DIY - Miniature Wooden Crate

For as long as I can remember thrift stores have always been my favorite place to shop. First, you can't beat their prices. Secondly, it's basically a store that sells everything from clothes to furniture and all the in between.  I always find a new treasure whenever I go to our local thrift store.

My latest find was this darling miniature crate. I knew right away it would work great for organizing, not to mention it was just adorable.  For only one dollar how could I say no!

The only problem, I hated the color. It was a metallic silver. In my opinion it was a poor choice of color for the crate.  But I knew I could always repaint it to match my room.

I used the same paint I used for my last few projects (my Crackle Paint Picture Frame, and my Painted Mason Jars).  To get the same color  I used for my painted mason jars I added a little white paint to lighten the light blue paint.

 I decided to do the crackle technique with the crate so I painted the undercoat white.  It needed two coats of white paint.

 If you want a more detailed tutorial on the crackle technique using Elmer's glue check out my previous blog post here.

After I applied the glue I painted the crate with my light  blue paint. As it dried it began to crackle.  It still amazes me how this works. One moment it's just one plain color and the next minute it's starting to crackle and the undercoat is peeking through.

Can you believe this adorable crate used to be an ugly metallic silver?  I can't either.  Not only do I adore the new color of my crate but the crackle effect added a nice texture to the wooden crate.

 

I've decided that finding something that has potential and 're-painting' it to go with my room has become one of my favorite pastimes.  I hope you will find his post helpful and that it will inspire you to be creative.

Do you like to shop at thrift stores too? What kinds of treasures have you found and re-purposed?