Making the old and unused, NEW again!
My hubby works at a place where large things are frequently shipped to them in these large shipping crates. This one happened to be in pretty good condition so my hubby snatched it up bringing it hope for me to do something with. It had so much potential! It was very sturdy and all wood. After sitting in our garage for a few months, I finally tackled the project. Not having a coffee table in our living room, and being too frugle to buy a cheaply made one at the store, I decided to make this into a coffee table/chest. I did lots of sanding, filling of wholes with wood puddy, more sanding, priming and then I added wood trim (that just happened to be in our house) to the bottom. I cut the angles (mitered edges?) on the trim all by myself with a miter box and saw. Then I did the decorative painting using interior green and cream paint that was in the garage and acrylic craft paint for the detailed flower edging. After all that, I did a crackle finish which I antiqued with brown glaze (had in the craft room). Finally gave it a few coats of varnish and here it is. Oh, I added hinges and closing clasp thingy’s. It’s so perfect for drinks and snacks and kicking your feet up after a long day!
The total cost for this was only about $8 for the hinges and clasps. How’s that for frugal!
That is awesome. Love the design. I have so much fun making things like that. Something old, reborn. You did a great job with the mitered moulding…You will treasure that forever.
I love the Valentines. Really, really love them. That is what a valentine should be all about, not these mass produced, disney character things that have no real substance. On the flip side though, there is 20 kids in just one of my kids classes. I’d need to have her start making them now for next years bunch! I am going to check out that site, cause I’d love to participate in a postcard swap! Especially if I got one from you.
De-lurking to comment: This is GORGEOUS!! You know…what with your creative skills and a regular supply of those crates, you could make them to sell.
Hi Regina-
I love your site. This coffee table is beautiful. What a transformation for an old crate. I used to love working with wood. When Bella (the dog Jack and I adopted from the humane society) chomped on an antique chair, I used wood putty to fill in the huge gap. I sanded it so that it had the same curve it used to have. Then it was a series of wood stains so that it finally blended with the rest of the chair. When I went to sell it as part of a set, the buyer was surprised to learn it had been damaged and repaired. That was so satisfying!