I am always so excited when I find a use for old scraps that I hoard save. I want to immediately run to my Hubby and show him what I did with them when I do. “See, I knew I would use that!!”
Amazing friends, I have a super cute little project to share today that I made from…you guessed it, scraps!
Remember when I redid my coffee table? It had these curvy pieces on the sides:
I replaced them with straight pieces instead for a cleaner look:
See more of that makeover HERE.
I knew I would find a use for those curvy pieces eventually, and I did!
They were perfect for the sides of this little tote!
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
I cut the curvy pieces down a bit and then cut two end pieces from scrap wood I had in the garage:
I found an old chair spindle for the handle. Then I cut another one of the thin boards I had purchased to use as board and batten for the boys’ bathroom (I had a few left over) to use for the bottom:
I used my sliding miter saw to cut everything.
I painted the tote in Bit of Sugar by Behr that I made into DIY chalk paint. (Recipe HERE.) I actually painted and waxed the insides of the tote before assembling to make it easier. And I used my Minwax staining cloths to stain the bottom pieces. I also stained the freshly cut end pieces of the tote before painting so that when I sanded, the darker stain would show through instead of new wood.
I attached everything together using Elmer’s Wood Glue and my cordless nail gun. (I have this one HERE.)
I added this knob and back plate from Hobby Lobby to the front for a little interest…
I chose to leave the bottom slats stained for contrast.
You just never know what things can become! And my Hubby doesn’t even ask why I save what anymore!
I’ll be back on Thursday sharing my boys’ bathroom. Here’s a reminder of what it looked like when we first moved in:
Looks a whole lot different now!
No need to wait! See how the boys’ bathroom turned out HERE now!
See ya Thursday! 🙂
XO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
Mary Kaiser says
That is so adorable. I am so glad that your hubby doesn’t ask why anymore, smart man!! I almost have my husband to the same point of not asking why, sometimes it takes men longer because their brains are wired different. I will have to go dig in my scrape pile and make something so cute.
Christy says
Thanks, Mary! Yes he stopped asking a long time ago ha ha! XOXO
Janice says
I loves totes and this one is so pretty. Good job.
Christy says
Thank you, Janice! XOXO
Linda Petersen says
So cute ????! Love the dark slats on the bottom. It’s the perfect “first touch of Spring”!????
Christy says
Thank you, Linda!! XOXO
Christina in SW FL says
Cute cute cute!! I love the way your mind works seeing possibilities everywhere. 🙂 The tote is brilliant and, of course, I adore the color.
I always find inspiration from you Christy, thank you!
Christy says
Thanks, Christina! You are always so sweet! XOXO
Michele Branham says
Awesome use of your scraps. I love it!
Christy says
Thanks, Michele! I am so happy I was able to use them for something! XOXO
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
You’re so crafty! 🙂 Love it! xo
Christy says
What are you doing up so early ha ha?! Thank you, my friend! XOXO
Carolyn Price says
I love your resourcefulness!! You amaze me, Christy!! What a cute accent piece. I wish I had a command of tools the way you do!!
Christy says
Thank you, sweet Carolyn!! I wasn’t always so confident with my tools…it took a while! 🙂 XOXO
JamieK says
Oh I love this! Everyone needs a cute tote! ❤️❤️❤️ You are sooo talented!!
Christy says
Aww thank you SO much, Jamie!! XOXO
Ange says
❤️❤️❤️ very clever indeed.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Ange!! 🙂
Linda says
Love this tote! I can see it with my sewing supplies in it! Working on sewing room and loft now, although very slowly due to surgery, but 15 minutes work and 20 minutes rest still equates to progress! It’ll be my upstairs sanctuary!
Christy says
Thank you, Linda! This would be perfect for holding sewing supplies! It will be so nice to have a place for you to retreat to! XOXO
Cecilia says
Oh my goodness! It is cute! And what?!? Minwax has staining cloths? I never knew…
Don’t you love it when you can use something your hubby would like to throw away and say, “see? I told you I’d find a use for it!”? I sure do! Thanks for inspiring.
Christy says
Thank you, Cecelia! I love those staining cloths! They are so easy to use, don’t stink at all, and dry really quickly! And yes I love to be able to show my hubby what he wanted to throw away! XOXO
Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces says
I love totes, especially repuposed ones! Yay!
Christy says
Me too! They have so many uses! XOXO
Barb says
I love that tote. You sure did have a wonderful vision. I’ve been seriously (?) crafting for about 5 yrs. Perhaps in another five, I’ll be able to perceive what scrap pieces I keep can become! Love this. I like the slats on the bottom also. Would make a good hod!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Barb! When we moved from our old house, my hubby threw away just about my entire stash of scrap pieces. It was really hard for me to start getting creative again until I had built up a few pieces in my stash again. They spark my creativity! XOXO
Debbie says
So simple, but yet so versatile! Absolutely love it! You have such great ideas!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Debbie! XOXO
MaryJean says
Christy, love it! I’m telling you are so creative!
I have to laugh when you mention the tools you use because my husband had everything you could imagine in tools. To give you an example; miter saw, drill press, lathe (wood and metal), and table saw, just to name a few. I have got to start learning how to use all these tools. The only things I can say I’ve used are an electric staple gun, scroll saw, and belt and orbital sanders. I can see the potential for using all the other tools. I’ll have to have my sons teach me how.
Anyway, great post!
Christy says
Thank you, MaryJean! Sounds like you have a lot of fantastic tools there… I was very intimidated to use a few of them myself in the beginning, but little by little I’ve become much more confident. You will too, I’m sure! XO
Sandi says
Christy, this tote is darling! You continue to amaze me, as always!
