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Lolly Jane

Vintage numbered crates

Home Decor· Organization· Wood Craft

25 Feb

Happy Monday!  Kristi and I are still recovering from a cray cray weekend and are now laying on the couch and can’t move Tough Mudder survivors!  Whoo hoo!  Anyway we’ve had quite a few comments and email inquiries on my faux vintage crates (displayed with my herringbone bookcase I showed with the sneak peek of my craft room makeover last week) and because I’m recovering, have had computer time to share the tute.  LOL!

Here’s my secret to affordable crates….

How to make vintage numbered crates by LollyJane.com

…$11.99 unfinished wood crates from Joann’s!!  And, with your trusty 40% coupon it comes out to less than $8/each. Score!  If you want to personalize your own storage space or spruce up a corner of the family room (they are super cute filled with extra couch blankets or pillows) take a peek at how we created ours to look like vintage numbered crates:

How to make vintage numbered crates by LollyJane.com

 

  1. Stain crates in Minwax, dark walnut color… pretty sure that’s the universal stain color in Blogland (;
  2. Use your vinyl program of choice, (the layout was 7″x7″,) and design/cut “No. 1” in vinyl lettering.
  3. Note: The “No. 1″ is sized 2.75″ x 1.5″ in Times New Roman font, and the numbers are sized 4″ x 6” roughly in Arial font.
  4. Peel off backing and adhere to crate in bottom-right corner.
  5. Using a foam brush, lightly paint over vinyl (since you’re using it as a stencil) in Americana acrylic paint by DecoArt, in light buttermilk color.
  6. Lightly sand when dry and admire your new faux vintage crate!

 

How to create vintage numbered crates by Lolly Jane

These crates are so versatile!  You can add casters to make them mobile…

DIY Wooden Crate With Casters by Lolly Jane

(Take a looksie at our DIY wooden nursery crate version | main pic photographed by Hello Baby! photography)

….or leave them stained sans numbers and use for everyday storage in any room of your home.

How to create vintage numbered crates | Lolly Jane

This simple crate can instantly spruce up any space and we love how easy it was to create a completely custom look for under $10.
How to create vintage numbered crates by LollyJane.com

ps: In case you missed my craft room sneak peek, here are all 8 of the vintage numbered crates I’m using for my craft hoard storage.  I lovely love looooooove them! (:

Herringbone bookcase craft room by LollyJane.com

We’ll be back soon to squeeze in some St. Patrick’s Day crafts before Easter is here.  Such a bummer there’s only a few weeks in between for decorating purposes, right?! (;

Update: Check out our burlap doily bunting tutorial, full bookshelf before and after and even a herringbone roundup!

xoxo

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50 Comments

About Lolly Jane

Meet Kelli & Kristi, twin sisters and authors of Lolly Jane. We are two busy wives + mommas who are makers of all things pretty. From signs to home decor and holiday crafts or redoing furniture in between soccer practices, we do it all all while armed with an ice cold Diet Coke. Join us in our DIY adventures! XOXO

Previous Post: « burlap doily bunting
Next Post: 21 herringbone home decor ideas »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kelly says

    02/25/2013 at 7:57 am

    The crates look wonderful!! Thanks for sharing this idea!

    Reply
  2. jen says

    02/25/2013 at 8:46 am

    i am so making these!!!! and i am stealing your idea for your shelving…you don’t mind do you? 😉

    Reply
    • Lolly Jane says

      07/03/2014 at 5:01 pm

      LOL! Not at all (;

      Reply
  3. Jordan Biasetti says

    02/25/2013 at 9:38 am

    I am absolutely going to make these. Last year I fell in love with the look of these vintage crates and even saw an article where someone had nailed all of the crates together to make a bookshelf. I’m afraid that the bookshelf would be too flimsy though, so this project is an alternative opportunity to still use the crates in a bookshelf-y way! Awesome.

    Reply
  4. rebecca lopez says

    02/25/2013 at 10:22 am

    Love these crates! I’ve been wanting to do these exact crates for my laundry room/pantry! 🙂 Can’t wait to do them.

    Reply
  5. Angelina says

    02/25/2013 at 10:32 am

    TOTALLY going to make these… JOANN’S here I come ( you better have them for me 🙂 Pinning this 🙂
    xo
    Angelina

    Reply
  6. Six Sisters says

    02/25/2013 at 12:14 pm

    We love your cute crates!!! What a fun and creative idea! Have a great week! -The Six Sisters

    Reply
  7. Liz Prince says

    02/25/2013 at 12:53 pm

    Love and def copying these!!!!!

