Copper + Wood Drink Caddy

Hey-eeyyyy!
#SwapItLikeItsHot week is officially over but I  have one more project to share from the goodies I got from Karen at Dogs Don’t Eat Pizza.

Last time I shared this bouquet holder that I made from an ugly tea light thing:

And this time I’m workin’ with the little wooden crate:

This is one of my new favorite things ever because, full disclosure, my husband actually made it. I’ve had some hand/arm/shoulder pain and weakness which left me unable to grip, squeeze, hold, or generally use what equates to my only arm. I don’t use my left arm for much, it’s mostly just there for balance, so not being able to use the right one is pretty rough. But my sweet, sweet Hubs did the dirty work here while I barked orders and thought about the other body parts I take for granted.

We went to HD and found a short length of 1/2 copper pipe for about 7 bucks.  Using the pipe cutting tools right there at HD, Hubs cut three lengths of pipe; one the exact length of the wooden crate and two more about 8″ inches. Then we grabbed two end caps, two elbow joints, and two tube straps.

We actually ended up needing one more piece, which is pictured below right under the elbow joint. I think maybe we grabbed the wrong elbow joint to begin with…  Either way, piece it all together before you leave the hardware store, just to be safe and avoid a second trip.

We dry fit the pieces together and then secured them with E6000 glue. While letting the glue dry, Hubs sprayed the wooden crate with a couple coats of clear satin enamel.  Then he attached the pipe to the crate as pictured below.

Boom. My husband made me a drink caddy.

That E6000 glue is a real beast. I was actually surprised that it held something this heavy but it help up like a champ! And since the caddy has a coat of enamel on it, it should stay relatively newish looking when left outside for long periods of time…  Pretty pumped about how the copper handle will wear in the weather. I love a good patina.

Hobby stores also sell these little crates so if you aren’t lucky enough to snag one at a thrift store, just head to JoAnn’s and hit the woodcrafts section.

That’s it for the Swap! To check out all the thrifted goodness you can catch all the links here. Hope you enjoyed the last coupla posts because I’ll be back to milking the magazine feature later in the week and sharing the full kitchen makeover.