diy coffee caddy

On Sunday mornings Heather & I have this little routine. I'll get up a little early & take a walk down to our local coffee house, then stroll back with two chocolate croissants & two coffees. Mine is a mocha, hers a caramel macchiato. Then I'll crawl back under the covers & we'll sip & be lazy until one of us convinces the other that we should probably do something productive. It's like a weekly coffee date we have.

I've been trying to figure out how to make a coffee carrier for a couple of weeks. Mostly on my walks back with two coffees in my hand, then while I'm juggling with my keys trying to get back in the building. Also, let's face it: you can't catch Pokémon & carry two lattes at the same time. Priorities, people. 

Here's what you'll need to make this carrier:

• Wood glue
• Balsa wood sticks, 1/4 inch diameter
• Basswood, 1/16 inch width (I used 3 pieces of 4x9" wood)
• Masking tape
• A saw
• Sand paper
• Foam (I'm actually using a drywall sponge)
• Hot glue gun
• A drill
• Wood stain &/or paint 
• Cord or straps

To start, cut down your wood pieces. You'll need:

• Three pieces of 8x4" basswood (two long sides & bottom)
• Three pieces of 3.75x4" basswood (two short sides & middle divider)
• Eight sticks of 3.5" balsa wood (braces for corners)

If you have a table saw to cut these pieces, that would be best. A handsaw also works. I am going to come clean about something here. I used scissors. Yep, you read that right. I used a pair of scissors that I don't really care about & cut both the basswood & the balsa wood. It worked really well, but definitely dulled my scissors. If you have a pair of junk scissors I'd recommend that, but a saw works just as well. Sand rough edges.

Assemble the box by taping on the outside. Put it together one piece at a time. Once all pieces are in place (with the divider piece in the middle), apply wood glue to each corner on the inside of the box. In each corner place a 3-inch stick of balsa wood to act as a brace. Let dry completely (overnight recommended).

Once dry, drill four holes, one on each top corner of the long side. This is where you'll thread the caddy's straps. Sand as needed.

Paint or stain the box. I picked an espresso stain for the outside with white paint on the inside. Let dry completely. 

Okay, now to the foam (or in my case, a sponge). Cut the foam into small rectangles, then hot glue in place to each corner of the box. The point of the foam is to hold each cup in place. I painted my foam white too, just so it wouldn't stand out so much. 

Feed straps through the holes drilled earlier, tying a knot on the inside. These straps were made out of vinyl, folded in half & sewn down the sides. Done!

I tested my new caddy this weekend. Worked like a breeze. Caught at least five pidgeys.

Did you notice this is the second coffee-themed post in a row? Am I that tired??

xoxo,
-m.e.

P.S. How to make your own reusable coffee sleeves like the ones peeking in this post!