My friends, I had one fun weekend! And I do believe it helped activate my love of junk again! It’s been awhile.
Sunday was actually my birthday. So I head out without a real destination, and ended up antique / junk shopping!
Full intentions to show you around was planned for tonight, however part of the post will have a video attached that is not quite ready yet. Boo!
But perhaps this is even better… instead of showing you just the stuff I saw and got, here’s what I did with one piece!
How cute is this thing?!
I don’t even know what to call it. It’s like a toolbox, but really a tray with a handle. With a dash of a crate.
Well, whatever you call it, it certainly is a fabulously versatile piece that I couldn’t wait to play with!
So just today I grabbed the handle and flew through the house, dreaming up what I needed it for. And got overwhelmed…
So I did the next best thing. I brought it downstairs to my room of chill, so I could focus on the piece, not my messy house.
I kept seeing one thing on it though, and I just couldn’t let it go.
It needed a grain sack stripe, but not very much of one!
Just a tiny one.
And 2 seconds later, there it was!
That little burst of happy red seemed to wake the little crate up in an authentic vintage way, don’t you think?
(this post contains some affiliate links)
I used:
Grain Sack Lines stencil – #G6
Fusion Mineral Paint – Fort York Red
How-to:
The grain sack stripe stencil was positioned onto the side of the crate, then the paint stenciled on. No masking tape was needed, I just held it in place and went for it.
The end. Easiest DIY ever! It was more work to write it than to actually do it.
You can learn some stencil tips HERE
And for vintage grain sack enthusiasts, you may be pleased to know, we have released 6 different grain sack stencil designs so you can achieve this quaint look on anything desired in more ways than one! The stripes are scaled to mix and match so you can get really original.
I used G6 for this little crate. But I’m really looking forward to playing with G1 as soon as it arrives!
So… now let’s play with the crate! With 3 different looks. Which one is your fav?
Office Caddy
The first thing that came to mind was a mini office organizer.
I actually need this beside my downstairs computer, so this proved to be perfect.
The tote was the perfect size for standard sheets of paper, and the handle was a great place to hang a few rusty S-hooks to help organize some office gear.
A little antique muffin tin was perfect for holding all kinds of office odds and ends.
Ok, onto #2…
Paint Caddy
Oh my goodness.
This is about when I realized I needed two of these crates. Because I needed this paint and paintbrush organizer in my paint studio as much as the office tote!
The depth of the crate is so perfect for tester sized Fusion paint pots.
And the S-hooks gave a long paint brush a home.
I was sooooo tempted to paint a teal grain sack stripe on the other side, however I wanted one side bare for when that need transpired.
It’s nice to have options, yes?
And now for #3… can you even guess before you scroll? It involves my fav beverage…
Coffee Server
Bingo! You were so right if you guessed coffee! If my own coffee station area in my kitchen were a tiny bit larger, this would have been so perfect.
I can see this coming in handy on my cleaned up patio table too! As soon as the sunshine makes an appearance.
And now the hardest part is, which idea will the little tote crate thing actually be used for?!
I’ll let you know… right after I have a coffee.
I may have just answered my own question…
.
How would you use this adorable little crate?
Other grain sack striped projects to date:
Interchangeable pallet wood tray
Hi Donna,
A couple of ideas…..car keys and mail holder…..pots of herbs …….serviette holder…..cutlery holder…….pots of annual flowers on your deck…..
Great find.
Pat
YOU are SOOOOO creative! You never cease to amaze me! 🙂
This tray-crate thingy is really awesome, Donna. What a wonderful find! It would make a great cat feeding station for 6-8 kitties. 🙂 I love all of your suggestions as well though. It can serve so many purposes and the grain sack stripes were the perfect touch.
So cute. It looks like an old berry picking crate??? Whatever it is, your little stripe took it up a notch! Very cute. Happy Birthday! We share the same month!
The crate thingy looks like what we used to use when I was a kid for picking strawberries. It held six containers that we filled with berries. That is how I earned money for school clothes. Brings back memories. Love how you dressed it up and staged it.
Happy birthday Donna
I would use the little crate for stained glass supplies. Oil, solder, cup for pencils, etc. you always gave great ideas!
Well,Happy birthday to you. We share the same day of our birth. It’s so nice to be in touch with someone with the same Aries.
I would use it for all my ink pad reinkers, colored pencils in a jar or terra cotta pot like you have. It would be great for other groups of craft items that should stay together like embossing powders, embossing heat gun, the versa mark clear ink pad for embossing and other embossing tools. Also it would be great for a tea caddy or a caddy for snack sharing with a guest.
I love the stripe and so darned quick and easy it seems.
Thank you for sharing Donna. I love your blog and look forward to seeing posts like this. You’re projects and commentary are so inspiring. Keep it up, please?
🙂
Cori
That is such a unique and cute little—whatever it is! The grain sack stripe is just the right touch. Well, my idea for the way I would use it isn’t very original but I would have filled it with flowering plants. Maybe my African violets. I always have saucers under the pots so the wood on the bottom of the little trog–is that a word?–would stay dry.
Okay, how much do you want for it?? Just teasing; I think you have plenty of ways to use it yourself.
Thanks for sharing, Donna!
Love this caddy – the office one is my favorite. So clever!