Hello beautiful friends!! Welcome to Trash-to-Treasure Tuesday! Ya’ll know this is one of my favorite days of the month because not only do I have a trashy makeover for you, so do four of my crafty friends! Plus, who doesn’t love a good before and after? Be sure to look for links to my friends’ projects at the bottom! I can’t wait to see them myself.
If you missed last month’s T2T project, you can visit that HERE.
Today I am breathing new life into this tote I found for 99¢ when I was thrifting with Nancy last month:
This was clearly a DIY job which I can totally appreciate, and honestly that is why I just had to bring it home and save it from itself!
I’m not sure what the apparatus on the side there was intended for, but that had to go. And the bottom must have been warped because it did not sit completely flat, so I took the whole thing apart in order to replace that piece:
Except once I got it apart, I decided maybe it would be fun to swap that dowel handle out for something a little more fun…like this old coffee table leg maybe?
Yes I save everything. 😀 (See the makeover of the table this came from HERE.)
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
But then my tote needed to be a bit longer to accommodate the new fancy handle, so the thin slats across the front and back no longer worked either. In the end the only thing I kept were the two end pieces:
Is that still considered a makeover? Maybe technically this was more of a rebuild than a makeover?
I think it turned out sweet though!
Once I got the sides and the new bottom assembled (using wood glue and my nailgun), I used my Varathane weathered wood accelerator to age them:
This is the perfect base for white-washing, which y’all know I do a lot of around here. It gives pieces a coastal vibe which sell well for me in this coastal town.
You can see exactly how I white-wash with this product and watered down paint in this post HERE.
After white-washing the base, I stained the new slats (left over batten from my boys’ bath) for the front and back using Minwax staining cloths in Walnut:
These cloths are perfect for staining bare wood prior to painting. That way when you sand, this rich brown comes through instead of the lighter raw wood color, and this stain dries super fast.
I only gave the slats one coat of paint over the stain then I just lightly sanded…
I attached the slats with wood glue and small finishing nails. I use a spray matte sealer to seal everything.
I painted the handle more solid white also using my DIY chalk paint in Behr’s Bit of Sugar. (Recipe with video HERE.) I kind of love how big and chunky it is!
I thought this pull I had from an old dresser would be a fun unexpected addition after painting it:
I only added one slat across the back, so things inside could be accessed more easily:
This would be cute in a bathroom to hold extra TP or toiletries.
And lookie what I still haven’t taken to the shop…
Mmmhmm yup I took the mirror off my dresser I shared last week and I am kind of loving having it for staging. I don’t have a need for a dresser with a mirror for sure, but I may be able to use it without the mirror as a side table somewhere. I am trying really hard to find a home for it in our house!
I hope you enjoyed seeing this cutie come to life. If anyone has a need for a piece of plastic lattice in the shape of a figure eight, I’ve got ya covered.
Don’t forget to check out what my friends are making over today as well!
Looking for even more Trash-to Treasure inspiration? Visit all of my past T2T makeovers HERE!
I’ll be back on Thursday to talk about our next big DIY project, and I’m hoping to get some input!
UPDATE: Check out what we have on the agenda as our next big project HERE!
XOXO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
Email * Facebook * Pinterest * Twitter * Instagram
Mary Kaiser says
Wow, the things you find at the thrift store are amazing, but then so is your imagination! Love how that turned out, so cute. You saved it from the junk pile, good job!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Mary! This was a fun find ha ha! XOXO
Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces says
I love how you think outside the tote, Christy. Super cute and so much more style now. Love it!
Christy says
Ha ha thanks, Larissa! XOXO
Christina in SW FL says
Christy, this adorable! I assume there are two “slats” on the other side as well. 🙂 The before photo was “what in the world?” and the after is “mmmm good”.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Christy says
Thanks, Christina! This little tote definitely had its issues lol, but I still love that someone made it with their own two hands. It just needed a little help ha ha! XOXO
Paula says
What an improvement! You made this into a piece that someone will love and buy in a heartbeat when they see it in your shop.
Christy says
Thanks, Paula! I think it good only get better ha ha…it was fun to reimagine it! XOXO
Linda says
I love this up-cycled little tray. Such a fab idea! Thanks for sharing!
Christy says
Thank you, Linda! XO
Kimberly says
It’s adorable!
Christy says
Thanks, Kimberly! XOXO
Robyn Wright says
I can’t believe you picked that up in the first place! Oh, wait! Yes I can. Your imagination is beyond wonderful. GORGEOUS!!
