Football Stadium Snack Holder for Tailgating at Home

This, my friends, is as much of an upcycling idea as it is a fun new announcement. I’ve partnered with a favorite thrift store, the Charlotte Region ReStore(s), to create a monthly project for them! And to kick off this new partnership, I created a stadium-inspired basket for tailgating at home!

Let’s face it- football tickets are EXPENSIVE, so you probably watch a lot of the games at home. And if you’re having friends over for a watch party, you’ll be expected to provide some snacks.

In fact, that’s what I thought of when I first spotted this large oval basket at one of our local Habitat ReStores. The shape reminded me of a football stadium (not the handles, of course), and I wondered if I could use that to my upcycling advantage.

Now, the truth is, I’m a Chicago Bears fan through and through. After all, I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and have fond memories of the 1985 Super Bowl, etc. But I live in Charlotte now, so bear with me (pun intended) when I turn this basket into Bank of America stadium. That’s where the Carolina Panthers play…

This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All blue, bold, and underlined text is a clickable link, either to a product or to a related post.

This post was also originally sponsored by the Charlotte Region ReStores.

Upcycling a Basket into a Football Stadium

Here’s a better view of the basket. See how the sides are sloped in? Just like stadium seats. Ignore the handles, of course and just focus on the oval shape.

First, to replicate the exterior of Bank of America stadium (or most stadiums), I needed to spray paint the outside of the basket. Even though grey would have been a more accurate color option, I opted for a muted dark silver color instead. More or less, I was replicating the look of concrete but figured a flat metallic would add a touch of pizazz.

I solely focused on spray painting the flat silver paint on the exterior for full coverage. I still had plans for the inside of the basket.

 

For the most part, the stadium seating at Bank of America stadium is blue. Carolina Panthers blue, to be more precise. And I was able to get a sample of that exact shade of paint at Home Depot.

Next, I carefully painted the interior (“seating”) of the basket in Panther blue. I made sure to leave the top ring of the basket silver to match the rest of the “stadium”.

And I didn’t waste paint on the bottom of the basket because I had other plans for that.

Football Stadium Snack Holder

Once the Panther Blue paint had dried, I needed to recreate a football field at the bottom of the basket. So, I nabbed a long sheet of green felt from Michaels.

Traditional 9″ x 12″ sheets of felt were too small. But this 12″ x 18″ piece was perfect for the size of my thrifted basket.

Then, using scrap paper to make a template, I cut the green felt to size for the bottom of the basket.

Lastly, I carefully sketched out the yard lines of a football field on a sheet of label paper. Then, I cut it out it out- even if it wasn’t quite perfect. Honestly, this was the most difficult step of this otherwise super simple project!

And that was it! I opted not to try and paint the yard numbers on the felt because I was worried about ruining it. But by all means, don’t let my issues with perfection stop you from trying it.

I mean, how cute is that?? Folks that live in Charlotte know that that’s exactly (well, basically) what the Panthers stadium looks like from above. And now I just needed to fill it with snacks like bags of chips, etc.

Tailgating at Home with a Stadium-Inspired Snack Basket

I found some Carolina Panthers stickers at the grocery store and added one at center field. I just LOVE how this football stadium snack holder turned out.

If you can’t afford to go to the stadium to watch the game, why not bring the stadium home to you with a little upcycling? Filling it with chips, pretzels and other snacks is such a great idea for a football watch party or a Super Bowl party.

I also loved discovering that there is a line of paints in official team colors for both major (professional) league teams AND major college teams. That really adds a touch of realism to this kind of crafty endeavor- especially to die hard fans of any team.

Isn’t that so cool? What a fun discovery.

Apparently, someone overheard me talking about panthers/cats and snacks. I mean, LOOK AT HIS FACE. He is VERY INTERESTED in said snacks, that’s for sure.

I am also SO EXCITED to collaborate with the Charlotte Region ReStore(s). I already shop at ReStores all the time (hello…have you ever seen any of my light fixture projects?). 

But now I’ll have even more reason to think outside the box and create more upcycling projects for them to also share with you.

I hope you enjoyed this easy upcycle idea as much as I enjoyed making it. Even if I made it for a team I don’t regularly cheer for- ha! Guess I’ll just need to make another one that resembles Soldier Field next, eh?

Thanks so much for checking it out! And if you’re local to the Charlotte area, maybe we’ll bump into each other (well, from six feet away) at one of the ReStores!

Love to upcycle baskets as much as I do? Then this collection of inspiring ideas might be something you’ll also really enjoy.

 

Craft on!

S

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