Friday, April 13, 2012

Tessa's Toy Box of Holding

I have a kid. A very playful 2 year old. This means I have toys. Lots of toys.

And I have a Rottweiler. A very mouthy 3 year old. This means nothing is safe. Nothing.

Two problems, one simple solution: A TOY BOX!

Third problem: Finding a toy box at a reasonable price that is an acceptable size (not a hope chest but not a shoe box) and decent quality (somewhere between compressed particle board and hardwood).

After a few months of watching my local Habitat for Humanities store, I came across this little chest. It's handmade, which I liked. It's sturdy, which I needed. And it was only $35, which I loved. And the added bonus- It fit in the back of my Echo, so I could get it home without stealing my husband's car!

With cans of primer and paint in hand, I rolled out the tarp and got started. Of course, I was way too excited and forgot to take a "before" picture. Let's just say it's got some rough spots and the paint job was very beat up.

















The entire thing was bright blue while the lid was white. It really needed a facelift.























I decided on Rustoleum "Lagoon" in satin finish for the box. I actually start to run out of Lagoon before getting to the lid and bottom (which actually comes out of the box) so I grabbed an old can of Valspar "Black" gloss finish to do those sections. The Lagoon looks very blue in these pictures, but it's actually very teal. Whatever, it looks right in person.












I was horribly impatient about waiting for coats to dry so there were a few minor mishaps. But overall, the box looks great and now all of Tessa's stuffed animals are safe from the nomming jaws of Oz, a.k.a. Bo-Bo.