The Tale of a Toybox {DIY Vintage Storage Crate}

One cold January morn I reached my limit. The toy limit that is. We had toys all over the basement spread between numerous Ikea baskets and Dollar Tree bins. The toys were everywhere! They were literally suffocating me. We had to take action.

After some Pinterest perusing I decided the best solution would be a large crate with casters to put under the kids table. This is the Serena & Lily inspiration piece that was way out of our price range.

We searched high and low for weeks to no avail. We decided to take a different route and Kyle got busy making plans for building 2 crates. It seemed ludicrous to spend time making new wood look old but what other option did we have?

Then Kyle remembered the salvage yard. It's a place of nightmares for me (think lots and lots of cats running wild through the mounds of merchandise), but it never disappoints. Kyle found old worn pallets and some privacy fence pieces that would do the job. Then he asked if they had any wooden crates. And lo and behold they had 1 wooden box. And we literally hit the jackpot. It was the perfect size and it had wonderful character! Kyle hid his excitement as he bartered for the crate. And he took it home for $12!

Before:

When he got it home it was pretty rough and dirty. We contemplated sanding and staining it, painting the inside a fun color, removing the handles, etc. But when Kyle brought it inside to check the fit we loved how it looked as is. So in the end it was our goal to make it safe with as little effort as possible (to retain all it's character). Kyle sanded the rough spots and removed the exposed nails. Then he applied a couple coats of poly to ensure protection from any splinters. Finally he added casters. Then it was ready to be filled with toys!

After:

I adore the finished product. It completes our little kids activity area. All their toys, books, and activity table all in one convenient space. I heart the functionality and the kids love having all their toys in a central location.