My family loves to read. There are books everywhere in my home! Books in the living room, books in the bedrooms, books in the car...you get the idea. Having some DIY Book Crates to corral some of the books that are currently being read is not only practical, it’s just darn cute! You can put these on nightstands, on your tv cabinet, on top of the piano and just about anywhere else for some vintage looking charm.
One of my favorite uses for these is keeping library books together. My teenage daughter is the biggest bookworm I know, and is always reading three different books at once. She can put the books she is in the process of reading in one, and can put the ones that are ready to go back in the other. Keeping them organized in this way, the books don’t get mixed with any of our own on the bookshelves.
Place your stencils on the DIY Wood Slat Crate. You can cut these out by hand using the provided template. Just use an exacto knife or scissors to cut them out leaving the negative to make the stencil. You can tape the stencil to the crate to keep them from moving.
Pro Tip: If you have an electronic cutter use that! This will save you on scissor time and you can cut them on vinyl or sticker paper so that you don’t have to worry about taping it. The font here is Times New Roman font and sized them at about 4.5 inches high and about 2.25 inches wide.
Using the stain and the foam brush, stain inside your stencil going with the grain of the wood. Let dry for a few minutes and then add one more coat.
Peel off the paper or sticker and touch up the edges, giving yourself a more crisp edge. Don’t worry about it being perfect though, a few flaws just add to that farmhouse charm.
Time to mix the paint! I like using this White Powdered Tempera Paint for my projects, because it’s inexpensive and I can make the perfect white wash with it!
Fill the bottom of a bowl with water...about a ¼ -⅓ cup. For white wash you don’t have to be precise in the measuring. Next, add a heaping teaspoonful of powdered paint to the water and stir. It will be lumpy, but it won’t affect the finished product.
Whitewash your crate! Going with the grain, use your (rinsed out) foam brush and paint right over your stenciled design. Paint all around the outside of your crate. Let dry for a minute or two and then do one more coat. That’s it! Let it dry and then you can add your books!