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How to make a toolbox

My grandfather and I spent a little time in his workshop a couple weekends ago working on a few simple woodworking projects. One being a toolbox. How to make a toolbox is very simple and you can use any type of wood. We used scrap 3/4 inch pine and plywood. My grandfather was afraid I was going to paint the toolbox pink, which I almost did, but instead found some left over duck egg blue chalk paint by Annie Sloan from a previous project.

how to make a toolbox

Items you will need: Wood (preferable 3/4 “), Wood glue, 2″ screws, Scroll saw, Skill Saw or Table Saw, Wooden dowel (or pipe for handle).

We started with our bottom piece first using the table saw to cut the wood. This is just a template piece of wood below to show you the measurements we used. I didn’t have my camera the day we cut the 3/4″ wood for the actual toolbox. You should have seen my grandfather’s face when I told him we needed to cut out a template using 1/4″ inch luan for the purposes of this blog post. I told him I needed something to show you all with the measurements and he didn’t even bother acknowledging me. He just cut the template out and told me to go away. hehe.
how to make a toolbox

The side pieces. You will need two of these.

how to make a toolbox

The outer sides where the handle will be secured. You will need two of these. We used a 3/4″ drill bit to cut the holes for the handle. Your hole will depend on the size dowel or pipe you purchase for your handle.

how to make a toolbox

We drew the side pieces on the board and then we used a scroll saw to cut them out. The scroll saw is perfect for detail work.

toolbox collage.jpg.jpg

You will need to secure all four sides to your base (bottom) with 1″ or  2″ screws depending on the width of your wood. Prior to screwing the sides to the base and each side, I used gorilla wood glue to add reinforcement. I probably didn’t need to do this but my grandfather insisted.

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You can see below how I secured the sides to each other with screws. You will either need to purchase caps for the screws or simply leave the exposed.

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We used scrap wood so there are many imperfections, divits and mismatched wood texture. No biggie though, it will serve it’s purpose as tool box. I’m actually thinking it might make a pretty planter holder! The wood isn’t pressure treated (which is for outdoors) so I would need to remove the plant in order to water it but that can be easily done.

how to make a toolbox-11

As I said earlier, I used Annie Sloan Chalk paint in duck egg blue which covered beautifully.

how to make a toolbox

If you are not familiar with ASCP, it has a built in primer and is fabulous to work with. I repainted an old Target night table with this same color last summer and you wouldn’t believe the transformation. So pretty!

Here is the toolbox  filled with annuals. I didn’t intend on using the toolbox as a planter but I think the flowers look beautiful in it.

how to make a toolbox

The toolbox is also perfect for my tools!

how to make a toolboxI hot glued the pink tins to the bottom of the toolbox in order to keep items organized. So would you keep the toolbox as a planter or a toolbox?  Learning how to make a toolbox isn’t that difficult, right? I think I may make another toolbox and use it as a planter as well.

How to eliminate burlap curtain odor

Does burlap has an odor?  Yes, and it’s not always easy to get rid of. I have posted two different burlap curtain panel tutorials in the past two months and I cannot believe how many people have emailed me asking if it has an odor and how to eliminate it.

how to eliminate odor from burlap

When I made the burlap curtains for our family room below, the smell was not as overwhelming as some had described but none the less, it was there. I am sure there are many ways to eliminate the odor of burlap but for me, it’s very simple.

how to eliminate burlap curtain odor

Burlap Curtains {picture courtesy of This Old House}

Are you ready? My simple remedy is water and hot steam. Yes, that is it.

how to eliminate burlap curtain odor

I cut each curtain panel, placed them on the floor and ironed on the highest setting. My iron allows you to spray water and steam at the same time but if you do not have this option, simply use a spray bottle (spray the burlap but don’t soak it) and iron on the highest setting. Here is a shot of me ironing the hem on the sand colored burlap curtains.

how to eliminate burlap curtain odor

Once the burlap curtain panels were hung, I used the water bottle to lightly spray the panels. In my case, this helped eliminate the odor. The water also cut down on the fuzz that burlap produces. Yes, it can have an odor and make a mess! I usually work with burlap on the floor so that I can just vacuum it up easily when I am finished. It’s not really a big deal.

how to eliminate burlap curtain odor

White Burlap Curtains

Many of you have also asked how I get the curtains to hang with the pleats at the top. As I mentioned above, once the curtain panels are hung, I lightly spray them with water. Yes, they get wet again, well spritzed!  I then pin the inside of the curtains (up top near the rod) with clothes pins for a day or so. Once you unpin your burlap curtains (wait a day) they will be creased and look beautiful. Be sure to check out the tutorial on how I made these curtains because the size of your rod hem also plays a role in how they hang. I chose to make these a deep pocket, wide hem at the top. I am sure there are many other ways to eliminate burlap curtain odor but for me, this simple water and steam method worked like a charm.

