repurposing old for new

A few months ago I found this great old wooden Coca-Cola crate at my local antique mall. I loved everything about it... the bright yellow color... the metal-bracketed corners... the Coca-Cola logo... the fact that there are compartments.... everything, I tell ya.

I think part of what I love about antique shopping is dreaming up ways to repurpose something old to use it for something new. I love the idea of giving something new life... a second chance, if you will. The moment I spotted this Coca-Cola crate, I knew exactly how I would be using it.

...For stamps, of course! I already have an amazing old letter press drawer that I use for the majority of my out-of-control stamp collection (you can see a picture of the letter press drawer in the last photo on this post). But I also had a small overflow of square stamps that I didn't know what to do with... you know, the ones you can get at Michael's for $1. And the compartments in my new wooden crate were absolutely perfect! Eventually I promise to take a photo of the whole space.

You may remember that I bought another wooden crate almost identical to this one at the antique fair this past weekend... That one is for my sister, but I think I'm going to borrow it for my fall mantle display this year... I mean, she won't mind... she's not picking it up until November anyways:)

Have you repurposed anything old for a new use lately?

Linking this over on Rhoda's blog... Southern Hospitality.