This past week, I received a sweet comment from a reader about our youngest boys’ bedroom.
Now seemed like the perfect time to show all of you how I made the Hot Wheels car storage jar for the boys back in August. Since I wanted to do a tutorial, I made another one in navy.
But first, to answer the question about the bookcase, you can see the tutorial from Remodelando La Casa on how to add crown molding to the top of a bookcase.
In addition to the crown molding, we added 1 x 4s to the base of the bookcase. We cut down a piece of bead board and nailed it to the back to replace the flimsy cardboard back that came with the shelf. The bead board was painted with Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint in Provence.
Now, back to the jars.
After seeing the colorful toy animal storage jars from House to Home, I had an idea to glue cars to the lids instead of using plastic animals. The height of the cars make them perfect for small hands opening the jars. Most importantly, the boys love them and don’t mind putting away their Hot Wheels when they’re done playing.
1. The obvious: Hot Wheels car and a jar. I bought the jar at Wal-Mart.
2. Sandpaper
3. Gorilla Glue
4. Masking tape
5. Spray primer and spray paint
After I made the first jar, our youngest son, Mason, almost cried when he realized I had spray painted and glued his favorite car to the lid. I had no idea, but I felt really bad about it. So, the first step to this project would be to let your child pick which car he is willing to give up.
Lightly scuff up the lid with sandpaper. After that, wipe it clean with a paper towel and vinegar to get the dust and fingerprints off.
Lightly dampen the underside of the car and the center of the lid with water. Since the Gorilla glue expands like crazy, apply just a small amount to the underside of the car.
Let the glue sit for 5 to 10 minutes before placing it on the lid.
Tape the car down and let it dry for a couple of hours. Since the glue expands, you don’t want the car to look like it’s levitating off the lid.
After a coat of primer and a couple of coats of spray paint, you’re done!
I love how they add colorful storage to the boys’ bookcase.
This is how their bookcase is organized. I had to grab a quick shot while it looked neat. 
You can see how I made the decoupaged fabric-covered polka dot pail here and the decoupaged map crate here. To see our boys’ room reveal, click here.
Amber says
You ROCK!! With two 5 year old boys that are infatuated with matchbox cars, this would be so cute in their room. With the bazillion cars we have, we might have to organize them by color. Just sayin’… we REALLY have that many! 🙂 Love how you organized the bookcase. The boys room has always been the hardest for me to decorate. Thanks for inspiration Tricia!
Tricia says
I was just talking to my friend at work and she said she was going to sort her son’s cars by color, too! That would look amazing on a shelf!
Sonya ~At Home with The Barkers says
This is so cute Tricia! I’m sure your boys think you’re awesome…:)
~Sonya
Julie says
What a cute way to store ALL of those Hot Wheels! Our house needs this:) We would love for you to share at our first Super Summer Saturday party here: http://www.thechirpingmoms.com/2013/06/super-summer-saturday-party.html!
Thanks!
Julie
Jenna says
This is such a cute idea, I still have hot wheels that belonged to my now 37 year old son and my grandchildren play with them! I am going to make some of your jars and organize them! Thanks so much!
Lora @ Craftivity Designs says
I love this! My little 2.5 year old is already working on his hot wheel collection so I better get to making some of these cute jars ASAP 🙂 Pinning!
Gretchen@BoxyColonial says
Love that! What a great idea! I have no one the right age for toy cars right now (or at least no one who’s interested in them), but I’m pinning this for if the baby gets into them later 🙂
Tricia says
Thanks for pinning, Gretchen! If they’re anything like mine, once they get started, there’s no going back. Even my husband still collects Hot Wheels. He just can’t take them out of the box. 🙂
Anne says
I absolutely love this. I have seen lots of spray painted figures on the jar lids…but the cars are perfect for a little boy’s room. Pinning for my son’s room!
Tricia says
Thanks for pinning, Anne!
Krista @thehappyhousie says
These are adorable, I love them! My wheels are totally turning for ways to use this somewhere. Perfect timing, I am just beginning my boy’s rooms this summer:)
Tricia says
Glad you like them! I’m sure your boys room will end up being amazing!
gebrichi says
Just picked up a pile of old toy cars at a charity shop and was wondering how to store them. This is so cool – thanks for the idea.
Krista @ Goodwill Glam says
Love this idea! I need to try this for my little guy!
Tricia says
Thanks, Krista!
Therena says
These are so cute! I just did something similar with my boys lego figures. But I didn’t paint them! I’m going to have to now,,, love it!
Shannon @Fox Hollow Cottage says
Super fun Tricia! Love these. Too bad Austin doesn’t play with toy cars anymore… darn. I saw this at Easter with bunnies, and I’ve been wanting to try it with something ever since. Just so cute!!!! Looks darling on thier shelves.
Small Talk Mama says
Just adorable! I’ll have to try this one — right now all my son’s cars are in an old wet wipe container (not very attractive).
Tricia says
Thank you! You’re doing better than I was. Before I made the jars, their cars were at the bottom of 4 toy bins.
Crystal @ Sew Creative says
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this project!
I recently started writing for Treehouse TV in addition to my own blog, Sew Creative. I did a post for Treehouse with a roundup of my favorite Hot Wheels projects. I included this in the roundup. I’d love for you to take a look:
http://www.treehousetv.com/parents/activities/crafts/hot-wheel-diy-projects
I also wrote about it on my blog:
http://www.sewcreativeblog.com/7-hot-wheel-projects-for-kids/
Best Wishes,
Crystal
Christi says
So this might be a silly question…but approx. how many cars did you fit into each jar? Just trying to inventory before I head to the store. What a fun idea!
Tricia says
Not a silly question at all. It’s good info for others to know as well. The large jar car holds approximately 32 and the small jar holds 18. You might be able to fit 20 if you threw in a couple of convertibles. I bet my husband thinks I’m crazy counting hot wheels out at 10:00 at night. Glad you like the project! Hope the little one does too!
Shoshana says
really love the post