box

But not the box tops for education. Instead, building tops for these $3 boxes from Target’s dollar spot. These plain wood boxes are the perfect size for Handy Sammy’s bookshelf/nightstand storage. But I wanted lids to hide everything inside. So I looked in the garage and found a scrap of 1/4 inch MDF that was slightly larger than my box. In a word, perfect.

I measured the outside of the box and the inside.

And cut four pieces. One piece the same size as the outside, and another 1/4 inch smaller than the inside, for both boxes. Plenty of wood glue to attach the two pieces and wait for it to dry.

Then I started painting. I’m a rebel and skipped primer, but it would help. And sand the boxes quickly. I wanted something similar to these lacquer boxes, so I covered the edges with gold craft paint.

After the gold dried, I marked off 1/4 inch on all sides, then taped off the corners.

Mysterious blue paint and primer left over from the mini dresser covered nicely.

I still want to spray the boxes for a smoother, glossy finish, but I love how they look.

To make it easier on myself, I painted the inside of the boxes blue and the covers all gold.

As we tackle projects for the guest room, I’m getting more antsy to finish it. Because I want to see everything together. If you’ve got a tray you’d like to cover, this was as easy as two cuts. What do you think? Are you willing to give it a try? Or have you done something similar?

Our main bathroom remodel still isn’t done, so most people aren’t using it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t work on storage. Being drawerless in the bathroom, wait, that came out wrong. Without drawers in the vanity, I have to get creative with hidden storage. So, I took to Pinterest to see what fun I could come up with. I saw neat tutorials to make soft sided fabric bins, creative hard sided boxes, and even considered a rope covered box. Ultimately, I decided to combine a few ideas to make something perfectly suited for our bathroom. So, I started by cutting a large box to fit inside our small linen closet because I couldn’t find a pre-made box to fit the same.

Of course, cardboard boxes are ugly. Luckily, I’ve been hoarding fabric lately, so I pulled out a yard of light gray duck cloth. I didn’t have a long enough piece to completely wrap around the box, so I cut one strip 12 inches wide along the long end of the fabric. To cover the back, I cut another small 15 inch wide by 12 inch tall strip to piece together. With my long strip taped in place, I marked the corners.

Using those small marks, I sewed the smaller piece to make a box slip cover.

Because I was feeling lazy, I used Gorilla tape to hold the fabric in place along the underside and around the top edges.

It seemed too boring, so I dug through my paint stash until I found a bottle of coral acrylic paint. How ’bout some stripes? After measuring and marking two-inch wide strips, I taped off my edges.

And used a sponge brush and pouncing motion to paint near the edges and filled in the middle.

Pulling off the tape is such a fun part of painting. Especially when the lines are crisp. I had some rope on hand, so I marked two holes to create a handle. Using a screw, I rotated through the fabric and cardboard to make the pilot holes. Stuffing a pen through widened the holes enough to get the rope through. Simple knots on each end hold the rope in place.

Now I’ll have to find a white or gray vinyl to line the inside. Right now, it holds bath toys and we’ve got room for other ugly junk.

I’m really surprised at how sturdy it seems, but we’ll see how it holds up over time. I think I’ll add fabric to the bottom so the shelf doesn’t get scuffed up when it’s pulled in and out. Gotta hunt down a good-looking clothes hamper and maybe a few wire baskets. Or maybe I’ll get all DIY on the hampers arse and make something myself. Who knows. Until then, tell me about your bathroom storage situation. Do you prefer drawers, cabinets, boxes, open shelves?