Personalized Wooden Crate

Pallets and wooden crates are really big right now.  And I have to admit I love them.  I really want an old looking crate in my living room to hold all of DD's toy.  I just think they are so neat looking and have so much character.  I went to Jo-Ann's and found this unfinished crate for only $9.  It was perfect. 

All it needed was some stain.  Which I got at Lowe's.  I did try out a couple of stains before I found one I liked though. This one just had the most beautiful coloring to it.  It is by Rust-Oleum and is the Early American

 Next, I went to work in the garage staining away.  I just used an old paint brush and a cloth diaper to rub off the extra stain.  The cloth diaper worked perfectly for that and it gave me an excuse to use one ( I do use them when I Pledge my furniture also, they work great for that as well).

Once the stain was done drying I decided  to stencil it and give it a bit of personalization. Just as a side note, it did take several days for the crate to dry.  The one I am showing your guys is the crate I did for Whitney.  She really wanted one as well, and I did hers before mine.  Mine is still a work in process. 

 I got my stencils from the Martha Stewart line.  It's the Monogram Serif Alphabet Stencil. 

Martha Stewart Serif Alphabet Stencil

I also got this awesome tool that makes stenciling a breeze.  It's by Martha Stewart as well.  It is the Foam Pouncers Set. 

Martha Stewart Foam Pouncers



I just used some black acrylic paint that I borrowed from Whitney for the stenciling. 

 For her crate I used her last name and the year she got married.  Voila! Here is the finished product. 

Here it is in Whitney's living room holding some blankets. 

- L -