Crackled Kitchen Crates

As much as I love my updated cabinets, I am always looking for a bit more storage in my kitchen. Something that wouldn't take up too much room but could hold things I use daily (coffee, sugar, bowls, etc.). I found some inspiration at the amazing blog: DIY Vintage Chic and while my project looks a bit different, I always like to give credit where it is due. I have seen wooden crates at Michaels and decided to put my 40% coupons to work.

Just a quick note, the crates are not perfect and no amount of sanding will get them perfectly smooth or measuring identically but they were about $7 each so I can't really complain.

First, I used a gray primer from Home Depot. Historically I've used white primer but because of the weathered look I was going for, I wanted the base color to be gray. 





Spray painting is such an easy, convenient way of painting or priming an object, especially a crate with slats that a brush would have a tough time getting between.

All three crates were now primed.

I wanted these crates to have the white weathered look you sometimes see in Cape Cod.

I filled a red solo cup with a little of Martha Stewart's Weather Crackle Effect, grabbed a soft bristled brush, and got to work.

This is NOT the Martha Stewart Crackle Effect you would find at Home Depot. I considered that but read a few not so great reviews and decided to use the craft type found at Michaels and most other craft stores.

I promise you, my hands are much smaller and cuter than how they look in this picture. Anyway, I lathered (for lack of a better word) on the weathered crackle effect finish all over each crate. The directions said to wait "until dry" before applying paint over it but I painted the side of one crate once it dried and felt the crackle effect wasn't quite prominent so I stopped painting. I'm glad I did.

 I grabbed my paint the next morning to try again.

I used a shade of white acrylic paint (Wedding Cake) and covered each crate with ONE coat. You don't see the weathered/crackle effect until you paint over it and that layer of paint dries. I'm glad I waited overnight to paint the rest of the crates because I was able to get the look I wanted:

Since I was balancing the crates on top of each other I wanted to connect them so they wouldn't topple off each other.

My handsome groom picked these dowels up at our local Home Depot. I can't be trusted with a drill (or the opening of a champagne bottle but that's a story for another day), so I passed this part of the project on to him.

As previously mentioned, these crates are not exactly identical in measurement but he measured and marked each one as best he could.

The bottom crate received four holes in each corner on top, the middle crate received four holes on the bottom plus four holes on top, and the top crate received four holes on bottom.

His measurements paid off and each crate was fitted with their dowels and connected. I now have some extra storage for my coffee, sugar, mugs, and bowls. This is probably the tidiest each crate will look as I plan on adding extra plates and wine glasses that have been cluttering our cabinets.

~ B

DIY (No Sew) Table Runner

Our dining room table is such a random size. It's definitely not a rectangle but not quite a square. I wanted to make a table runner to put across it but didn't feel like sewing on this particular day. I found some inspiration from a placemat project that Michaels had on one of their free project cards in store and added my own flair.

I found some laminated burlap at my local Michaels, grabbed my stencils that I had just used on my mirror makeover project, and a permanent marker.

The laminated burlap was in a rolled up package so I stretched it across my table and held it down with painters tape.* 

*My Mom suggested I roll the burlap up in the opposite direction to counter the direction in kept curling. I rolled my eyes and figured the painters tape would do the trick but, of course, my mother ended up being right (per usual, when does it stop?) After I stenciled all my words I followed her advice.

Secured my first stencil with more painters tape, grabbed my permanent marker and started my first word.

I chose words that pertained to both feelings (love) and eating (savor, etc.), mixing them up and separating each word with a cute symbol I found in my alphabet stencils.

Here is how the table runner looked once I was done with all the stenciling.

My dining room has some dark wood, a small bar, and wine racks adorning the wall so I wanted this table runner to have a bit of a romantic edge. I realized I had a few leftover rolls of the chiffon ruffle ribbon I had used on my crafty curtain tie backs.

I lined the seam of the ribbon to the edge of the burlap and grabbed my glue gun. Hot glue dries quickly so I glued and pressed as I went along.

I glued all the way to the bottom edge of the first side, put a dot of hot glue on the top of the ribbon, folded some ribbon over (onto the glue) and continued gluing and pressing along the bottom of the burlap.

I went through about 3 rolls of the ribbon and when I ran out of one, I just lined up the next roll to the end of the last. By carefully placing each end to the next beginning roll, the result was seamless.

This project was ridiculously simple. I didn't even measure between words, just lined up using my fingers and eyeballing it (I can't believe I just used that term, it grosses me out).

Cute right? And what is easier than burlap, permanent marker, stencils and ribbon?

ETA: I just wiped barbecue sauce and juice off the table runner (not from the same meal, that would be gross). Just a damp paper towel did the trick! One of the benefits of the burlap being laminated.

~ B