Three Things To Do With An Old Coke Crate…

Antique soda crates are not only neat, they’re pretty easy to find and not too expensive.  With a trained eye and $25-$100 dollars in your pocket you can probably snag one at a flea market or antique store near you.  Don’t be jealous, but I got mine for free from my mom’s garage!  The only problem with these cute crates is that they’re divided up into awkward compartments where the bottles are supposed to go, which means that re-purposing one as a tray or shelf is out of the question unless you dismantle the innards (no! don’t!).  Here are three things that you can do with an antique soda crate besides stare at it or tote around glass bottles:

1.) Drink Holder!

Genius! And Gorgeous! (image via Jessica Adams)

I love the way that Sarah from  For The Love took an antique Coke crate and made it an adorable party accessory at a nautical-themed baby shower.  Sarah did the styling, and Jessica over at Life, Done Properly took the photo.  So adorable, and so resourceful!

2.) Mini Mud Room!

Instant mudroom! (image via Etsy - seller no longer exists)

Is your crate such an antique that it’s in really bad condition?  Or is your aesthetic not really conducive to peeling paint and splintery wood?  Not to worry — display it somewhere decidedly un-fancy like your garage or backdoor.  Use it to hold your rainboots so that you don’t have to put them on the carpet, or place your gardening tools in it so they’re always within reach as you head out to do whatever it is that people with green thumbs do.   You can even use it as a planter…a little dirt never hurt an old antique soda crate!

3.) Marker Caddy!

No more loose art supplies for me!

This is the best use in my house — a little spot for crayons, one for chalk, one for broken chalk (oops!), one for water color markers, you get it…  And all out of reach of tiny destructive hands!

Any other ideas? Leave a comment!

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