Are you ever going to write a book with all these wonderful DIY creations you have made? I think a book would really be valued and what a wonderful reference for all of us beginners in DIY!
If ever you decide to write a book or have already, please let all of us know. Thanks!
Christy says
Aww thank you, Sandi!! I would love to write a book! I should look into that! XOXO
Robyn Wright says
This is going in my “to do” file. LOVE it!!
Christy says
Thank you, Robyn! XOXO
Julie Briones says
Beautiful, as usual… Going into your booth? What lens are you using on the close-ups? (Like the down-shot of the flowers with the spindle in focus.)
Christy says
Thanks, Julie! Yep… to the booth soon. I have a Cannon T5i camera and the lens I used for this, and that I use the most, is a 35mm lens. I have this one here: http://amzn.to/2DN2iv4 🙂
Marcie Lovett says
You are amazing, turning castoffs into such a darling piece! Love how it turned out.
Christy says
Aww thank you, Marcie!! I am always so thrilled when I can turn those castoffs into functional pieces again! XOXO
kathy says
Christy, I like the pretty tote to. I will have to put that one on my list.
Christy says
Thanks, Kathy!! XOXO
Debbie in TX says
Christy, you blew me away again. This is so pretty and useful. I love that you made it out of scraps. I bet you saved the ends that were cut off those longer pieces to use for some other project! Can’t wait to see the bathroom update!!
Christy says
Aww thanks, Debbie! Would you believe I did not keep those end pieces? I thought about it, but they were asymmetrical and they were with all the scraps I cut off of the end pieces, so I just chucked them all in the trash. XOXO
ROSE LEFEBVRE says
Great idea!
Christy says
Thank you, Rose! XOXO
Vivian says
Well I’ll be!! I was trying to guess before reading what you could have made. I would have never guessed it!! I loved the coffee table, but I would have been the one to throw away the scraps!! Wowed me once again Christy!!
Christy says
I’m so glad I can still surprise you ha ha! I loved those curvy pieces, just not on my coffee table…thank you, Vivian!! XOXO
Naomi S. says
Girl, you are so gosh darn creative, I just can’t stand it! That is the cutest and I would buy it in a minute! So useful, too. It looks simple to make but I don’t use power tools, so I must just envy your expertise!
Thanks so much for showing how you up-cycled those boards from the coffee table, which is an awesome product, too. I checked it out and pinned it!
Christy says
Aww thank you, Naomi! I was not always so handy with the tools, trust me ha ha! XOXO
Bonnie says
You do such beautiful work and always your creativity is endless. Hard to keep finding words on how much you inspire so many people like me. Anyway question time, the spindle with the holes, did you just turn that on the downside or fill it in? The knob you put on, I noticed there is no screws on the other side. Was this attached with glue? Thanks again for wonderful crafts, tips, and tricks!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Bonnie! It is sweet comments like yours that make me love what I do! As for the spindle, I just pointed them towards the bottom. That’s the beauty of making something yourself, it does not have to be perfect, and I think leaving the holes on the bottom open tells the story of that spindle. 🙂 The knob did go all the way through, but just barely! XOXO
Becky says
This is beautiful!!! (Now I’m thinking of Christy Jordan of Southern Plate and how she would read that 3 times, once for each exclamation point, haha! Go right ahead, it IS 3x beautiful!) I am DEFINITELY keeping my eye out for more pretty “junk” now. That has to be the prettiest tote I’ve ever seen… and no sacrifice to practicality either!
Our poor husbands, the things we do that boggle their minds… : ) Mine is completely befuddled by what sells in my craft booth and what it’s made out of, haha. : ) He’s very proud of what the kids and I make, but still struggling to get over his “unreasonable” embarrassment at being seen with our “loot”! Poor guys, they just don’t get it!
Christy says
Aww thank you, Becky! You are always so good to me! I’m so thrilled to have found a use for those pretty curvy pieces! And yes our poor husbands…mine just shakes his head lol!! XOXO
Norma Rolader says
I love this idea and thank you
Christy says
Thank you, Norma! SO glad you enjoyed this one! XO
Lisa says
Hi Christy! I too love taking bits and pieces and scraps and putting them together but you have make many things, like this awesome tote, that I never would have thought of so thank you! Quick question. Love the stained bottom slats but it seems I always have some small pieces with everything and am worried something would fall through the cracks. Was wondering if instead of leaving spaces between the stained slats I could make one with stained slats with no spaces between the slats or would you recommend that I just use a solid stained piece of wood for the entire bottom? Again, great project and thanks for sharing!!
Christy says
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one, Lisa! If you needed it to hold something with a lot of small pieces, I would just cut one piece for the bottom. I only used these slats and spaced them out to add a little interest! XO
Kim says
You have great style and such creativity
Christy says
Thank you so much, Kim! XOXO
Angie @ Postcards from the Ridge says
Oh my goodness, Christy. You are so creative! I would have never thought to do that. It’s so cute.
Christy says
Thank you, Angie! I still have the other two sides to the coffee table that I kept…not sure what those will become yet. 🙂
Marie says
I so understand the “you’re saving that” eye rolls, Christy. What a perfect way to salvage the coffee table scraps – so pretty!
Christy says
Ha ha I’m sure you get that too! We do end up getting to all those things…eventually, right? Thanks, Marie! XOXO
Kerryanne says
You know I always love all of your projects Christy and this one is so practical and beautiful. Thank you for sharing at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring this lovely tote at tomorrow’s party and pinning too! xx
Christy says
Yay!! Thank you so much, Kerryanne! XOXO
Ivory says
I love THS tote. You did a fabulous job. I am with you girl, it’s always a good idea to hold on to something, just in case.
Christy says
Thank you, Ivory! And yes…I save it ALL ha ha! XO