attached a piece of wood across the front- again with pocket holes/screws:
i didnt take a pic from the back- but the tops of the sides are attached to the back with a single 2 1/2" screw and glue-I drilled thru the back -and somehow managed to keep it all straight and not blow out the dowel with the screw.
so from here I primed/painted the unfinished portions of the legs from the crib- I stained some boards for the seat (minwax provincial I think is the color-its actually darker than what this pic shows)- I added some felt underneath the legs/feet- and I didnt want any puncture marks in the seat slats- so instead of nailing them- they are only glued in place. This bench aint for a sitting, its fer a lookin only. ( and I removed the drop cloth for this pic in case any of you might be a worried I glued this over my exposed hardwoods) .
and the finished bench with what looks to be winter themed "stuff" that the wifey has adorned it with. The stuff gets changed out every few months. I think the whole exercise was nothing more than a culvert operation the wifey pulled to be able to go buy more shite I mean "stuff". Whatever- she lets me be me- so- she can buy all the shite, i mean stuff she wants. guess she saved me a couple hundred as that is what these go for at junk scrap flea market shit i mean stuff sales. plus we had this empty space in the hall way that needed something- and what better than to put more shite, I mean stuff in the house.