I'm sure you see them popping up all around blogland, the crate trend is hot -- and I don't mean milk crates but gorgeous, rustic wood ones. Crates that range in size and color and are making their way to homes everywhere... There are lots of companies who sell them, even more who find vintage ones and resell them, and then there are homeowners who choose to make them.

Kjerstis Lykke is a blogger who likes to use crates to store things in on the countertop in her kitchen as well as in her living room as a bookcase on castors.

If you want to make crates into something functional and good-looking try popping on some castors and roll them around as storage (great for magazines and kid's toys), stack some for a bookcase, or mount one or several to a wall as shelving. If you can't seem to find crates then try hitting a craft store or one of those natural wood shops. Retropolitan found her crates below at the Jo-ann craft store for $9.99 each (currently on sale for $6.99) and she shows exactly how she turned her boring find into a fab one with an A-Z how-to right here. Tip: You can also get sturdier crates from Target for $28 and make them look weathered by adding some stain, paint, sanding them in spots, hitting them with a chain or hammer... I'm not kidding! Crates that look vintage are all the rage.

Another homeowner who chose the DIY route is Ana White who happens to have a hammer on her hip for this tutorial. I love her crates that she has handmade shown above. Great work! Learn more here.

Bailey's Home & Garden and The Selby

Three Potato Four shop

Images above are from an unknown source but if you are clever and know their origin please tell me so I can give them link love. :) Looking for vintage crates? Take your pick here on eBay!

Zakkamate on Etsy has them too.

Ironically, I couldn't find one single wood crate at Crate & Barrel. Did you follow Will & Grace when it was hot? I loved that show, Grace Adler was my idol at the time! I wanted to BE her, red hair and all. :) Anyway, Will said in one episode, "Do people not know how long it takes to pickle something? I had to buy a barrel, for God's sake. Those aren't easy to find. You'd think they'd sell them at Crate & Barrel. But, guess what? They don't. They don't sell crates, either. Hey, next time, save me the trip and name your store Ottomans & Wicker Crap!"

What do you think of crates? Do you have them in your home? Do you want them in your home? Love? Hate? Somewhere in between?

(images linked to their sources above)