Repurpose An Old Coffee Pod Holder Into The Perfect Kid Craft Storage Solution

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Your child's arts and crafts supplies can quickly create clutter if you don't have a smart way to keep them organized. Cups for items like markers and paint brushes are an absolute must; they give you and your child an easy way to start cleaning things up. Purchasing plastic boxes for beads, pipe cleaners, and glue sticks is likely a good option as well. 

However, some creative supplies can be especially tricky to keep neat and tidy — that includes your child's Play-Doh and silly putty tubs. Although these containers are usually quite small, they don't always stack together neatly. One way you can keep them organized is by putting them all on a metal coffee pod holder — the metal rotating style with lots of circular slots on all sides. This sort of countertop fixture often has plenty of spots for all of the clay tubs in your craft collection. The rotating design makes it easier than ever for your child to find the color they're looking for the next time they're feeling creative.

If you don't have a coffee pod holder at home, or if you're not willing to upcycle your current one yet, you might be able to find an inexpensive option on the secondhand market or at your local thrift shop. Even if the secondhand holder is a little rusty or worn, it look brand-new again with the help of some fun, brightly colored spray paint. There are plenty of options for organization, including a popular IKEA piece that tucks away craft supplies and keeps them organized, but the coffee pod holder hack is affordable and offers customized storage for smaller items.

The key to turning your metal coffee pod holder into an elegant storage solution is painting it correctly. The first step is to clean the fixture as thoroughly as possible with a damp cloth, and scrape away any rust. Next, you'll need to pick up a can of spray paint that's specifically suited for use on metal surfaces. Keep an eye out for products that can serve as both paint and primer — they'll save you quite a bit of time. Polar satin black spray paint, for example, should work perfectly for this project, but you can choose any color to customize the holder. If you don't get a two-in-one paint, prime the coffee pod holder first. When you're painting, hold your spray can at least 6 inches away from the metal, and apply multiple thin coats rather than a single thick one. You could also use a paint sprayer tool when completing this project if you have one on hand.

Once the paint is dry, you're ready to load up the holder. If your Play-Doh or silly putty tubs don't quite fit in your coffee pod holder's slots, you could try gently bending the metal wiring with pliers. Alternatively, you could experiment with using this countertop fixture for small acrylic craft paint bottles. You might need to glue a bit of cardboard to the top of each paint bottle so that it can latch onto the fixture. If you find small reusable containers (with or without lids) that fit into the slots, you can transfer craft supplies like glitter, gemstones, beads, or stickers into them and slide them into the openings. This project fits in perfectly along with other genius craft room organization hacks for your child's creative supplies.