Wooden Toolbox – Pottery Barn Knock Off and Gift

Today I am sharing a super easy knock off tutorial AND a fun way to put it to use!  It all started when I saw this neat wooden tool box in Pottery Barn’s catalog, but when I saw the $45 price tag attached I knew that I could do better.  I had picked up this wooden tool box from a garage sale last summer for the ridiculously low price of free.  I have been staring at it since then trying to figure out what to do with it, but once I saw that picture I knew it was meant to be!

I started off by giving the whole thing a really good sanding.  All the cut edges on it were really rough and I didn’t want anyone getting splinters from handling it.  After it was all sanded smooth I gave it a good cleaning to get any dust, dirt and other gunk off of it.  I then used the same stain I used for my headboard, dining room table and rustic signs to give the whole box a new look.  I used the same technique of rubbing the stain on in one motion and then using the clean side of the same rag to rub off the excess in the same motion.  It only  needed one coat to give it that wonderful richness, and still preserve some of the wood grain and original painted logo. It took a couple of hours to dry, but once it was dry it was done!

I filled it up with some basket filler from the dollar store (I love that place) and then added some fun teacher appreciation supplies I whipped up (tutorial coming tomorrow).  I loved that creating this tool box only took me about 15 minutes to sand and stain and I can see so many different uses for it in the future!  I love gift packaging that has a purpose too!

Make sure to come back tomorrow for all the details on how I filled up this awesome wooden toolbox with sweet teacher appreciation gifts!