Savvy shopper reveals how to create your own personalised toy box for just £20
- Laura Blower, 25, created an amazing personalised toy box for her friend’s son
- Instead of paying market price, Laura went shopping on social media
- She transformed an old toy box into a stunning new piece
Personalised kids’ toys and furniture is all the rage at the moment, but it can be seriously pricey.
However, one savvy woman managed to make her very own amazing toy box for just £20.
Laura Blower, 25, from Shrewsbury, found an old box on Facebook Marketplace and soon set about transforming it.
Laura, who works as a supervisor, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "I actually did a toy box last year for my friend's little girl. Me and my mum re-decorated her room for her and she didn’t have much storage for any of her toys so I upcycled a toy box for her.
“That’s when I came up the idea of creating another one for her little brother. It was his first birthday in February and I wanted to get him something special that he can keep for years and grow up with.
"I thought, 'he will be getting loads of clothes and toys for his birthday so what I can get him that’s different?’. So I thought, 'his sister has a personalised toy box, so I’ll make one for him to put all of his new toys in’ - and it’s a practical present as it frees up room in his bedroom now.”
Laura set about looking for bargain materials on social media that she could transform through simple DIY.
"I found the box on Facebook Marketplace for £10,” she explained. "I started off by sanding the whole box down to make the wood more smooth and get rid of the previous paint drips. It also helped remove the stickers as well.
"Once the box had been sanded down and I had taken all of the stickers off it was ready to paint. All of the paint was non-toxic as well.
"I used three coats of plain white emulsion to cover the yellow and blue and then finished off with two coats of white eggshell paint to make it hard wearing and wipeable.
“I bought the letters off Facebook Marketplace as well, painted them with blue acrylic paint and stuck them on with double sided sticky pads to stick them to the box. I then bought a piece of foam and the animal print material from my local material shop.
"I cut the material to size for the foam and sewed it on to make a cover. I wanted to make the lid into a little seat for him to sit on and play with his toys or for his mum and dad to sit on to read him a story.
"In his bedroom, he has an animal theme so I wanted to carry on the animal theme but also wanted material that would match the colour of the letters.”
Laura is over the moon with how her project turned out, especially given it cost just £20.
"I absolutely loved creating it!” she adds. "I’m always thinking of ways to do an upcyle project. I’m very pleased with the finish and even more happy that his mum and dad loved it so much. It’s got all of his toys in now which has freed up a lot of space.
"All together it came to about £20. I already had all the paint so just need to get the box, material and letters.
"It’s amazing what a bit of time, effort and imagination can do. Preparation is the big part to make sure you have a nice start.
"Don’t be put off by something that looks ugly to start off with as everything has potential to be turned into something amazing.”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Whether you have your own children or love buying presents for nieces, nephews or friends’ children, getting anything personalised adds a huge premium.
“Instead of paying through the nose, make like Laura and look for second hand items you can transform - it’s cheaper, more eco-friendly and means the recipient will always have something totally unique and bespoke that was made just for them!”
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