffed in the crack between the bed and wall. So I adapted some of these zoos I found on Pinterest and created one to suit our needs.
Here is their Room before! They were EVERYWHERE!
So I got to work.


Items List:


1) 1 piece of 3/4 in cabinet grade plywood (leftover from several other projects) cut at 2ftx 15 3/4


2) 3 - 1x2x8 ft pine boards $2.68 a piece for the height of cart cut at 31"


for frame cut 4 at 24"


AND 4 at 15 3/4"


3) 1/4 in oak plywood cut at 2ftx15 3/4 in $9.69


4) 1 inch screws (I used and love the 8x1" Pocket hole screws that use a #2 square bit


5) Some rope $5


6) 2 boxes of #10 eye hooks $8


7) paint (sample from home depot) $3


I made my paint chalk paint by mixing with 2 1/2 tablespoons of plaster of Paris and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cool water


8) I used folkart Varnish in satin to go over the whole piece for protection, I always have this at my house. I use it for everything!


9) a small wood plaque from Michaels for $1 (to make the zoo sign)


10) Casters, came in a pack of 4 from Lowes for $4 , I loved the idea of it being able to roll around


11) 2 hinges (I already had some from an old project, I have a box full :) NEVER throw them out, reuse them)


Whole thing cost me about $38.79
I started by cutting all of my boards and sanding them. Then I painted them. Next up was attaching the casters to my 3/4 in plywood base. I always pre-drill holes!
Next I pre- drilled and attached the eye hooks, make sure the tops and bottoms all line up. so your rope is in a straight line (like bars) for your zoo. My oldest son was able to help put these in :)
Next up, assemble your base. adding your 1x2's to your 3/4" plywood. when you have that done. Attach your vertical tall boards. Then add your final 4 framing boards to the top. Then thread and tie off your rope. I pulled mine tight, that way the animals wouldn't slip right out.
Don't forget to add a few "monkeys" :) lol. They did help me a lot though. The oldest was able to screw in a lot of the top frame for me, the middle handed me screws and the youngest handed us screwdrivers :) Good team work!
Next I wanted it to have double duty as a bedside table for them as well so I added the 1/4" plywood top with 2 hinges I already had. This way they could open it up for a quick cleanup.
Next it needed a sign of course! So I bought a little wood plaque, painted it to match and used stencils to write ZOO but I wanted to put an animal on it, so I added my own custom little panda face to it :)
AND VIOLA!
So here is a reminder of their room before......
And the AFTER!
So much better!!!!
What do you think? I was considering trying to sell some of these locally, do you think there is a market for this?


UPDATE!! I have started a facebook page for my creations "Roughly Refined furniture by Christina :) You can view it at: www.facebook.com/roughlyrefined


I am taking orders and selling locally for now (shipping was too high) Charleston, SC to Savannah, to the Dublin/Macon GA area. Check out the site for more details or to message me about a location :) Thanks for all the support with this project!!!
Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Donna Donna on Apr 04, 2020

    Why do you want to teach your children that a ZOO is a good PLACE? 😰

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  • Joanie Joanie on Feb 11, 2019

    This is a cute idea!!  Maybe you should start Good Willing? I'm sure he doesn't play with all of them, but of course now that they are all in a cage, he may look at them in a different way. Kidz.....lol.

  • Donna Donna on Apr 04, 2020

    Call it an animal house or something buddies clubhouse

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