Baby Trunk by Pinel and Pinel…or by You!
October 3rd 2008 by Dr.MOZ in Arts and Crafts, Baby Shower Gifts, Fun Projects
Today’s healthy dose of fun could be a creative weekend project for an expecting couple, or a great baby shower gift idea for the do-it-yourself gifter. Pinel & Pinel’s custom wood and leather Baby Trunk seen above would be an amazing gift if your wallet could handle having one made and imported from France, but why not make your own? Your version might not look quite as posh this one, but you could put the extra thousand dollars towards something more useful…like gas or food.
Trunk: If you don’t already have a trunk to work with, I recommend a wooden trunk from a company like TrunksUSA. You’ll likely be able to find them for under $100, but you might spend $50 in gas looking for a cheaper one. ($109 at TrunksUSA)
Drawers: The drawers you choose will obviously be determined by the size of the trunk you are working with, but you can’t beat the price of wooden drawers like these at IKEA. You could use wood glue to permanently fasten them to the inside of the trunk, or leave them loose so that the expecting parents can rearrange them and use the trunk for baby’s keepsakes in the future. (IKEA’s FIRA shown $14.95)
Non-Toxic Paint: Because the trunk could be stored in the nursery, plan to paint the inside of the drawers and the inside of trunk with non-toxic paints. For a non-toxic paint that comes in a variety of colors, try Real Milk Paint. Milk paint actually improves the air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide, so it is great for all nursery furniture. (Real Milk Paint at $10.95 a pint)
Casters: You’ll want five total casters. Four wheels will be be placed on the four corners of the trunk (sitting up on end), and the fifth will be attached to the underside of the lid which you’ll treat as the door. You can skip the fifth wheel if you aren’t fastening drawers or boxes to the inside of the door, but the extra wheel helps take the weight off the hinges if the door will kept open for long periods of time. (Hardware stores or on Amazon.com 5 x $4 = $20)
Accessories: Your accessories will give it a personal touch, but the costs will really add up if you add toys or kid’s knobs to the dresser drawers. Other accessory ideas include: stuffed animals, diapers, baby socks, pacifiers, and related baby goodies. (Costs vary)
Well, that should keep you busy for a few days! I’d love to hear what you think of the baby trunk project, so please click on the comments button to share your ideas.
Have a great weekend!
Dr.MOZ
(thanks to core77 for Pinel & Panel find!)
October 6th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Great idea my wife and I have a new born coming and I’ve been thinking of doing something special for her just to make her day. This is a wonderful idea maybe I can get rid of her for a day and put this all together. Thanks for the post and idea, going to plan on my brownie points now ;D
October 7th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
They really are cool aren’t they? I imagined them as fun gifts that would eventually be used as a stylish baby organizer/closet in a flat or apartment. On the other hand, they are trunks…I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jolie-Pitt’s rolling a dozen of these into a private jet!
~ Dr.MOZ
October 7th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
It really is a great idea for a gift cpe, you’re sure to make the wife’s day. Just looking at the photos and it does look like an ingenious travel trunk for long holidays.
Thanks for posting Dr. Moz.
Mike
October 18th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Very nice post and ideas. my lady and I have a 6 month old and we’d really like to get this for her. I love this idea and I hope I can save enough to get it together. Thanks for the great idea and post!
Nate.
October 20th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
WOW – what a cool idea! My niece is expecting soon and I was looking for some great and unique ideas to do the baby’s room in. Very inspiring!
October 25th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Very inspiring ideas – we will for sure try them!
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 pm
My wife is eating for two right now… I will be sure to pass these ideas on to her!
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:41 pm
These trunks are really cute! thanks for the idea. I have a three year old who’s moving in to his very own room soon and i am quite sure he’ll enjoy these trunks and closets for his stuff. I’ll probably just add some picture tags for him to put in his clothes, toys and books in the right shelves or drawers. i do hope my husband gets to find the time to do this with me!
December 15th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I love the trunk! I very much like the design of the trunk.Very cool indeed! Thanks for posting this. I hope we can create one like this. It sounds easy to make.
February 11th, 2009 at 5:00 am
That’s just great. It’s a super idea and I absolutely have to try this. I don’t have much time (approx. 2.5 months), so I better get busy. Well, I better get my hubby to get busy.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Your technique sounds good! I’m always on the lookout for tubs to store clothes, shoes, etc. in! Thanks for figuring out a fun and easy way to keep kids closets and dressers organized and easy for them to maintain.
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Seriously–this is too cute! I’m definitely going to make this my project for the baby on the way. I just wish I’d seen it before my first son was born. I think it’d would have been really nice to have one for each child. Maybe I’ll go ahead and make one for my 2 year old. It would be nice for keepsakes and when my children get older I bet they’d love it.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Appreciate the info guys, thanks
March 21st, 2009 at 9:47 pm
The idea of making your own personalized gift is really appreciative, its a labor of love and you have done great effort to do so, and its very use full in the coming days, I will definitely keep in mind this idea thanks for sharing. Also have an interesting idea I want to share its related to this entry, although it may seem a toy but it has a dual purpose it can be a medicine cabinet in the near future or a storage of towels or parents can keep here the miniature accessories, I have one that looks the same but only different in color I got it from http://www.mydollfurniture.com/baby-doll-furniture-doll-dressers-armoires.html