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Turn an Old Knife Block into a DIY Crayon Holder

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How to Repurpose an Old Knife Block

 

Do you ever walk by something at the thrift store and your brain says, “Whooooa, hold up–I can make something with THAT!!”

Well, that’s what happened when I stopped by the thrift store and walked past this section of knife blocks and inspiration hit. I’ve got a great idea for a DIY knife block! I can’t even say what that inspiration was.  I just saw all that wood sitting there and I started salivating. I just knew I was supposed to buy one. And boy am I glad I did!

 

 BEFORE

Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Make a DIY Crayon Holder From an Old Knife Block - Thrift Diving

 

AFTER

….Because now one of those old knife blocks was repurposed into DIY knife block that holds crayons for my kids!

 


Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Turn a knife block into a DIY crayon holder. - Thrift Diving

Materials List – DIY Knife Block

If you’ve got an old knife block sitting around, you can easily make this, too. Get the kids involved. They’ll love it! Here’s what you’d need for the materials to repurpose your old knife block!

(I participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites).

 

  • Old knife block – Find one for about $2.00 – $3.00 at the thrift store, but you can also buy an empty one from Amazon!
  • A power drill
  • 3/8 drill bit – Use the size drill bit for the thing you’re storing in your knife block. For crayons, the 3/8 bit works well.
  • Milk Paint or chalk paint – I used General Finishes Corinth Blue.
  • A few metal two-hole straps – About $1.50 or less.
  • Wood shims – $1.00 for a pack – Or any small, thin piece of scrap wood will work.
  • Screws – Use wood screws in the blue pack – About $2.00 or less (#10 x 3/4″).
  • Washi tape – Or you can use scrapbook paper and Mod Podge, or duct tape or anything sticky, really.
  • A couple small mini nails – To attach a wooden shim.
  • A small hammer

TIP: You can use almost any kind of furniture paint, but I typically like furniture paint that is made especially for wood, plastic, metal, etc. and doesn’t require any sanding or priming. Check out my article What’s the Best Paint For Furniture? for more information about which paints are best.

 

Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Turn a knife block into a DIY crayon holder and hold scissors and paintbrushes, too. - Thrift Diving

DIY Knife Block Ideas: Why This Project is Easy, Easy, Easy

It’s hard sometimes when you read a blog, isn’t it? There are all these great projects, but many of them require you to have things you don’t own or can’t afford to buy, like circular saws and craft supplies out the ying yang. Plus, many of you have crappy thrift stores that offer hardly any good selection (I know!! **SOB SOB**). But this old knife block you could probably find somewhere in middle America in the worse thrift store on a little corner where no one visits :). Okay, I can’t guarantee that, but I highly doubt people are grabbing old knife blocks off the shelves of thrift stores like there is a knife block famine or something, so I bet you wouldn’t have any problem finding one to make this project!

Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Turn a knife block into a DIY crayon holder and hold craft brushes on the side with a two-hole strap. - Thrift Diving

Make a DIY Knife Block

So here’s how you’d repurpose a knife block into a crayon holder and more!

Step 1: Paint and Drill the Knife Block

When drilling, you’ll want to map out where you want to place your holes. There are no rules here other than trying to keep the drill straight. Because of the knife slats, the wood can chip easily if you drill too fast. Go slow. Use the tape on the drill as a stop marker so you can keep the holes uniformly deep. I think 2″ is about good.

Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Drill the knife slates to create holes for the crayons. - Thrift Diving

STEP 2: Cover Up Your Imperfections

….And even when you take your time drilling, there’s always mess-ups. That’s why I added the washi tape. Putting strips of it around the holes helped to cover the knife slots and distract from the poor drilling job I did. LOL. You can use scrapbook paper and Mod Podge, or even duct tape or fabric pieces to cover up the areas in between instead, as other options.

Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Use washi tape to cover up the knife slats, leaving the holes free to hold crayons. - Thrift Diving

STEP 3: Add the Hardware

Keep a steady hand. You might want to pre-drill a little hole so that it helps it easier to get the screw in. Get creative! Add the hardware wherever your little heart desires. Here, I added one that would sit at an angle so the scissors would be angled, too.

Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Add two-hole straps on the side to hold scissors and sponges. - Thrift Diving

I put some on each side, and some on the back. I didn’t show you in this pic, but I added two more pieces of hardware at the bottom of these brush feet so that they wouldn’t slide around. I just forgot to snap of pic of it :). Forgive me!

Make a DIY Crayon Holder From an Old Knife Block - Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Two-hole straps can hold scissors and paintbrushes. - Thrift Diving

STEP 4: Add a Little Foot Rest

Yep, those paintbrushes back there need a little footrest to keep them from falling out. Or if you’re holding some markers or pencils back there, they will fall out without a ledge to stop them. That’s where the wood shim comes into place. Use a sharp pair of scissors or something and just score right through a thin piece of shim. Thankfully, most (if not all) knife blocks come with this little raised butt in back. LOL.

It flips up and is just enough space to add a little wooden shim (you can even use an old paint stir from Home Depot). Then paint it to blend in with the rest of the crayon holder!

Make a DIY Crayon Holder From an Old Knife Block - Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Nail on a little ledge so paintbrushes don't fall. - Thrift Diving

STEP 5: Add the Awesome Crayons and Supplies

Make a DIY Crayon Holder From an Old Knife Block - Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Add some fresh new crayons. - Thrift Diving

More Uses – DIY Knife Block Ideas

Here are some other ideas for things to hold in your repurposed knife block:

  • Markers
  • Knitting needles
  • Crochet hooks
  • Add skewers and hold spools of thread
  • Colored pencils
  • Makeup brushes

My kids loved how it turned out!

 

Make a DIY Crayon Holder From an Old Knife Block - Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Kids will love this! - Thrift Diving   Make a DIY Crayon Holder From an Old Knife Block - Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Creative ideas for holding crayons. - Thrift Diving

Make a DIY Crayon Holder From an Old Knife Block - Repurposed Knife Block Ideas: Find creative ways to store and organize crayons. - Thrift Diving

 

I generally don’t do very many craft projects for kids, since this blog is about DIY for the home, but over the years, I have done a few kids crafts that you might be interested in checking out! Check these out!

How to Make a Superhero Shield

What kid doesn’t love a superhero shield? Here’s how you can easily make one!
How to Make a Superhero Shield - Captain America shield tutorial - Thrift Diving

The $5.00 Kids Chair Makeover

See how I turned this thrifted $5.00 kids chair into a cute little seat for my sons!


The makeover of a $5.00 thrifted kids chair. - Thrift Diving

 

 

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105 Comments

  1. Great idea for one of those items that would usually be left to sit sadly on a thrift store shelf. Gonna grab that sad little guy the next time I see one!

  2. What a great idea of recycling old knife holder. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing this fabulous DIY. I am totally in love with this beautiful crayon holder.

  3. I absolutely love this. What a great idea. I pass those knife blocks up all the time at auctions and goodwill. Not anymore. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Such a wonderful idea to recycle a knife block! Thanks for sharing!

  5. Wow, this is spectacular. I often find myself dreaming up most of these things and how to replicate them but my time is always taken up. It’s good finding someone who can take the time to make them and share the knowledge. Thank you.

  6. This is such a smart & creative idea! Thanks for sharing with Merry Monday – I’ll be featuring it at our party that kicks off tonight. We hope you’ll join us again this week 🙂

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