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Spiced Up Paint Caddy

Have you ever been browsing through a thrift shop and seen one of these spice racks? Or maybe you have one in your own kitchen? This spice rack needs a new purpose in life

I was at a shop the other day and spied this one, bereft of its glass jars, looking a little lonely on the shelf. Indeed, the price tag only showed $1, an indication of its fallen state. I thought, “surely I could do something with that.” Not sure what I’d do, I decided that $1 was a price I was willing to gamble on and I picked it up. (This is why I’m in danger of becoming a hoarder some day.) When I got home and walked into my laundry/craft room, I was greeted by an overflowing mess of acrylic craft paint and painting supplies. Inspiration strikes in the strangest places!

Using just a few tools and some leftover supplies, I redesigned my sad spice rack into quite a happy little paint caddy, complete with carrying handle, and slots on the side to store brushes!An old spice rack gets new life as a craft paint organizer

Here’s how:

First, I sanded the whole piece down really well, then cleaned it with a cloth.

SandingThen I spray-painted it white. I had a hard time deciding what color/style to make it, but in the end I went for fun and colorful, since it would be carrying all different colors of paint.

I free-handed the different size polka dots all over, using the craft paint that I’d be storing in it. You could also use a hole punch and small pieces of blue painter’s tape to create little dot stencils for yourself, if you’re not into free-hand painting.Colorful polka dots

Then I screwed eye-hooks into the sides of the caddy. Hint: Pilot holes are your friend. It’s so much easier to screw in these little eye-hooks when there is already a hole to screw them into. Simply select a drill bit that is slightly smaller in diameter to the size of the shaft on your hook.Selecting Drill Bits

Drill the hole almost as long as the length of the shaft.

Then screw in the hook, making sure it ends up level horizontally. I used one hook for the top, and one at the bottom to stabilize the brush.

Next, I used Weatherstripping Foam Tape to line the inside of each space for the paints to rest on. My paint bottles were too narrow to sit comfortably in these holes, without wanting to slide out. I found that weatherstripping is adhesive on one side (allowing me to attach it to the inside of the circles) and slightly tacky on the other side (perfect for gently gripping the paint bottles).Foam Tape

Now the paint bottles are nice and cozy, and don’t go sliding out when I move the caddy around.

Tip: If you are the type of crafter who hoards stores small supplies like beads or glitter, then look for a spice rack with its original glass jars still in place. They’d be perfect for those little items.

Finally, it came time to attach the handle to the top, for easy carrying ability. Have you ever attached a drawer handle to a drawer, and struggled to get the measurements right for the screw holes?

Here’s a trick: tape a piece of blue painters tape to the bottom of the handle.Painters Tape for Marking

Mark the holes.Painters Tape 2

Remove the tape from the handle and apply it to the surface you’re going to drill through (careful not to stretch the tape!).Painters Tape 3

Now drill through the holes you marked on the tape. No measuring, and the tape protects the surface you’re drilling on.Painters Tape 4

All finished! I loaded up my caddy with paint and brushes and congratulated myself on how easy it would now be to keep my paints organized. Then I abruptly came back to reality again when my kids claimed my masterpiece for themselves.

Can you blame them?

With my handy paint carrying case

Off to work!

Guess it’s back to the thrift store again to find one for myself!

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ABOUT MEREDITH


Creating a color-filled life. Conquering my little world one DIY project at a time. With lots of coffee and chocolate. Albuquerque NM. Pinterest ~ Instagram ~ Facebook