Christy says
Ha ha honestly…I think deep down I knew no-one else would lol! Thank you so much, my friend! It was a fun challenge! XOXO
Marcie Lovett says
I had no idea what you would do with that pitiful consolidation of pieces. Truly, I think the shop should have paid YOU to take it ???? Of course, you turned a very trashy monstrosity into a marvelous treasure. Well done, Christy.
Sell the dresser! Someone, right now, is wishing they had one just like it. There’s another one out there, without a mirror, that you can use for staging.
Christy says
Ha ha thank you, Marcie! I do love that someone built this themselves, but yeah…it needed some major tweaking!! And I think I needed your tough love right now with that dresser…might need to just let it go!! Thank you! XOXO
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
Rebuild, makeover, whatever!! 😉 It’s adorable and I love the old pull! xoxo
Christy says
Ha ha…thanks, Nancy! Maybe I should have saved that for our Thriftshop Shakedown post! XOXO
Lizzy Leff says
So cute! If I saw that in a store, I’d buy it.
Christy says
Thanks, Lizzy!! XOXO
Becky Cassera says
Holy cow! How on earth you got that beautiful piece from the scraps that were thrown together, I will never know. Great job!!
Christy says
Ha ha! Thank you, Becky!! XOXO
Addie says
You better save that lattice “8”……isn’t your little one soon to be 8!!!! You just might have a need for that……then you can save it for when your oldest will soon be 18!!!!…lolololololo
Keep up the good work….saving the landfills!!!
Addie!!!
Christy says
My youngest just turned 8 on Saturday and I joked with my oldest that I could have used that lattice 8 on his cake lol! I actually tossed it in the trash…now it HAS to be bad for ME to throw it away ha ha ha ha! Thanks, Addie!! XOXO
Cecilia says
haha, I’m so glad you saved that tote from itself! That lattice…well, I’m glad it went but I was kind of looking forward to seeing how you redeemed that. 😀 Love the chunky handle! It looks way better now.
Christy says
Right?? lol…it was a unique piece, that is for sure! May be I should have saved that lattice to use later…hmmmm…now that would be a challenge ha ha! Thanks, Cecilia! XOXO
Carole Larsen says
Another beautiful re-do. You are so creative and I always love your design…you definitely have a signature style.
Christy says
Thank you, Carole!! Yep this is definitely more me now for sure! XOXO
Bonnie Hipps says
Poor sad little thing just needed a girl named Christy to take it home and find the diamond in the rough. Love it! Hugs……
Christy says
Aww thanks, Bonnie! Yep…it just needed a little lovin! Thank you!! XOXO
Jen @ Girl in the Garage says
This turned out super cute, Christy! I especially love how you used the table leg as a handle. I’m sure it will sell fast!
Christy says
Thanks, Jen! I asked my Hubby if he though the table leg was too big for a handle and he said he thought it was. Glad I didn’t listen to him ha ha! XOXO
Becky says
So cute in the end, and so hilarious that you ended up only using the ends! Hey, 9 times out of 10, we DIYers are looking of inspiration, not easy projects. This (used to be) ugly little guy surely got your inspiration going to a great finish!
Christy says
Thanks, Becky! It wasn’t until I was painting it that I realized the only parts that I reused were the ends ha ha! XOXO
Janna says
What a cute makeover! Love the new handle! Have you tried the Varathane in Vintage Aqua or Bleached Blue? Would like your opinion on them if you have!
Christy says
Thank you, Janna! I have not tried either, but now you have me intrigued ha ha! XO
Naomi S. says
Christy, that is so cute and I love the turned handle. Good job!
Christy says
Thank you, Naomi! XOXO
Marie says
I was looking forward to seeing what you did with that tote, especially the lattice. Wowsers wasn’t expecting this – so pretty!
Christy says
Thank you, Marie! I tossed that lattice piece right in the trash…and I save EVERYTHING ha ha! XOXO
Heather says
Christy, you are such an inspiration, I just wish you could post every day!
Christy says
Aww I appreciate that so much, Heather! I wish I could too! Thank you! XOXO
Petra says
Was wondering what you were going to do with this! Pull it apart and redesign ???? very clever ????
Christy says
Thanks, Petra! There wasn’t a whole lot I could reuse ha ha! XO
Julie Briones says
SO cute! Now be honest… did you save that lattice piece?! 😉 Love the added drawer pull on the handle!
Christy says
Thanks, Julie! Ha ha no I did not save that piece of lattice ha ha. Now you know it has to be junk if I don’t save it LOL! XOXO
Victoria Golojuch says
You are amazing! The ideas you get from thrift store items are wonderful and you can bet I will be trying to make some of them. So glad I found you!
Christy says
Thank you, Victoria! I’m so glad you found me too!! XOXO