Storage Space: Making a Decorative Crate

Step 1

Winter is my favorite time for simple decorative crafts like keepsake boxes, baskets, or pillows. In the summer, gardening season starts and there’s no time left for such “frivolities” :sneaky:

Today, I’m sharing a fairly simple but, hopefully, inspiring tutorial on transforming an ordinary wooden crate 😉

All you need is the crate itself, acrylic paints, water-based varnish, a brush, and any decoupage paper (napkins work too!).

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Step 3

Create your own custom shade by mixing any two acrylic paints. For example, in this tutorial, we got a grassy green with a subtle hint of turquoise 😍

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Step 5

Apply the paint directly onto the wood without a primer: that way, the color won’t be solid—soaking into the wood, it will provide the desired translucency.

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Step 7

While the paint is still wet, remove some of the color using a coarse sponge; you can also use fine-grit sandpaper.

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Step 9

The final touch is tinting with water-based varnish. Apply it in a thin layer and immediately wipe away any excess with a sponge.

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Step 11

Coat the inside of the wood with water-based varnish as well.

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Step 13

Now for the embellishments 😉 If you’re a beginner, it’s best to buy ready-made decoupage paper. In that case, all you need to do is give it an “aged” look. To do this, tone it with water-based varnish just as before.

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Step 15

Apply a little varnish and immediately wipe away the excess. The paper will take on an eye-catching translucency and a vintage look 👍

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Step 17

The paper is now ready to decorate one of the sides of the crate—glue it in place. Decorate the other side in the same way.

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Step 19

What else might come in handy for decoration? 😕 Twine, handmade tags, little keys, pendants, wax seals—just let your imagination run wild!

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Step 21

One foolproof decorating technique is using a stencil and contrasting paint.

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Step 23

As well as casual paint splatters scattered randomly across the surface 🙂

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Step 25

How can you use this custom crate? For just about anything: storing books, toys, or fabrics. Or as a cozy home for your favorite knitting project 🥰

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