Our recycled DIY Planter

Do you have left over toddler furniture that you paid an arm and a leg for but your children have outgrown it? We do! One being the toddler chairs and table from the Pottery Barn kids collection. I probably could have put it on the front lawn with a for sale sign and gotten a few bucks for it but I decided to create a DIY planter out of one of the chairs instead. It actually looks beautiful in our front foyer featuring the white Bacopa plant I recently purchased at our local nursery.

recycled diy planter

The chair is originally from the Pottery Barn honey collection. I decided to spray paint it candy apple red to bring out the white flowers. This was a very simple project and it took about 15 minutes.  Start with your chair and find an outdoor planter that you would like to use.

diy chair planter

Turn the planter upside down on the chair and trace the edge with a pencil.

diy chair planter

Once you have your circle, drill two pilot holes. This will allow a starting point when you use your jigsaw to cut out the circle.

diy chair planter

I used a 1/2 inch drill bit to drill two pilot holes.

diy chair planter

Drill your first pilot hole.

diy chair planter

Drill your second pilot hole.

diy chair planter

Be sure that you have a sharp newer blade in your jig saw to ensure a clean edge. I cut in 1 inch from the inside of the circle so the planter doesn’t fall through the hole. If you are not comfortable doing that, simply cut directly on the pencil mark and use a larger planter to place in the hole.

diy chair planter

Follow around the inside of the circle with your jig saw to cut out the middle.

diy chair planter

I used a sanding block to sand down the rough edges and smooth it out. This is covered by your plant holder but it’s always nice to have a smooth edge!

diy chair planter

Place your planter inside the chair and you now have a recycled chair planter.

diy chair planter

diy planter

I took a few pictures outside in the flower beds for fun but our new DIY planter will live in our foyer. I suppose if you were going to leave it outside on a porch or patio you could spray with with an all purpose weather sealer but I am not confident this type of wood would last in the outdoor elements even if it was treated. If you are leaving your plant inside, you will need to place something underneath to catch the water or purchase a planter with a water catcher attached. So what do you think, do you have any old furniture that you could recycle and transform into a DIY planter?

DIY Candle Holders {tutorial}

Last week I shared a few spaces in the model homes that I have been decorating. One of the center pieces I used in the dining room consisted of twisted sisal roping around a glass candle holder. DIY candle holders are an easy and inexpensive way to add character and a little bling to an otherwise ordinary glass hurricane or jar.

diy candle holder

First, start with your glass candle holder.

diy candle holder

Add hot glue along the bottom of the candle holder and apply twisted sisal roping.

diy candle holder

They sell sisal roping at any craft or home improvement store.

diy candle holder

Continue to apply the hot glue around the jar and wrap the sisal roping around the jar pulling tight. Also ensure that the roping is wrapped as close together as possible to avoid any gaps.

diy candle holder

Once you have achieved the desired height of roping, be sure to add hot glue to the tip of the roping to prevent fraying.

diy candle holder

This project took about 3 minutes.

diy candle holder

Here is the other centerpiece in the dining room.

diy candle holder

diy candle holder

Imagine that, a DIY candle holder in about 3 minutes. I love how the twisted sisal roping  adds a bit of coastal and cottage design to the glass hurricane holder. I think it coordinates beautifully with our DIY burlap curtains. So what do you think, can you handle this project? I think so!

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How to lay ceramic tile {tutorial}

Last summer we removed our gas stove in our family room and replaced it with a pellet stove. Economically, the best decision we ever made.  When we purchased the pellet stove we needed to extend the ceramic tile another foot in order to obtain the necessary permit. A friend of my dad’s actually did the tile installation as we needed it done quickly but “yours truley” learned how to lay ceramic tile that day.

how to lay ceramic tile

Some of these pictures were taken with my cell phone so they are not the best quality.