    Reply
  8. Midsommarflicka says

    02/25/2013 at 12:58 pm

    They look really great! An idea I might be stealing one day 🙂

    Love, Midsommarflicka

    Reply
  9. Debbie says

    02/25/2013 at 3:30 pm

    They look awesome! Hard to believe they are the same crates, so much better now.
    Debbie 🙂

    Reply
  10. Crystal says

    02/25/2013 at 3:40 pm

    Love the crates!!! They are going on my weekend To Do List 🙂

    Reply
  11. Sarah says

    02/25/2013 at 4:35 pm

    OMGoodness! I love them, too!!! Super-duper cute craft storage!

    Reply
  12. Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke says

    02/25/2013 at 8:33 pm

    LOVE your crates. You took ’em from drab to FAB! (Did you see 1825 featured your bookcase?)

    Reply
  13. Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen says

    02/25/2013 at 9:46 pm

    Woo hoo! You did it! Congrats on finishing the race. Now you’re making me want to make another trip to Joann’s with my coupons. You also reminded me to pick up some stain. The little jar I have looks too orange…

    Have a good week ladies!

    Reply
  14. Beverly says

    02/26/2013 at 6:19 pm

    Wow, these are really cute. I love the numbers on them. I could think of several places were I could use these.
    Have a great week,
    Bev

    Reply
  15. Rachel says

    02/26/2013 at 7:32 pm

    LOVE this idea! I’m SO doing this in my craft room. Thanks for the idea. I love your blog!

    Reply
  16. Mandy @ Sugar Bee Crafts says

    02/27/2013 at 2:21 pm

    Thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday over at http://www.SugarBeeCrafts.com – you were featured today!
    –Mandy, Sugar Bee Crafts

    Reply
  17. Dana says

    02/27/2013 at 5:13 pm

    Love the crates! I’ve seen them in JoAnn’s and thought about painting them, but staining them is even better.

    Reply
  18. Dave Cearley says

    02/28/2013 at 7:22 am

    For great results on new wood or old gray wood, I heartily recommend briwax. It’s a wax with the tint already added, and gives amazing results. It’s one of the secrets of furniture builders recreating that antique look quickly and easily. About $12 online.

    Reply
  19. Donna Wilkes says

    02/28/2013 at 5:23 pm

    Love the numbered crate idea, but that craft room is awesome!!!

    Reply
  20. NataLee Callahan says

    03/01/2013 at 2:19 am

    Sometimes the simplest projects are the best! I fully intend to copy this awesome project. 🙂

    Reply
  21. [email protected] says

    03/01/2013 at 7:40 am

    Love those! They look great with the two stacked and on your shelves. I think dark walnut is the universal stain color because it’s SO pretty.

    Reply
  22. Brooke says

    03/01/2013 at 8:27 am

    Love this idea! I’ve seen crates made, but buying is even easier. I love the stained look. Thanks so much for sharing. You girls have the best ideas! And congrats on surviving Tough Mudder- how fun!

    Reply
  23. Natalie @ Sophisticated Yellow says

    03/01/2013 at 11:02 pm

    Love the rustic crates… and congratulations on the Tough Mudder!

    Reply
  24. Beth @ Whole New Leaf says

    03/02/2013 at 9:53 am

    These are beautiful. I love how they fit in your craft room bookcase. Definitely pinning for future reference. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  25. Suzanne says

    03/02/2013 at 3:49 pm

    This is such a great idea! Love the number detail that you added to them. It gives them a sweet vintage industrial look to them. Would love to have you link up to ‘Saturday Sparks’ if you have a chance.
    Thanks for the inspiration,
    Suzanne
    Pieced Pastimes

    Reply
  26. Kaysi @ Keeping It Simple says

    03/03/2013 at 6:43 pm

    I absolutely love these Kelli! I’m featuring you tonight on MMM!

    Reply
  27. Lisa From HouseOfFabForLess says

    03/04/2013 at 6:23 pm

    Popping over from Cedar Hill Ranch Link Party. These are DARling! Love them. I have 9 crates in my basement waiting for a makeover so I will be incorporating these in!

    Reply
  28. DesignedByBH says

    03/04/2013 at 7:26 pm

    I love these! I keep telling myself I’m going to buy some unfinished crates to finish…now I have a great idea to go by! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  29. Jenna says

    03/05/2013 at 12:34 pm

    Those are so great! Too bad we don’t have a Joann’s. 🙁

    Reply
    • Tiffany says

      03/23/2015 at 11:41 am

      I found the same crates at Michaels!

