DIY Book Storage Crates


We have books around here. Lots and lots and lots of books. When I got the chance to work with Handmade Charlotte stencils, I decided to make a book crate to corral all those extra books.  These crates are perfect for us because the kids can flip through them and see the cover of each book without pulling them all out. They also don't take up any wall space like bookcases or rain gutter shelves.



I made two because they each wanted their own. I customized them to match the colors of their rooms. My daughter got white and my son got yellow and blue.

Supplies:
Wooden crate (I got mine at Home Depot for around $8.)
FolkArt acrylic paint (I used Wicker White, French Blue, and Lemon Custard.)
Labels stencils from Handmade Charlotte
Chalkboard paint
Foam spouncers 
Sandpaper


Steps:
After sanding, I covered each crate with two coats of paint, allowing it to dry for at least an hour between coats. For my son's crate, I painted the lighter color first.


When the yellow dried, I covered it with painter's tape, then painted on the darker color. Obviously, this is unnecessary if you've chosen one color for the whole thing.


When the crates were dry, I used painter's tape to adhere the label stencil to the end of the crate. This ensured that I didn't have to keep lining it up in between coats of paint.


I applied three light coats of chalkboard paint, allowing it to dry an hour in between coats.


After the chalkboard paint had cured for 24 hours, it was ready to write on.


I love how they turned out, and more importantly, the kids actually like to put their books away. At least for now.


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10 comments:

  1. Beautiful book boxes! Pretty and easy to move when needed.

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  2. I really really love these. Pinning!

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  3. You did a great job AND the kids put their books away! They look fabulous!

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  4. These are too cute. I love when things are both adorable and functional!

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  5. Lovely! Who wouldn't want to go browse the books in there? :)

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  6. I've been meaning to make a crate for our library books. Yours look fantastic- I love the colours on Drew's.

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  7. I use crates for all kinds of things - great idea!

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  8. Crates are excellent types of storage for pretty much about anything. I would have to say that I would prefer more permanent methods of labelling though. I tend to be clumsy or forgetful and anything not in indelible ink tends to disappear quite quickly.

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