First, we removed the carpet from the area that needed to be tiled. You can see below the existing tile where the gas Vermont Casting stove was. In order to obtain a permit in our town for a pellet stove, our stove needed to be on a cement or tile surface and needed to extend 12 inches beyond the stove. The pellet stove is much larger and the existing tile didn’t extend out enough so we need to add to the tile that was already there.

how to lay ceramic tile

We applied the (mortar) thin-set to the existing plywood floor with a Vnotch trowel and then added 1/4″ HardiBacker cement board on top of the thin-set. You can purchase the HardieBacker board and thin-set at any home improvement store.

how to lay ceramic tile

Press the cement board firmly in order to secure properly and nail into place. I used the HardiBacker cement board when I installed our kitchen backsplash last year and it’s very easy to work with.

how to lay ceramic tile

Notice how we nailed in an alternating pattern (bottom and top row). This ensures that the HardiBacker board is secured evenly.

how to lay ceramic tile

Note the nail pattern.

how to lay ceramic tile

Next, we added a metal tile edging at the end (on top of) of the HardiBacker board which we secured with nails.

how to lay ceramic tile

Our tile needed to be cut on an angle because of the circular space. We used a ceramic tile cuter to cut along the circular lines we drew on the tile.

Note, we left the existing metal trim edging and just extended the new tile from that. We used another piece of metal tile edging to cap off the end where the new tile was layed.

how to lay ceramic tile

Before you apply your thin-set on top of the HardiBacker board, be sure to cut and measure your tiles prior. This will ensure that you have measured your tiles properly.

We used a table wet saw to cut some of our tiles and the handheld ceramic tile cutter for the others. Cutting round angles with a wet saw is very difficult, this is where the handheld cutter saw works great!

how to lay ceramic tile

how to lay ceramic tile

Apply a layer of thin-set using a Vnotch trowel on top of the HardiBacker board.

how to lay ceramic tile

Then add your ceramic tile.

how to lay ceramic tile

We used silver gray grout. Once the carpet was pulled back to the new tile, we simply cut the carpet to fit around the circular tiled area and tacked it back in place.

How to lay ceramic tile

I haven’t quite figured out a “mantel” for the fireplace yet as the top lid opens but I really like how the wide pine paneling looks behind the stove.

how to lay ceramic tile

We decided to lay the new tile at a different angle in order to create a contrast with the existing tile. I think the alternating pattern creates visual interest.

how to lay ceramic tile

I was pretty excited during the installation that I got to learn how to lay ceramic tile from a professional. Sometimes these types of projects are so intimidating but I am here to tell you, they really are doable. I will do a post soon on the economic benefits of a pellet stove vs. a gas stove. The cost savings is amazing! If you are interested in other DIY tiling projects, be sure to check out our subway tile kitchen backsplash tiling project and our mosaic tile bathroom project.

Bathroom DIY Magazine Rack {tutorial}

I will start right off by saying I am not a fan of magazines in the bathroom. Icky and gross. However, it exists in our home. So, in an attempt to organize these magazines and keep them off the floor or the toilet tank, I decided to make a wall mounted DIY magazine rack for our bathroom. I used left over pine and birch that we had left over from previous projects and created a wall mounted magazine rack in an afternoon.

diy magazine rack wall mounted

Here is the blank wall in our bathroom.

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}

I used 1 x 2 pieces of pine.

Start by measuring how high you want your rack to be. Use a level to mark your area and cut your wood to the desired length.

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Be sure to use a level to ensure the rack is straight and level.

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I used a nail gun (2″ nails) to adhere the wood to the wall. As you can see, I had to work around the wainscoting detail on the wall so if your wall is flat (no molding) it will be a little easier for you.

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0009

Be sure to nail the top and bottom.

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0011

Depending on your base molding, your rack may or may not be flush with your base molding. You will need to think about this prior to purchasing your materials for your rack. Mine doesn’t fit perfectly flush with the base molding but I am fine with that.

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0012

Decide how wide you want your rack to be and secure another piece of wood to the other side.

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0013

Next, I added a piece of 1×3 for the bottom and the top rack (for the magazine to rest on).

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0014

Next, I add a top piece. Use a level to ensure your board is straight.