      Reply
      • Lolly Jane says

        03/23/2015 at 12:26 pm

        Good to know!!

        Reply
  30. Laura says

    03/05/2013 at 12:53 pm

    I love your crates! I shared them with my readers on my pretty spring projects post, thanks for sharing your ideas!

    http://make-life-lovely.blogspot.com/2013/03/pretty-spring-projects-roundup.html

    Reply
  31. Holly Lefevre says

    03/07/2013 at 12:16 am

    Oh my! You ladies are crazy good…LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these!

    Reply
  32. Terri says

    03/07/2013 at 12:00 pm

    Of course, I found you through a pin bc I am looking to use crates under my son’s bed for storage and love the design of yours. But that isn’t what made me comment. It was when I scrolled down the page and saw your FABULOUS craft shelves and organization that made me comment.

    Very nice! and inspirational! I am pinning the photo of the shelves too.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • lollyjane says

      03/07/2013 at 2:09 pm

      Well thank you, Terri! Welcome! (:

      Reply
  33. Inspire Me Heather says

    03/18/2013 at 7:00 am

    Your crates look great and so beautiful on your bookshelf! I’ve got this linked to my crates post too today, for inspiration!

    Reply
  34. Sam @ The Junk House says

    04/03/2013 at 8:07 am

    I love these so much that I actually made one for myself!

    http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/04/easy-numbered-crate.html

    Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  35. SOME says

    04/16/2013 at 11:34 am

    hello!
    wondering – you reference a 40% off coupon so we can create these lovely crates for less… are you able to refer/advise where to get this?
    thanks!

    Reply
    • lollyjane says

      04/16/2013 at 2:59 pm

      JoAnn’s free app has coupons available 24/7! So does Hobby Lobby’s app! We got the crates from JoAnn’s but they let you use coupons from HL and Michaels on top of theirs. SCORE!

      Reply
  36. Krista says

    06/07/2013 at 4:03 pm

    What vinyl program do you use to cut out the stencils?? I’d love to do that but don’t know how to make the stencil part. Thanks for helping a newbie. 🙂

    Reply
    • lollyjane says

      06/08/2013 at 11:39 am

      Hey Krista! We use VE Lxi Master+ and love it!! Bought it from signwarehouse.com along with our industrial cutter (:

      Reply
  37. Maggie says

    08/05/2013 at 12:12 am

    Thanks for the awesome idea! I’d like to put these together as a box for a wedding shower gift. How long did the stain take to dry?

    Reply
    • lollyjane says

      08/05/2013 at 7:55 am

      Just a few hours to completely dry if it’s in a warm, dry area. (; Have fun creating! What a great wedding gift idea!

      Reply
  38. Lauren says

    05/31/2014 at 7:54 pm

    Oh my gosh! I love them! I have seen those unfinished crates in Walmart and Michael’s before, and I always thought to myself that they had so much potential. Your take on them is gorgeous! I think I see a laundry room craft in my future now.

    Reply
    • lollyjane says

      06/01/2014 at 8:25 am

      Thanks Lauren! It’s amazing what a little stain + paint can do to spruce up those bland crates! 🙂 Happy crafting! XO

      Reply
  39. kristie says

    06/24/2014 at 5:59 pm

    can you tell me what font is used on the vintage crates for the numbers and letters?

    Reply
    • lollyjane says

      06/24/2014 at 10:12 pm

      No. is “Times New Roman” sized to 2.75″ x 1.5″

      # is “Arial” sized to 4″ x 6″ roughly

      (:

      Reply
  40. Deborah Ann Wozniak says

    04/19/2018 at 1:13 pm

    In the instructions you mention vinyl?
    Is that a special machine that I would need?
    Can you do an old school tutorial.

    Reply
    • Lolly Jane says

      05/31/2018 at 2:28 pm

      Hi Deborah! You bet, we have a post that shows how you can stencil anything sans a cutter 🙂
      https://lollyjane.com/diy-cedar-name-plaque/

      Enjoy!

      Reply

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We're Kelli and Kristi, identical twin sister DIYers to love to create and spruce up our spaces on a budget. Our eclectic blog is where we share it all... from home decor, crafts, furniture revamps, awesome project roundups, tasty recipes and more...all while armed with an ice cold Diet Coke!

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