Bathroom caddy turned craft supply cart

November 14, 2011

I went to spend a gift card at Pottery Barn recently and couldn’t find a THING. 

You know how it goes...walk in with a gift card and find nothing, and the next time you have two cents to your name and find EVERYTHING.

I went to another store at the fancy mall, then went back to PB – I was determined. Finally I found something I thought I could use:


It was filled with towels and I loved that, but we don’t have a great spot for it in our bathroom and besides that, I wanted to have it out where it would be seen.

The nice little surprise was that it ran up on major sale – I think I paid $30-something for it? Rock. on.

Anyhoo, I came up with a great use for it in the office! But the wood tone, although lovely, wasn’t doing much for it. So I painted it. :) Oh yes. I did.

I started by spray priming it in my workshop spray paint station on a sheet on the floor in the garage:
Cute art caddy makeover

At least I covered the snow blower. ;)

Then I finished it up with a coat of Rustoleum flat white:
 rustoleum flat white

Remember when spray painting:  shake the can really well before and during, use a mask or spray outside (or both!), and use small, short bursts – not big long ones. (DRIPS!) Oh, and numerous light coats are better than fewer thick coats!

I didn’t even sand it down, because the outside of it really won’t get much wear and tear. I did, however, use my sanding block to distress the edges up a bit:
how to distress furniture

I just sanded down parts that would show wear…if there was going to be wear. Which there won’t. But whatever:
destressing

I planned to use the caddy for the Bub’s markers and crayons and stuff, so I wanted to dress up the front with something kinda cute and fun.

I got the Silhouette machine out and cut number stencils out of vinyl and put them on the front of each shelf:
using vinyl as stencil

If you’re real good you’ll measure them out and place them just right. I just eyeballed it and was real lucky they weren’t wonky. :)

I used the extra blue green color I had leftover from the book nook to paint in the letters, (I believe it’s called Lake from Valspar?) then took off the vinyl.

I LOVE how it turned out!:
pottery barn caddy

I loved the wood, but the white pops against the floors and the black dresser!:
  Bath caddy into art caddyCute art caddy redo  

And dang…it’s CUTE!!

The top shelf holds crayons, the middle is markers and the bottom is filled with paints:


It’s super easy for the Bub to get to everything and super easy for him to put everything away. (Ding! Ding! Ding!)

I love that blue color – it’s a perfect match to the Target lamps on the Craigslist dresser:
tall art caddy

And the whole thing was free (for me) – I used paint and spray paint I already had. Love when that happens!

One more project down – WHOOHOO!

** See how I later added wheels to the caddy. You can see the final office reveal here!

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Comments

  1. Very cute! I could use something like that for our avalanche of mittens/hats/scarves. I wonder if PB still has them. . .

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  2. Love it! Just a word of advice, not that I'm speaking from experience or anything, put the paint on the top shelf if bubs is shorter than it. I did a similar project and left paint on the bottom and well, you can imagine what happened! :)

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  3. Amen!


    Oh, and it looks great. Brave girl painting a brand new Pottery Barn Piece. You rocked it though.

    P.S. You asked for an Amen and I gave it to you. I totally know what your mean.

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  4. Turned out so cute. I use to wonder why my grandmother painted everything in her day but now I know...it gives things a great facelift. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. That is very cute! It looks so much better painted white, and the stenciled lettering is just the perfect touch.

    And no, I don't ever take 18 months to do a room. I'm generally on the 2- to 4-year plan. :) 18 months would be a dream!

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  6. Perhaps your sister would like to have another sister? I'd volunteer! The caddy is fantastic!

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  7. It looks so good with the white paint! Definitely the rockin' choice on that one. Super cute!

    ~Angela~

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  8. This turned out super great and the white makes your knobs on your dresser stand out even more! Love!! I love how you call it the fancy mall (my daughter calls it the rich mall, we're from Indy too, so I know exactly which mall you're talking about, yea the one that Urban Outfitters is going into, whoo hoo!!)

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  9. You have an eye for color because the white really does make a difference. What a great concept too.

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  10. AMEN! And, I really liked this. I don't know much about using vinyl, but it seems fairly easy. I'll have to look up Silhouette Machine or did you write a post I missed about that?

    Your space looks fabulous!

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  11. I love the white too! Good choice. :) And I am so happy to hear that I am not the only one who drools over stuff in the stores, but the second I get a giftcard I am seemingly unable to locate anything to purchase. It is a sickness!!

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  12. Absolutely lovely!

    Band.... ah a word that fills the heart with dread and excitement all at the same time! Did they go on to BOA? If so congratulations! We are dropping our middlest off this weekend for DCI auditions/camp with Blue Star. He is so excited!

    Once again absolutely lovely! 18 months to finish a room?? Wow you are quick... SERIOUSLY! I've been working on this place for 21 months and am still not satisfied but we are getting there! (yes thank you Dave Ramsey... its slow going but a good challenge decorating with a minuscule budget!! cash ONLY! woo hoo!!)

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  13. Don't feel bad about your office...my hall has been half painted for about 10 years.

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  14. Amen! I love the great ideas you come up with! I have an Under the Stairs playhouse that I am currently working on that HAS to be finished by Christmas ... So a deadline helps to push me along :)

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  15. UH-mazing! I remember a trading spaces episode where a designer bought a new stand that i also had and spray painted them right away. Why do we get these reservations that we can only paint "old" things? I still have a cute little thing from athropologie that i want to paint, but its from an.thro.pol.o.gie. you know - ex.pen.sive. but maybe I should just go for it....(eek!).
    Great job - you'll have that piece for ever and it can reinvent itself in a thousand ways! Love it.