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0016

Fasten with your nail gun.

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0019

I added another board 7″ inches down from the top. Be sure to place the board a bit higher then the inside board (against the wall) so your magazine won’t slide out.

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0023

Use a level to ensure it is straight.

DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0025

Awww, isn’t it looking cute?

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DIY Bathroom Magazine Rack {tutorial}_DSC0030

Once you have completed your magazine rack, now you need to fill the nail holes with putty, caulk any seams or spaces, prime and paint.

DIY bathroom magazine rack-1

My husband thought I was out of my mind when I started this project but he loves his slot for his Car and Driver magazine.

DIY bathroom magazine rack

The walls are Rhinestone by Sherwin Williams which is essentially a White with a gray tint to it. I chose to paint the magazine rack bright white by Sherwin Williams, the same color as the base board and trim.

DIY bathroom magazine rack

I love that the magazine rack is mounted to the wall. I think it makes the space seem organized but not cluttered.

DIY bathroom magazine rack

There you have it, a DIY magazine rack mounted to the wall. This project took under 3 hours and was free! By using scrap pieces of wood and a little creativity, our magazines now a have a home in our bathroom. If you would like to see the rest of this bathroom, be sure to check out our recent spring makeover and our Christmas bathroom makeover which shows all the before and after pictures of this bathroom. It’s come along way from the outdated pink 1970′s style bathroom.

How to reupholster a dining chair

My mom still has her original dining room set from 35+ years ago when her an my dad got married and the dining chairs are in desperate need of being reupholstered. Since we moved in with my parents in 2008, my mom has disassembled the dining set and it’s spread throughout the house and many of the dining chairs are in our storage sheds. She has an area where she currently keeps her laptop and is using a folding chair at the moment as her seating.  She asked me the other day if we could reupholster one of her dining chairs and use it temporarily in place of the folding chair. I laughed and said, “I’m sure it will look better then the folding chair.” So here we go, how to reupholster a dining chair.

how to reupholster a dining room chair

Here is the before picture. She has 10 of these guys!

how to reupholster a dining chair

Remove the screws from the under and backside of the chair.

how to reupholster a dining chair

Remove the seat cover.

how to reupholster a dining chair

You may need to use a screw driver (a very small tip) and hammer if your chair has  wooden screw covers.

how to reupholster a dining chair

Once the screw caps/covers are removed, unscrew the back of the seat.

how to reupholster a dining chair

Here is the chair with the seat and back removed. This took all of 10 minutes. Super easy!

how to reupholster a dining chair

Now it’s time to add your new fabric. Cut your fabric leaving 2 – 3 inches on each side.

how to reupholster a dining chair

I used an “arrow head heavy duty staple gun” with 1/4 inch staples. You can purchase these staple guns at Home Depot or Lowes for under $20. Begin stapling your fabric to your chair piece.

how to reupholster a dining chair

Very easy and quick.

how to reupholster a dining chair

Once you finish one side, cut your next piece of fabric and lay on top of your chair piece and staple.

how to reupholster a dining chair

Staple along the edge.

how to reupholster a dining chair

Once I stapled the fabric to the chair piece, I trimmed off the excess fabric. This part is hidden behind the wood of the chair so my staples do not show.

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You can see how I trimmed off the excess close to the staple.

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Next, do the same thing for the bottom seat cushion.

how to reupholster a dining chair-15

Staple your fabric to the seat cushion.

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The corners are a bit tricky. I just folder (like I was wrapping a gift) and made sure there were no wrinkles on the corner part that would be exposed.

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Be sure to pull tight.

how to reupholster a dining chair-15

Staple every 12 inches or so.

how to reupholster a dining chair-15

Once you have your seat and back cushion reupholstered with your new fabric, screw them back onto the chair and you are done! This took about one hour and was ridiculously easy. I am fairly confident just about anyone can reupholster a dining chair using this method. I think the most difficult part was getting off the tiny wooden screw caps and that wasn’t really that hard.

how to reupholster a dining chair-15

So what do you think? Could you reupholster a dining chair or any chair for that matter that was outdated? Do you know that a professional would charge hundreds of dollars to do what I did in one hour?  My mom bought 2 yards of fabric for $11 and now she has an updated chair that she loves. Once we get her desk area situated, I’ll share how the chair looks in her new space. If you are interested in learning how to reupholster a wingback chair, be sure to check out our dining room wingback that I reupholstered last summer. I shared a video and full no sew tutorial.

