I can honestly say that this recycling project is my favorite (so far)!  My Mom found these awesome vintage beverage crates at a garage sale and gave me three of them.  I wish I had more of these because they would make an awesome gift.  My eyes will be wide open on my next picking adventure.  Remember the other two I used to create an end table in my living room?  If you missed that post, click here.  

Supplies that I used for this project:  One crate, polyurethane, foam brush, disposable gloves, cardboard from the recycling bin, and a plant. 

The box clearly has a “vintage look” in it’s natural state.  It’ll go outdoors, so that’s where the polyurethane comes in. I wanted to add some additional protection for the crate itself.  You can see from the picture below that it already has a built in drain on the bottom. I sanded it down a bit first before painting it.      

I went with the Fast-Drying Semi-Gloss.  Worked like a charm.

I was surprised to find these pink double impatiens at 50% off already.  Scored two plants for $5.49 each.  I used the other one for another project. Full of color and lots of buds ready to bloom.

I pulled a box out of the recycling bin to use as my work surface.  Using a foam brush and disposable gloves I applied two coats of the polyurethane.  Highly recommend doing this outdoors due to the fumes.  I applied extra to the interior bottom of the box, since this will be where the plant will rest.

I painted the box in the morning and by the time I got home from work that afternoon is was dry and ready to go.  I snipped the wire hanger off that was on the plant.  The container fit perfectly down into the box.  Who measures anything?  Not this girl.  Usually I just eyeball it.  

I thought about replanting in the box, but after some consideration this way works just fine.  And there’s no mess.

LOVE IT!

Enjoy what is left of this comfortable and cool Friday evening.  Excited to be heading to the local farmers market tomorrow.  Perhaps I’ll have another “What’s On My Plate” recipe to share with you. Due to my previous work schedules I was unable to attend last year. Rain or shine, I will be there in the morning!