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  16. Super Cute!

    You might even want to line the bottom of the 'shelves' with wax paper or contact paper or something similar.. the crayons, etc. will leave color marks all over the bottom of your lovely white piece - and in the future if you want to repurpose it, a liner on the bottom could save you an extra paint job. Just speaking from experience.. haha :)

    Nice work!

    Emily

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  17. super cute! i love the choice of colors!

    do you prefer spray painting furniture to painting it?

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  18. I second the AMEN! I just hate that. I love the fact that you painted your brand new pottery barn piece. You Rock!

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  19. That's an adorably stre-e-etched toolbox. I love it. I think I could build one!

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  20. Love it! The paint job really perked it up and I love the stencil. Hmm, no kids at home here- think I could use it for myself? Stash my chocolate in there? Let's see, chocolate cookies, chocolate candies, chocolate ice cream- no, that won't work. Gotta' go figure this out....

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  21. That caddy would be perfect for my kitchen office! We're always shuffling materials back and forth between my desk and the homework table. Well done - both practical and cute!

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  22. Is your husband a high school marching band director?? If so, how did I not know this? Mine is, and I am sooo glad to have him back. The football team lost last Friday in the first round of the play-offs, so we're done (but planning for next year has already begun). I hardly see him between Labor Day and Halloween.

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  23. This turned out awesomely! You were so right to paint it white! I've often wondered about thepast obsession with painting, now it makes so much sense! You asked if anyone else has taken so long on a room re-do.... well...ummmm....I have a whole blog dedicated to my craft room transformation and am still at it after more than a year! And that doesn't even involve any real room makeovers, just trying to get organized! I now believe it to be a lifetime project!

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  24. This is really cute. I also think you could but casters on the bottom, which would dress it up even more and make it super mobile.
    Kandi Prince

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  25. That is so cute!!! I love the three tiers and the pop of color that it gives now. Great job!

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  26. 18 months is all? That's nothing around here. :)

    Great job on the caddy. I can't believe you took something brand new and painted it. You're much braver than I.

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  27. Sarah, your piece turned out perfectly. Amazing job! Keep it up and thank you so much for using Rust-Oleum to complete your project.

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  28. What a cute shelf! Definitely agree that you need to wear a mask when spray painting, as I just went a few rounds with some spray-painted dining room chairs for my niece and ended up when I blew my nose... welll, never mind. :) I took 4 years to do my guest room, and I STILL have to hang art, so I guess it might be 5 years before it's really done!

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  29. 18 months is fantastic! We (pregnant and in our early twenties) bought an 1880s farmhouse that was, shall we say, in need of a teeny bit of TLC (read: a gutter), and we've been trying to finish projects ever since! That baby is now 8 years old, and we're still without baseboards, trim, etc. I think we might be on the 20-year plan. ;) It's crazy, and at times frustrating, but I actually love it. I love seeing your DIY goodness, and it keeps me inspired! Next up, $40 (score!) dry sink-turned-bathroom vanity!

    Tammy

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  30. Brilliant use of reverse vinyl - stencil - brilliant. Must. remember. for. future.

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  31. This caddy is wonderful in a kid's room, bathroom, craftroom, living room. I think my cats would even love this for a place to snuggle down and hide out!

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  32. Very cute!! Look...you just finished another project... HA! Maybe it wasn't the entire room, but it was something :)

    Not to brag or anything, but I sort of finished the guest room I've been working on for 4 years. I tried to link up to your B&A, but I was too late. Go figure :)

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  33. Too cute, Sarah! The white paint really brings it to life. Well done. And you are definitely not alone when it comes to shopping and finding everything when you have no mola and can't find a thing when you could actually buy something. What is up with that? lol Can't wait for the big office reveal! Our master bedroom has been a work in progress for over 11 years. For reals. Right now it's the closest it's ever been to complete and it still needs window coverings and drapes. Err!

    ~ Catie

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  34. Didn't care for it too much BEFORE Sarah got her hands on it... :) PB needs you.

    Seems kind of ironic somehow to be shopping PB and repurposing/redoing.. a good reminder to me to keep my "Sarah eyes" on everywhere! I'm learning so much from you~thanks friend.
    Chrissy

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  35. This piece looks amazing white - it just pops again the wood. A very stylish and useful storage space!

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  36. So nice! It could work for storing magazines as well!
    Love, Olga
    www.stardust-decorstyle.blogspot.com

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  37. This is great! Love how it is simple, classic, clean, and useful organization! You're so bold to change up a piece from PB, but I love how you made it your own and better!!! The white & blue/green colored lettering are perfect!
    I really need something like this for organizing my kidos' stuff too! Hmmm?! ...Great idea & you couldn't beat the price!

    BTW: Where did you get your classy/simple hour glass on your office table?

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  38. As the kids in school tell my teacher daughter, "Well, ain't you about something??!!!!"

    Yes, my dear, you are.

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  39. You made it so much better, I love it!

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  40. Totally cute! It's amazing what you can do with a can of spray paint.

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  41. I love what you did with this. It is so creative and it turned out great. I actually like it better than the original and I love Pottery Barn. I really like how you took something so plain (art supplies) and displayed them so nicely.
    www.ashleysnest.blosspot.com

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  42. Can this caddy be found on the PB website?

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