How to sew a zipper in a pillow cover

I finally decided I was going to learn how to sew a zipper in a pillow cover this weekend. I was wishing my grandmother, who passed away almost two years ago, was here to help me. The sales associate at Joanne Fabric talked me into purchasing the zipper by the yard and adding the zipper slide separate. I had never done this before so we (the zipper and I) had a few battles.

how to sew a zipper in a pillow cover

Start by cutting your fabric for your pillow. I typically place the pillow on the fabric and leave two inches on either side.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

You will need fabric, zipper chain and zipper slides. I chose the Urban Blosson Berry and Checkered Past Berry fabric by HGTV Home purchased at Joann Fabric.

HGTV HOME urban blosson + checkered berry

Sew your hem where your zipper will be. My hem was about 3/4″.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

Split your zipper chain to the length you need. Leave about one inch on the end so you can add your zipper slide later.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

This is how your zipper will look on the fabric. The “flat/soft” side of the zipper chain faces the backside of your fabric (the inside of your pillow).

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

Note below, I left one inch overhanging.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

Sew your zipper chain to the fabric. Be sure to sew the zipper chain on top of your hem. Otherwise, you will not have a clean edge when the pillow is finished near the zipper.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

You can see above, the zipper chain is sewed to the fabric (at the hem) on the inside of your fabric.

how to sew a zipper in a pillow case

Place your two pieces of fabric on top of each other with the outside of your fabric facing each other. You are essentially sewing inside out.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

Add your zipper slide.

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You can add a stopper to the end or sew across the zipper chain. I just sewed across to stop the zipper from falling off the end.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

Here is another example (the other fabric) of how to add the zipper slide.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

Once you add your zipper slide, sew the remaining three sides leaving about an inch on the ends.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

Once you finish sewing the three sides, turn your fabric inside out. Be sure to sew straight across each end of your zipper chain or add a zipper stop. You can trim any excess that may be left. Once you flip your fabric inside out to expose the finished side, add your pillow and you are done! You now have a new fresh pillow cover.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

I love how the Checkered Berry and Urban Blossom fabric coordinate together. Learning how to sew a zipper in a pillow cover wasn’t that difficult. Although I did struggle adding the zipper slide to the zipper chain. It’s much more economical to purchase the zipper chain by the yard and the zipper slides separate. They do sell the zippers completely assembled as well. They are more expensive but if you are in a hurry or don’t want to deal with adding the slides, purchasing the assembled zipper set is the way to go.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

The pink, orange, yellow, brown and blue/gray  coordinate perfectly together.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-6

Ironically, the blue/gray color in the pillow is almost identical to the color of this chair.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-3

I am also pleased with how they look with our DIY burlap curtains.  The curtains are so versatile and go with just about anything.

how to sew in a zipper on a pillow cover-4

So what do you think? Are you comfortable that you know how to sew a zipper in a pillow cover now? This was my first time sewing a zipper in to a pillow cover and I’m sure it’s not the correct way but after three pillows, (yes, I practiced on my mom’s pillows before I finally did these)  I got the job done. I still have about two yards of each fabric left so I think I see some more pillow covers in the future. Have you seen the new fabric over at HGTV Home? Which patterns and colors do you love? Be sure to check out our post featuring 24 of my favorite coordinating HGTV fabrics plus a 10% off coupon at Joann Fabrics for any HGTV fabric or trim. Click here to view the coupon.

Our favorite DIY projects + tutorials from March

Adios March, hello April. March was a pretty big month around here for projects although I don’t really feel like I did much. I know, that doesn’t make any sense. I’ve decided to start sharing my favorite DIY projects + tutorials  from the previous month as a way to wrap up the month.

