AFTER

Check out garage sales for a baby-changing table that's sturdy but has outlived its usefulness. As an alternative, consider a metal utility cart; rather than cutting a hole for the ice bucket, use a freestanding ice bucket.

For a family-friendly cart, use images of lemonade pitchers, backyard barbecues, or pennants from a favorite team instead of the cocktail artwork.

• Changing table
• Hammer
• Sand paper
• Primer
• Paint
• Galvanized bucket
• Metal holders
• Saw
• Corrugated plastic
• Color copier
• Water-slide decal paper
• Adhesive
• Finishing washers
• Casters

 

BEFORE

1. First remove the changing table's safety strap and, if necessary, pound in any loose guardrails. Lightly sand the table and wipe away sanding dust. Prime the table; let dry. Paint it in the desired color. (We used a white semigloss latex paint; the sheen is scrubbable but not supershiny.) Let the paint dry.
2. Determine the placement of the ice bucket; metal holders for cans, bottles, and glassware; and hooks to hold towels. (We purchased the metal holders from a specialty mail-order company. You can find similar ones on the Internet or in kitchen-storage aisles of some discount stores. The galvanized bucket and hooks came from a hardware store.) Saw a hole in the top shelf about 1 inch smaller than the top rim of the bucket. Insert the bucket into the hole. Screw the metal holders to the table where desired. Screw hooks to the side of the table or where desired.
3. To make the cocktail artwork, cut translucent corrugated plastic, available at art supply stores, to the desired sizes. Use a color copier to copy photos or images onto water-slide decal paper, a type of transfer paper available through Internet retails and at some art supply stores.
4. Adhere the decals to the corrugated plastic, following the manufacturer's instructions. Screw the artwork to the outer shelves in the desired positions, using finishing washers for a professional look. The translucent artwork allows light to show through for an artsy effect.
5. Drill a hole into the bottom of each leg of the cart. Insert a caster into each leg. To make the cart stationary, use locking casters.