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Stenciled Toy Box

For a very long time now we have needed a toy box. Our current “tiny toy basket” just wasn’t working for us anymore. I could show you a picture of it all stuffed neatly in there, but lets face it … 90% of the time, this is what our toy situation looks like.

toy mess
The first step to building a toy box was to nag proposition the husband to do all the manly labor. I gave him the dimensions and my best “helpless pregnant woman” look and to work he went. That helpless pregnant look is priceless.
DIY toy box
As you can see, doing work at our casa isn’t the easiest – we don’t have a garage. There are  plans to build one eventually, though it’s going to have to wait awhile since they cost money and all. Fortunately for you we are now accepting donations.
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Once all the pieces were cut we quickly realized that there was no way our kid was going to be able to reach his toys.
too tall toy box
Of course, if he can’t reach his toys than he can’t make a mess….but no, no that would be cruel. We decided to cut a hunk out of the front to make things more accessible.
toy box craft
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woodworking project
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Next I primed…with Kilz…cause its awesome.
toy box project
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then assembled…
homemade toy box
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Then I painted the inside white and the outside with a reject kitchen color (mixed with white).
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Forgot to take a picture of that step. Oops.
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I really wanted to stencil the outside and used the template found here. I’ve heard for awhile now that a Honey Nut Cheerios box makes a great stencil, and  it’s true…I just don’t think Chex or Fruity Pebbles would have been the same.
homemade stencil
Here it is all stenciled onto the toy box (I know its a little hard to see).
painting toy box

And here I am painting it. I couldn’t imagine doing a whole room like I’ve seen some people do – it would take FOREVER. As I was painting I was thinking how horrible it looked, like a five year old painted it. Turns out that’s okay, and when you back up, it looks awesome. Thank goodness.

toy storage
The last step was to paint and attach the letters. I had a free sample of bright yellow laying around, so I decided to use that.
storage for kid toys
And here, my friends, is my masterpiece. I love it….it’s sooo much easier to keep the living room picked up when the toys don’t fall out of the toy box on their own. Plus, its beautiful  : )
toy box masterpiece
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finished toy box
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kid clean up

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52 Comments

  1. this is beautiful. I have the same living situation with the toys, I was planning to craigs a chest but maybe making like you have would be easier?cheaper?. Great job!

  2. That is awesome! I didn't know I could make my own stencil. Thanks for posting. I'm a new follower from Homework's blog hop. Have a good day!

  3. So, so cute!! The stenciling looks great and I'm sure it required a lot of patience! If you get a chance I would love to have you link it up to my party, The Creative Spark. Have a great night!
    Jenn :)

  4. OKAY. SO I AM TOTALLY DOING THIS!
    i just painted our toybox 2 days ago and have not been digging it.. THIS is exactly what it needs AND i already have this template! thanks for the idea. great job

  5. SO cute! And I love the painted pattern. I've been considering using it for my master bedroom, but want a stencil for ease and speed rather than all that hand painting for the WHOLE room! Anyway I'm featuring your toy box today on Topsy turvy Tuesday's! So thank so much for linking up!

  6. I love this. We're going to do this for our playroom. I also like how it's heavy, so it wouldn't be easy to dump over. Right now I have a huge toy basket and my toddler keeps pushing it over.

  7. I'm def stealing this idea!!! i need a toy box for little miss ASAP.. We're currently using her babydoll cribs and when she wants the cribs she takes EVERYTHING out =/

  8. I love the toy box! We're having the exact same problem with my 1 year old's endless mountain of goodies. I was wondering, what color are your living room walls??? I love the color. That is the color I was going for but our walls ended up too bright..

  9. I wish I had an answer for you on the wall color…green is such a hard color to get right! What ended up happening was this…I painted the living room (or most of it) THREE TIMES and every green color I did ended up looking like something out of a babies diaper. Eventually I wisened up and started buying those small paint samples and I STILL could not get it right. By that time I had so much green paint that I just bought a five gallon bucket, mixed it all together, and viola…that's the color that's on my walls. Oddly enough, all my horrible rejects mixed together is the best color ever.

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