Party Projects: Chalkboard Caddy and Wino Vases

We're throwing together a low-key wine tasting get-together for Friday night, and since I just don't know the meaning of the phrase "low-key," I'm already working on some crafts for it.

First up, I got this sweet little wooden garden caddy at Target's Dollar Spot a few weeks ago.  It was one of those impulse buys that I just "had to have" until I got home with it and was all, "....well now what?"  Always eager to spraypaint that which does not move (and, let's be honest, sometimes that which does), I forgot to take a full-on "before."  Here's a "during," though:

I lucked up on a really great deal on some jumbo cans of black spray paint at Ollie's on Friday (I find myself using it a lot on household projects), so I coated the entire interior and exterior of the caddy first.

I've been using this cardboard as a dropcloth for awhile....toldja I use a lot of black spray paint!

Then once the first coat was dry, I put a coat of Krylon's Chalkboard paint on the outside surfaces.  It's a great way to store utensils (business end up, of course, unless I put some sort of liner in), or pens and paper for voting or taking notes, and I tend to use chalkboard signs and serving pieces a lot because they're just so versatile.  Here it is in its finished useful glory!

Been saving these babies for a special project.