Ideas for those thrift stores cheap wood crates

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Thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

My grandma had an apron basket. She always wore an apron around the house. When we went out to gather eggs, she would lift part of the apron to make a basket. I would gently lay the eggs in her apron one by one. The apron basket held green beans from the garden and rolled socks from the back porch on laundry day.  The apron basket worked hard around the farmhouse.

I try to make a sweatshirt basket but the band at the bottom doesn’t work so well.

Ideas for cheap wood crates

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Thrift store cheap wood crates SQ | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

The apron basket inspired this project. And although I won’t be wearing it I can keep it handy.

My apron basket

Ideas for those thrift store cheap wood crates before| Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

I paid a dollar for this crate. The hand-painted green vines reminded me of the dishes from the old I love Lucy show. The outside was easy to clean up. The green felt removed easy. I used the table sander to remove the green vines and glue from the green felt.

Ideas for those thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

The inside was another story.

Cleaning thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

I started using a file to the blue felt removed easy but the glue and dirt had live in the crate for a long time. I started using a file. After 30 mixture and getting nowhere.

Dremel sanding thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

I remember the Dremel. Using almost every bit in my accessory kit…the years of dirt sanded away.  My last post covered the Dremel tool accessories and tips.

Before thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

The bottom and four sides clean up fast with the table sander.  This is the exact one I have now.

Painted inside thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

I grabbed a chalk based paint and started painting the inside. While it was drying I walked away to walk Emily (my favorite time of the day.)

When I returned, I liked the crate painted inside but left wood outside. The old wood with bits of white paint in the grooves looked charming.

An idea hit me. Since the crate has flat sides, why not use the bottom as a sign for the mantel. It will be almost as handy as an apron and will hold more than my sweatshirt.

Creating the sign

Lettering thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

I used pages to create the word farmhouse in a favorite font called brilliant from Creative Market. Then flipped the font and centered the font. Next, I printed it on transfer paper.

Rubbing thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

I centered the paper on the bottom of the crate and…

Transfer thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

rubbed the ink on the wood using a craft stick.

Brush thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

My handwriting is atrocious! When it comes to hand painting lettering, this is the brush I use. Notice in the photo the brush is dry the bristles spread out. But…

Tip of brush thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

As soon as the bristles are wet they come to a point. The bristles hold more paint than regular brushes too.

Lettered thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

Coffee helps too!

Nail thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

You know when you’re working on an old piece and there’s an area you love? On this piece, it’s the nail heads in the bottom.

Ideas for those cheap crates

Apron Basket

Tools thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

If you’re grabbing more than you can hold in your apron basket, try this idea.

Vintage inspired sign

Sign or thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

Simply to hold pretty things

Hydrangea thrift store cheap wood crates | Country Design Style | countrydesignstyle.com

like hydrangeas.

More ideas

Hold mail and keys in the entry
Organize craft supplies
Hold extra toiletries in a small bathroom
Hang on the wall to create a shelf to hold books
Use in the kitchen to hold spices
Set on the floor and let the dog use it for a toy box…yeah right!

I did hear a tip for teaching your dog to put it’s toys away.  Toss a toy to your dog.  When they pick it up, hold a small training treat over the box.  Bring the treat down and they the treat, the toy falls in the box.  Continue until they figure it out.

I’ll let you know how it goes with Emily.  

She has way to many toys for my farmhouse apron.

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4 Comments

  1. Hey – I’m working with a company that is looking for sites that have content relating to pets and I came across yours.

    Any chance you’d be open to hearing about a way you could link to a merchant and make money in the case someone clicks on the link and purchases something?

    Just wanted to see if it’s something you’d be interested in hearing about! If not, I hope you have a great day!

    1. Thank you for reaching out to me. I’m very picky about the links I add to help my readers. Plus I rarely have a post on pets, so I don’t feel it would be a good fit for either of us. Thank you for asking!

  2. HI, Jill, The name of the font is Brilliant. I always think it’s Beautiful and even wrote it in the post. But it’s really called Brilliant and I bought it at Creative Market. Thanks for asking, now I know I need to update it in the post as well.

  3. These ideas are inspiring and your usual creative take on something I love to find at thrift stores but usually walk past because of all the work involved in the “rescue.” HAhaaa. Can you share the name of the font you used, please? Thanks again!!! Hope you’re staying warm up there.

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