Think Inside the box

Not too high, not too low, this crafty storage solution ensures books are always at the right level for little readers.

You will need:

Wooden crates or storage boxes, a 1.2m length of 25mm thick pine dowel cut into 120mm long pieces to create eight legs, 8 small flat head screws, electric drill with drill bit to suit the size of screws, Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat, Resene Lustacryl paint(s) in your choice of colours, Resene Aquaclear, small angled paintbrush, paint pad mini kit and tray, a ruler or measuring tape and pencil.

Storage solution for your children

We used Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel in Resene Pewter, Resene Nebula, Resene Alpaca and Resene Pearl Bush.

Method

Prime the crates or boxes using Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat to seal the wood and give them a bright starting point, especially if you’re using pale pastel tones like we did.
Once the undercoat is dry, apply two coats of your chosen Resene colour(s). We did two colours per box. First, using the paint brush, paint the entire box (inside and out) with two coats of the colour chosen to be the centre panels. Then once dry, use the mini-sized paint pad to easily glide over the framed area. Again, apply two layers and allow to dry between coats.
Now mark out where you will attach the legs. Turn the box upside down and, using the ruler and a pencil, measure evenly from the box edges to mark a centre point for each leg to sit near the corners. We did 45mm centre points.
Using the electric drill and drill bit, predrill screw holes into the box to ensure you won’t split the wooden base. Find the centre of the wooden legs, and drill a hole into them, about a third of the length of the screws. Coat the wooden legs in Resene Aquaclear so they’re easy to wipe clean, or paint them one of your chosen colours if you prefer.
Place the legs under the box and line up the holes in the base with the holes in the legs. From the inside of the box, screw them securely into place.
Fill with your little one’s favourite reads and let them take their pick!