Decorating With Old Boxes and Totes

Using old tool boxes, food packing crates, berry boxes and old drawers to decorate with is so much fun! I have a passion for those old totes that have that perfectly aged look to them. My friend Sandi owns a beautiful antique store and asked me if I could do a vignette in her front side window. OH YES! and I had so much fun doing so. Her store is filled with so many wonderful OLD things so I thought I would do up a garden themed window using old boxes and totes. How easy to decorate with such FUN things to pull from within her shop!!

This old carpenter’s tote is my favorite! Just look at the metal strapping and rivets on the top.

This vignette is an old wood box that is painted white. I layered some moss, silk flowers and a little Cottage Welcome sign.

Above is an old wood tool caddy with a fabulous 40’s green color – all original with a great worn patina. It would be divine decked out with Christmas greenery and holiday doo-dads.

An old Pepsi Cola box looks good with some silk greenery sitting inside.

An antique Watkins Products sample box that is stunning. How cool to have if your last name was Watkins! My friend Karen has it for sale in her space at The Green Pea.

Use this bright yellow box for rolled up towels, magazines or even to hold toys. Turn it on its side, as shown, and hang it on a wall for shelving.

Another favorite of mine…perfectly worn and well loved at one time. Imagine a gentleman using what he had around the house to build this piece with old galvanized pipe, bits of wire and scraps of old barn wood.

This old dresser drawer is now a lovely display piece. Old green and black paint with a glass drawer pull looks perfect on top of the cottage style white dresser.

Below is the tool caddy that I found at another friend’s shop. The caddy is painted gray with red trim – perfect to hold my Christmas Santa’s and bottle brush trees.

I will share more of Sandi’s shop in the next few days. She is gearing her shop up for spring.

Here are a few links for some wonderful old wood totes that can be purchased on line. Just click on the photo to link you to the site.