Many older baby cribs don't meet current Consumer Product Safety Commission requirements which makes them unsafe for infants. Many thrift stores, including Goodwill, will not take them as donations as legally they can not be resold. Finding a way to reuse an old outdated crib can help keep them out of the landfill.

In this Trash to Treasure, we share three different storage projects made from various parts of a Jenny Lind baby crib.

Step 1: Watch the Videos

The first video features using the spindles we built into a storage end table.

The second video features using the mattress support and bed rails to create two different shoe storage solutions.

Step 2: Slide Out Shoe Storage With Mattress Support

Start by removing the supports that hold the mattress support together. When the corner pieces were removed, the entire structure came apart. This was a happy accident as we could not get that sticker off the top of the mattress support and we needed to turn it over.

We turned the board over then glued and brad nailed the sides back together.

We used construction adhesive hot glue (from Surebonder.com) to hot glue appliance casters onto the back.

The shoe storage solution slides easily in and out under the bed.

Step 3: Reusing the Rails

On to the next reuse project which is another shoe storage solution! We cut the rails from one of the side pieces. We didn't need to measure or mark anything as we used the first decorative element on the spindles as our guide. We are using a Dremel Saw-Max which works like a mini circular saw! It was the perfect tool to get the precise cuts we needed.

The cut ends were painted to match the original finish of the crib and then we added some acrylic gems just for fun. There are glued into place with construction adhesive hot glue.

This shoe storage unit will go on a closet wall. We used wood glue and brad nails to attach the rails to a 1"x12" board cut to 37" long. The rails are 23" long placed 10" apart. The finished board was screwed into place into studs in the closet.

The shoe storage holds a dozen pairs of shoes or the bottom rail can be used for belts, purses, or scarves.

Step 4: Reusing the Spindles

The spindles were upcycled into a storage end table. Steph uses this one to store Mac's toys. It keeps the toys up and out of the way, yet still accessible for dog or human.

For this project, you'll need two small wood round in addition to the spindles. We used all but two of the spindles which represents one side of the crib.

The first step is to find the center of the wood round. There are many ways to do this. We decided to make a pattern on wrapping paper that has a cutting grid on the backside. We centered the round on the grid and traced around the outside. On the paper pattern, we marked where we wanted the holes placed and transferred this to the wood round using a Forstner bit. We determined how far we wanted the holes to be from the edge. We're using a Kreg marking tool to keep this distance consistent.

The holes were drilled using the same Forstner bit we used in the marking process. Do this for both the top and bottom round.

Prior to adding the spindles, the wood rounds were stained and allowed to dry.

The spindles were glued and brad nailed into place.

All that's left is to fill it with the soft toys of your choice!

For additional information, including tools and materials we used, please visit us at MotherDaughterProjects.com.