Storage boxes for Christmas Decorations

Last year in our family we made a big change to Christmas. We decided to start doing more memory creating and less material giving. One of the steps we took in doing that was to move to the 4 gifts idea for the girls.

 

There are four types of gifts you give.....something to wear, need, read and want. Now to be honest we decided to add in a few presents. Each girl purchases a gift for her sister and Santa still brings each girl one gift but that was going to be it. Notice how I said was going to be???

 

As we explained this to the girls, our oldest asked if we could include one more gift. She still wanted a homemade gift from me, I just have to say I love her!!!!!! With a request like that how could we say no???

 

Honestly the girls (or our wallet) did not miss the extra gifts. On my part selecting the gifts was so much fun!! Jeff and I put so much thought in each gift. With only 5 gifts, we wanted them to be extra special and really fit each girl. It was a success. We spent over 2 hours opening presents and had the best Christmas morning!  

 

We are doing it again this year and again we wanted the gifts to be special. When it came time to start on the homemade gift, I was having a hard time figuring out what to make, until we were decorating the tree. As the girls pulled out their ornaments out of the crumpled, torn gift bag they are kept in I knew what to make.......a storage box for their Christmas Decorations.

 

I immediately started searching for something on Pinterest and Google. Thankfully, I came across a blog called The Project Lady. The one she had made was close to what I had in mind. With just a few changes it would be perfect!

 

A trip to Lowe's was needed (sadly Home Depot does not sell furring strips). Once home I spent about a hour with my saw......

 

and was ready to build.

Enough for two

The plans offered two methods for attaching the base of the chest. You could either screw it on or use a router to fit it. Not one to pass up a challenge of master a new tool, I decided to use a router. Jeff (who usually show's me the ropes with tools) had never used a router either, so I was on my own using it. I was a little lot intimated of using one with no guidance but to be honest it was really easy! I might even look for a new project just to use it.

 

My new favorite tool!!!!

Building the box went really quick. After a quick over all sanding, I was ready to finish the boxes. I decided to use a whitewash to paint the boxes. Whitewashing allows the grain of the wood to show but adds a touch of color. I think it was the perfect choice for this project.

 

 

Once it was dry I added poly. I love the wipe on poly by Minwax. It provides protection without the shine.

 

 

After I added the hinges, I was done.

 

 

 

These boxes are perfect for the girls to store their Christmas decorations.

 

 

 

The boxes actually made putting away decorations more fun. The girls loved packing their decorations away in their own box. I can't wait to see what we add to the boxes next year!

 

 

*In case you were wondering about the changes I made to the original plans.....

I cut my boards for the top at 27" vs 25.5". This makes the top fit the box instead of just the opening. I also used hinges instead of rope to attach the top. While I liked the look of rope, I knew it wasn't right for my boxes.