March best diy projects

This is nothing new, bloggers do it all the time but my friend   Kari Anne from Thistlewood Farms is the one who sparked my interest and got me going. So here we go, our favorite DIY projects + tutorials from March are:

How to make burlap curtains {NO SEW}:

how to make curtains using burlap

How to reupholster a wing back chair {NO SEW} video + tutorial:

how to reupholster a chair

photo courtesy of Woman’s Day Magazine

DIY Cell Phone Charging Station

diy cell phone charging station

How to decorate a Spring Shelf + Mantel:

How to decorate a spring mantel

 Creating an outdoor room

outdoor rooms

Most of our favorite DIY projects for March were last minute and not planned. The burlap curtain tutorial was by far the most popular being pinned almost 28,000 times in two weeks. I guess you all like burlap “no sew” curtains! It’s hard to believe it’s April already. This month, starting with tomorrow, I will be sharing our guest bathroom spring refresh with Better Homes and Gardens and hopefully our study room makeover begins soon. Bring on April!

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DIY cell phone charging station {tutorial}

We were in desperate need of a cell phone charging station for our kitchen counter but everything I could find online or in stores was either expensive or ugly. I mean really ugly. Getting organized is top on my list at the moment and our kitchen counters needed some closed storage attention. We were fortunate enough to be able to keep most of the items provided by Target for our kitchen photo shoot with Woman’s Day so I decided to convert the bread box they provided into a DIY cell phone charging station.

diy cell phone charging station

A DIY bread box “cell phone” charging station.

bread box diy cell phone charging station

The bread box was a typical bread box, there was no shelf.

diy cell phone charging station

Filled with a bunch of random stuff. Our kitchen counter is the drop zone for everything so this breadbox quickly became the closest item to store all of our random gadgets in.

diy cell phone charging station

I don’t know about you but our electronics and cell phones are constantly on our kitchen counter being charged and one day it hit me, the bread box! The bread box would be a perfect place to store these items out of sight. All that wasted space inside though, how could I make it more functional? Well, I decided to add a shelf. Why not right?

diy cell phone charging station

I used a 1/2″ drill bit to make two holes in the back of the bread box. Because the breadbox has a roll top, I chose to put holes in the very bottom of the bread box so when the bread box is open, the cell phone or ipad charging wires would not interfere with the roll top.

diy cell phone charging station

You can see, I drilled two holes above in the back side of the bread box.

Next you need to make your shelf. Measure each side and mark where you want to drill your holes. I used a 3/16″ drill bit and drilled two holes on the inside of the bread box. The bread box was not very thick so I drilled very slowly, just enough to make a deep enough hole for my support peg.  Do this on both sides, four total holes. I used four support pegs (placed in the holes) to support my 1/4″ piece of craft board (purchased at Michaels Crafts).

diy cell phone charging station

You can use any type of support peg or small shelf bracket. We just happened to have support pegs so that is what I used.

diy cell phone charging station

Put your pegs in the holes.

diy cell phone charging station

I cut my craft board to 14 1/2″ long and it fit perfectly inside the bread box.

diy cell phone charging station

Michaels Crafts sells all sorts of crafting board in various shapes and sizes.

diy cell phone charging station

Yes,  I put a shelf in a bread box. You should have seen the “eye rolling” coming from my dad when he saw me doing this.

Use a level to ensure that your shelf is straight.

diy cell phone charging station

Double check.

diy cell phone charging station

Now you have a shelf!

diy cell phone charging station

I decided to cut another piece of crafting board for the bottom. I wrapped both pieces of craft board in left over fabric that I had from last summers pillow project. A little hot glue and viola, pretty shelves!

The inside needs to be pretty right?

diy cell phone charging station

You can see how I fed the phone charger through the hole in the back of the bread box.

diy cell phone charging station

The back of the bread box.

diy cell phone charging station

This project took under one hour. I think most of the time was the setup and cleanup.

diy cell phone charging station

Now when I come home, I drop all my things inside the bread box. I used the top of jar cover to keep my keys and other small items in.

diy cell phone charging station

Kind of cute huh? It’s almost as if this bread box was made for the size of an ipad. It fits perfectly on the top shelf. The roll top door doesn’t even it touch it when it closes. Mission accomplished. Closed door pretty counter storage.

diy cell phone charging station

Once the door is closed, you can’t even see what is inside. Although, I like how it looks inside now. This bread box ironically is on clearance right now at Target so if you would like to create a stylish DIY cell phone charging station for your kitchen counter, now is the time to head to Target and purchase the bread box. You can create a DIY cell phone charging station out of just about anything. I’m sure if you stop and think about it, you probably have something in your own home you could drill a couple holes in and convert it to a cell phone or electronics charging station.

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