UHeart Organizing: A "Pretty" Versatile Crate

Versatility is one of the key factors I look at when purchasing or DIY'ing storage solutions.  Not only do I love to make design updates around our home frequently, our storage and organizational needs are always evolving as well.  Finding a bin or basket that can work in our playroom one day, then move to the laundry room the next, is always a win in my book.

My dear friend, Courtney of A Thoughtful Place blog, is here to share with us a piece of versatile storage that she created for a friend's sweet nursery.  However, it really could be used anywhere.  There is so much to love about her project, I can't wait to replicate her idea in our own home!  Here she is now with all of the details.

Hi, I Heart Readers!  I always love spending time over in Jen’s neck of the woods.  Today I am sharing with you a custom storage crate that is crazy simple and fast to create.  It can really be customized to any color scheme or color palette with just some beautiful paper.  Let me warn you, though.  Once you create one, you’ll never want to stop.  Here is the lavender floral crate I made.

You only need a crate, four casters, paper of your choice and some decoupage paste.  The brass plate can be added as well if you like the pretty detail of it.  I picked up the crate and casters at our local home improvement store.

I used this beautiful paper from Minted. I am a huge fan of their wrapping paper.  But you can use anything that has a nice weight. I would avoid a thin, shiny wrapping paper.  I like The Paper Source as well as World Market for nice heavy paper.  Just measure the strips on either side of the crate and cut the paper accordingly.

I wanted to give the crate a little bit of a glam look as it will be going in a baby nursery so I used Champagne Mist to paint both ends of the crate.  Once that was dry, I was able to add the strips of floral paper.

Add a light coat to the wood of the crate.  Be sure to cover the entire surface.  Once you have done that, lay a strip of paper down and use one more coat of paste on top.

Place the casters where you would like them and mark with a pencil.

My handy hubby stepped in to drill them on.  We also cut our screws down so they would not poke through.  You may want to consider a peace of plywood in the bottom of the crate to make the bottom surface even and covered.  It might help if you plan to use the crate for toys or smaller objects.

I have a thing for these brass plates so I printed out a label that said, “lovelies” in a coordinating mint green color. I thought that would cover many categories.

And here is the finished crate.  In my dream world I have a pool house and this sits out by the pool with fresh towels in it.  What?  A girl can dream, right?!

I guess my dream of a pool house isn’t going to happen anytime soon as we don’t even have a pool. Oh, well!

The crates are cute enough to use anywhere or with anything.  Here they sit by a chair in our master with cozy blankets. The crate would be a sweet shower gift as well filled with towels or pretty baby items.

I am even thinking of making one for our master bathroom in a different color scheme to place extra white towels. I really like the look.

So what about you? Are you up for making a custom crate?  I can only imagine the fun you could have in a child’s room with all of the beautiful papers out there.  This lavender beauty is going to a dear friend who has a gorgeous nursery in the making.  She used this paper to line the inside of the baby’s dresser drawers so this will be a nice addition to the room for storage or blankets.  Jen, I always love being here.  Thanks for having me.  Your readers are amazing.  Enjoy your day, all!



"Do you believe in love at first sight?  I sure do because when I first stumbled upon I Heart Organizing I immediately fell in love with Jen's mad organizational skills.  I think we all long for a calm, organized, well styled life.  I am the author of A Thoughtful Place blog where I dish on all things related to decorating, organizing, entertaining, and of course DIY-ing!  To be quite honest, working on making my house a home is my happy place.  It fulfills my need to be creative and I love sharing ideas {both big and small} with my readers.  Along with my blog, I am a contributing writer to House of Fifty and have recently started my own decorating firm, Casey Grace Design, LLC, with my talented sister.   I call Orange County, California home where I live with amazing husband and two children.  At the end of a busy day, I love to enjoy an ice cold beer on the front porch with my hubby while we watch our children ride their bikes or run around.  Life is sweet and I am thrilled to be a part of the IHeart Organizing Team."