How I made a car console with duct tape and yogurt containers

Recently, I solved my driver's seat storage problems by making a "custom console" for my minivan, using stuff I had lying around the house. This worked so well, that I just had to share.

My original plan called for something that looked like this:

This would provide four cup holders: two for the front seats, two for the middle seats. I eventually reconsidered putting the rear two cup-holders on the console because I wanted the wipes container to be easier to remove, and because I decided it was redundant, due to built-in cup-holders for the middle seat.

When I decluttered a closet earlier this year, the above plastic box was released from duty. It cost $12.95 from the Container Store. It has a frame and a slide-out drawer. It was meant to hold large shoes.

I started by making duct tape straps that would hold a Kleenex box centered on the top of the plastic box. These were trimmed to the size of the opening of the Kleenex box.

I used the grommet setter to set four grommets on the ends of
the Kleenex straps.

I always rescue the heavy duty wire-closure part of the coffee
bags, so I had a healthy supply. These are like heavy duty, stiff,
double-wired twist-ties. If you don't have these, twist-ties will work.


The coffee-wires were thread through the grommets to secure the Kleenex box.

I had a plastic bag left over from a recently purchased tablecloth. The bag wasn't very thick or durable, but it was the perfect size to hold a pencil case of baby wipes: (The pencil case is blue in this picture.)

Inserting the wipes-box in the bag, I duct-taped it to the plastic box. It is important to do this with the wipes-box inside, so that the tape won't be too tight. The goal is for easy retrieval and insertion of the wipes box. I reinforced the top edges of the plastic bag with more duct-tape. It really was a flimsy bag.

The plastic box had a big hole in the bottom, under the drawer. I used the table cloth bag's insert card between the duct tape and the bottom of the box, in order to prevent the duct tape from sticking to the bottom of the drawer (through the bottom of the box.)

Meanwhile, I painted the yogurt containers with leftover paint I
found in the basement. I started with a beige color, but didn't have enough, so switched to a strange burgundy color for the second coat. Here is a picture of the first coat, drying in our backyard: (This was before I decided to use only two of the four yogurt containers.)

I keep bricks-and-mortar-store-specific coupons in the car. Otherwise I forget to bring them. There is also a tendency for receipts to build up in my car. These can be categorized as either gas (and other car-related expenses), which I like to keep in the car, or other receipts that I bring inside my home to file.

To organize both the coupons and the reciepts, I modified a plastic three section file as part of the console.

I put a grommet in the plastic file envelope to be hung from the driver's side duct-tape Kleenex-holding strap. This envelope has three pockets: one for gas receipts, another for other receipts, and a third for holding coupons that stay in my car (as opposed to the grocery coupons, which my husband keeps in his car.) This picture might be confusing, because the envelope is resting on the front passenger's side, not the driver's side, where it was placed.

I had a stockpile of 3M Command hooks. I attached one of these to the Kleenex-strap. The envelope hangs on this hook by its grommet for easy access.

After attaching the dried, painted, two tone yogurt containers to the front of the console with a glue gun, it was done!

Here you can see it in all its glory, in the car: It holds the Kleenex close enough for everyone in the first two rows of seats to reach. The cup holders are large enough to hold a large cup of tea. I the tea spills, it spills in a water-tight holder. The built-in holder can still extend. The wipes-container is accessible from both the front and back seats. The drawer opens to hold all of the adapters and cables that were cluttering the floor.

Here is a view from the back seat: (The yellow bag is how we handle garbage in the car - with a plastic bag hung on the front passenger seat's arm rest.)

This has been in my car for two weeks. I only wish I had made it sooner!