Toy Chest Tutorial - Great Baby Shower Gift!

One great gift idea for a baby shower is a custom wood toy chest!  I decided to do one for my bf's baby shower. First thing you have to do is buy a wood toy chest.  I was surprised at the cost of them.  Unfortunately, they aren't cheap.  Depending on the size you get, real wood chests can be pricey. The one I purchased shown below is pine and its about 35 inches wide.  I got it on sale for $155 but you may be able to find one a little cheaper. I researched online and saw prices that ranged from $100 and up for the size I got but if you have to have it shipped, that could increase the cost a lot since its heavy OR if you are handy, you can build one. I would have LOVED to build one myself but clearly I'm no carpenter...lol

 

Next you have to removed the hinges so you can take the lid off.  Then I primed the whole box and lid.  Dont skip this step, the primer helps your paint adhere better.  As you can see, I was working on a lot of things while working on the chest lol

 I painted the box white and chose to go with a striped design on the front of  chest. I had a few other ideas in my head initially but they didn't quite work out.  So this is how it came out after painting: 

 

Once everything dries, attach the lid back on the chest.

 Next its time make the cushion.  First you have to purchase foam from your local fabric store. I got 2 inch thick foam for my cushion. Its about $30 a yard and I needed a yard. Luckily I had a 40% off coupon at Joanns. Next I measured the size I needed for the cushion and used an electric knife to cut it. You CAN NOT cut this foam with a pair of scissors so don't bother trying.

 

 Since this was my first time making this type of cushion cover, I completely forgot to take pics of how I made the cover :(  But here is how it looked once I was done! It wasn't perfect but not bad for my first time. And the great part is it can be used with or without the cushion. I also got the material for the cover from Joann's. It was $26 a yd.  And the cushion cover is removable and washable.

 

Lastly, time to customize with the child's name.  I painted letters and attached with a hot glue gun.

Walah!! All done! :) It takes some time to complete this project but its worth it for the outcome! Don't you agree? :)

And remember when I did this one for another one of my friends? This chest is a lot smaller. Its from Micheal's and was only $50 but again its wayyy smaller. But you can use a Michaels coupon to buy this so that's a steal!