Apple Crate Refresh

While I was spending a much needed weekend with the girls in Asheville, NC we squeezed in some antiquing.

My friend Sarah and I have heard about The Antique Tobacco Barn but had never been. And while in Asheville without children and an empty car, what else do you do?!

70,000 sqft of antiques!! Holy smokes. Enough to make your head spin (with great ideas) and your mouth murmer OMG more than a few hundred times. We saw some amazing things. A card catalog for one. But at $600, I wasn't really ready to swing it. And as much as I keep saying I want one, I'm not realy sure what to do with it. So it stayed there.

I did come home with a few things. A small white cast iron bunny, an old apple crate, and a wire basket.
I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the Apple Crate. Here is her journey:

I picked through the pile of apple crates to find the best one. Once I got it home, the bottom completely fell off!

First she needed a little stability and a bottom. The boys and I added some nails and screws and a new bottom. A visit to Lowes for a $5 piece of birch that they cut to size for free!

I knew this sanding sponge wasn't going to do the trick but it kept them busy!

She needed lots of sanding. I wasn't going to paint it, but even after sanding it with a palm sander, it was still pretty rough. Since this was going to be for the kids, I wanted it super soft. (AKA NO SPLINTERS.) Back to Lowes for some sample size paint. Then I was going to have to pick a color. However, if you are like me, you ALWAYS check the oops paint. Sometimes it can be inspiring, other times you can go with a neutral, and sometimes it can be a total bust. This day they had white. Why not for .50 cents!!
So Q & I painted her really good. Nice thick coats of paint. Remember, I was trying to cover splinters. I knew the paint would help coat some of those, but I also knew the palm sander was going to come back out. Painted is not the look I was going for!



The very last detail which is my favorite and a favorite amongst the boys are the wheels!

I had all intentions of using this for a library book holder. I was going to stencil "Library" or something of the sort on the sides. This way all the books stay in one place and make return trips easier.
Did I mention I have boys? Yeah, once those wheels went on, all bets were off. It was soon used as a race car, a boat, a train and many other modes of transportation.

She still doesn't have an exact purpose, but I am still smitten with her and can't wait to find her one! Maybe she needs some siblings? I seem to be good at that!

Have you ever started a project and their purpose changed mid redo? Do tell!