Simply Beautiful By Angela

creating simple beauty on a budget

Upcycled Milkbox

Hello and happy Friday everyone! Can you believe that I’m actually back for the second time this week?!  Shocking, I know!  I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve been able to post more than one post a week.
I have projects that I’ve been piling up and holding out on because I keep thinking “well, I’m not quite done with that yet because I still have more that I want to do to it…”
Well folks, I decided that I’m just going to start sharing things as-is because as my to-do list keeps getting longer and longer, I’m honestly not sure when I will start being “done” with things haha.
I’ll begin by telling you how this old milkbox came to live at our house.
I’ve mentioned before that the hubby usually laughs at me when I pickup curbside “treasures.”  I don’t think he fully gets the thrill that I get from picking something up that was about to head to the landfill and being able to give it new life. 
 
But you’ll be surprised to learn that this one was actually discovered by him!  He said he just saw it sitting by the trashcan at the gas station (kind of random–right?) and instantly thought of me.  
Such a romantic haha! To me, this is ten times better than getting roses.
I knew that I wanted to frame it out in some chunky trim, but that’s about as far as my plans went.  Everything else was thought up along the way.  
 
I began by cutting some scrap 1x4s and secured them to the sides using wood glue and nails. 

I framed each of the four sides this way, and then used some wood filler to fill in the small gaps. You’ll notice that the pieces don’t line up perfectly, which was fine with me since I wanted it to feel sort of industrial.  If you want a more finished look I recommend using more expensive wood instead of furring strips.

Because I added the trim, the old lid was too small. 

 (I also spray painted the hinges as you can see)
 


To fix this, I took some scrap plywood strips and used wood glue to frame the lid and make it match the size of the box.

After sanding and a few coats of white paint this is what it looked like.  It was nice…but it was still missing something.

I took some sandpaper to distress it a little and was pleasantly surprised when I realized that the gray paint from a previous project that was on the sandpaper actually transferred over and I absolutely loved the look!

I also added one more piece of plywood to the lid.

 
And I couldn’t resist adding some numbers to the sides.  I used the same image transfer method that I used for my Industrial Stool.

It fits perfectly under our table turned kitchen island.  I use it to store random appliances that we don’t use on a regular basis which is nice because it frees up more counter space.

 
Remember how I said that I have a lot of projects that I’m not quite done with?  Well with this one, I’ve been meaning to add some L-brackets to the sides and a chest hinge to dress it up a little.  After looking at it in these pictures I realize even more how much it’s screaming for some hardware!
 
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.  I’ll be back next week to share not just one, but two new pieces of furniture that I’ve added to the basement!  🙂

Linking up to these awesome parties!

Comments

  3. I love the story behind how you got this box. It looks awesome. I love rustic decor. Thank you for sharing your upcycled milkbox diy at the #HomeMattersParty