Hey there, how was your weekend? Did you do anything special? We had a quiet one. My Mom came around for a visit and the kids made us a batch of scrumptuolicious crumpets on Sunday morning. While they were cooking up a storm in the kitchen, we made this handy little beer caddy using an old belt and other bits and pieces we had lying around.
I love the fact that we could repurpose that old belt for a handle and the license plates add that extra bit of quirkiness.
We’ve used them in quite a few projects. Like this boring old office storage that got a complete makeover and the coolest license plate light ever. But this isn’t just any old beer caddy. No Siree. Not only is it stylish, it also keeps those beers chilled at the same time. Kinda like our beer-y cool infusible ink cozies, but on steroids. So, in this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make your own chilled beer caddy. But, before we get there, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
What You Need
Here’s what you need if you want to make your own.
- 2 License Plates
- A Piece of Wood (50 cm x 50 cm or 19 6/8″ x 19 6/8″)
- Old Belt
You’ll also need:
- A Drill
- Wood Glue
- Polystyrene
- Water Based Wood Sealer
- A Sharp Craft or Hobby Knife
- Mold Resistant Clear Silicon
- 12 Wood Screws
- 2 Leather Rivets
How to Make a Chilled Beer Caddy
Start by drawing the template for the sides and bottom of the beer caddy onto your piece of wood. The License plates I used are 15 cm x 30.5 cm (5 7/8″ x 12″) so I cut two side pieces as shown below.
You’ll also need to cut a piece of wood for the base or bottom of the caddy. Since I didn’t have enough wood for a solid base I just cut two 27 cm x 6 cm pieces. That’s about 10 7/8″ x 2 3/4″. Depending on how thick the sides are you may need to adjust the base measurement a little. Sand all the pieces to remove any splinters and mark where the belt handle should go.
Use a drill to make a whole bunch of holes all along the mark.
Carefully remove all the extra bits between the holes to create one big slit and then sand away any rough spots. Stain and seal the wood. We had some American Walnut stain left over from our chest of drawers makeover so I just used that sealed the wood with a matt outdoor varnish.
All righty then. When all the pieces are ready and looking pretty, it’s time to assemble the beer caddy.
Putting The Chilled Beer Caddy Together
I found it easiest to screw the license plates onto the side pieces first. Once that was done, I added the base of the beer caddy using wood glue and a few screws.
To add the belt handle, slide the belt through the slits, fold it over, add some glue, and fasten it together with a leather rivet.
Adding The Chill Factor
We’re almost done. All we need to do is to add that chill factor ;-) Use a sharp craft knife to cut 5 pieces of polystyrene to fit snugly inside the beer caddy. Seal the joins between the pieces with silicon.
Once the silicon dries, pop in a few ice cubes and add your favorite beer beverage, hot or cold.
Polystyrene is a great, inexpensive insulator. It’s also a brilliant medium to make a casting.
Anyone for a cold one?
I’d love to know what you think of the chilled beer caddy. Is it something you’d try making?
If you like the idea of making a license plate beer caddy, don’t forget to pin it for later.
Oh, and you may have noticed that there are only 5 beers inside…. …. …. ….. It seems the hubby worked up such a thirst watching me make the caddy, that he just couldn’t resist having a cold one to celebrate when it was all done.
Isn’t that T-shirt just so appropriate? It’s one of his favorites together with this one I made for him using our free periodic table printables. Love my hubby to bits, scraggly beard and all ;-) BTW, and if you don’t want to all that trouble and find some of the materials we used, we’ve got you covered Disclosure: If you click on the links below, we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more unique DIY and craft tutorials to share with you ;-)
And if you prefer to buy rather than DIY, then maybe these beauties will appeal.
Anyways, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
Last update on 2026-04-15 / Source Amazon Affiliates
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