DIY wood crate bike basket
Riding your bike through the warm rays of summer sun has to be one of the simplest pleasures in life. So why not pimp out your bike with this shabby chic — and totally functional — crate basket? All you need is a little paint a few fun accessories. Then, you can toss in your purse, picnic lunch, or those freshly-cut hydrangeas while pedaling home from the farmer's market. Save the planet, and look really good doing it!
Here's what you'll need:
- Unfinished wood crate – 32cm x 24cm x 48cm
- 1 pint of white latex paint
- 1 pint of mint green latex paint
- Polypropylene webbing – 2.5cm x 46cm
- Snap fasteners – 1.1cm
- Snap fastener plier
- Paintbrush
- Painter's tape
- Drill + 3mm drill bit
- Scissors
- Gold hook screw, 19mm
- Some fun and useful catch-alls; iPhone holster, pencil pouch, drink cozy
- 2 belts – medium-sized
Here's how to do it:
1. Paint the entire wood crate white, both interior and exterior. Let it fully dry.
2. Place a strand of painter's tape diagonally across the exterior of the wood crate. Paint the section below the painter's tape mint green, and leave the section above the tape white. Take this opportunity to paint the side of the crate green as well, to create a fun alternating color scheme. Let the crate dry and remove the tape.
3. Cut two pieces of polypropylene tape, each 13cm long. Using your snap fastener pliers, we're going to fasten some snaps to the tape. Going from left to right, we're going to attach two caps facing up – one on the edge, one in the middle of the tape. The third snap will be a stud, facing downwards, on the right edge of the tape. When you loop the tape, you should be able to fasten it shut, with the cap in the middle facing outwards. Make sense? Now snap the loop in place around one of the slats of the wood crate.
4. Take your drink cozy and fasten the stud side of a snap facing outwards. You should be able to snap it to the loop to secure it in place inside your bike basket.
5. Fasten a cap in the middle of your other piece of polypropylene tape. Wrap that tape around another slat in the wood crate, and glue this one in place.
6. Fasten the stud part of the snap into your pencil pouch. Snap it in place inside the bike basket.
7. Drill a hole into one of the sides of the crate, near the top. Screw in your gold hook (make sure it's facing upwards). Here you can hang your purse, clutch, or keys on it.
8. Take your belts, and loop them vertically through one side of the crate, parallel to each other. Fasten the belts around the handlebars of your bike to secure your basket in place. To do this, you may need to drill in an extra hole in the belt in order for it to be tightly secure to the bike. Cut off the excess length of belt and glue the remaining bit of strap in place.
9. Now toss in a blanket, your iPad, your ice cold drink of choice, and hit the road! The perfect accessory for summer cruising in a green world.