Eileen

How to Make a Themed DIY Gift Basket

April 17, 2019 by Eileen Leave a Comment

See how you can make an easy themed gift basket for any occasion. These DIY gift baskets are creative and unique, enabling you to give a thoughtful, personal gift.

Homemade gift baskets are always such a hit.

Whether it’s a bridal shower, a housewarming, or a gift for your significant other, people love receiving gift baskets. They are so fun to make – especially when you choose a theme.

Today, I’m sharing how to make a themed gift basket. (If you missed the Year of Dates Gift Basket I recently made my sister, it is my absolute favorite.)

DIY Gift Baskets with a Theme

The fun part of making DIY gift baskets is that you can choose any theme, any budget, and you can be as creative as you want.

You can choose items off a registry or you can search places like Target’s dollar spot and the dollar store. You can have a few gifts that are more expensive mixed with a few cheaper gifts.

Any way you do it, you are collecting items that go together and making a thoughtful cohesive gift.

I’ve sat at many showers where the guest of honor is opening registry gift after registry gift.

A creative basket is a great way to mix it up!

DIY gift baskets always get tons of ooohhs and ahhhhs – plus it shows that you put a little extra thought.

Don’t get me wrong – you can still use registry items for your gift basket, but you can definitely do it with a theme.

Another thing DIY gift baskets are great for is raffles. Raffles gift baskets are always unique and fun to make – and even more fun to win 🙂

Without further ado, here’s how to make themed gift baskets.

12 Months of Dates Gift Basket

Pick a Theme for your Basket

If you’re wondering what to fill your homemade gift basket with, the first thing you want to do is pick a theme.

If your recipient is registered, you can use this as a starting point if you’d like.

For example, if you are shopping for a bridal shower, and she is registered for a pizza stone, you could turn this into a pizza themed gift. You could buy the pizza stone off the registry and add a pizza wheel, a cute cutting board, your favorite pizza dough recipe, gourmet sauce, potholders, seasonings, or wine.

A Pizza Night gift basket is a fun spin using a registry item but also using a little creativity to make it a thoughtful gift.

If you are trying to cheer someone up, you do a Sunshine gift basket. Sunshine themed baskets usually have items that are all yellow, to cheer up your recipient.

If you are making a gift basket for your man or woman, you could do an indoor picnic theme, a year of dates, or a “time to relax” theme.

Once you have the theme for your DIY gift basket, you’re ready to start thinking about the gift items.

Kids Crafty Basket, one of 200 non-candy Easter basket ideas

Kids Craft Activities Basket, one of 200 non-candy Easter basket ideas

Choose a Creative Container

Once you have your theme, you’ll want to start thinking of something that goes with your theme that could serve as the basket or container for your themed gift basket. If your recipient is registered, look through the items on their list for ideas that would suit them.

Of course, you can choose a regular basket or container, but it’s always fun when your container goes with your theme.

Also, you can save money by using one of the gifts as the container because then you won’t need to spend more money on the basket.

Think about size or weight with your DIY gift basket. You want big enough to fit your items, but not too big where you feel you have to buy more to fill it up.

Also, if you are putting something heavy in the gift basket, you’ll want to account for that. For example, if you are making the First Year of Marriage Milestone basket, you’ll need something really strong to hold the 12 bottles of wine.

Keep these things in mind as you are choosing the container for your homemade gift basket.

DIY First Year Milestones Wedding Wine Basket Gift

Year of First Milestones – Wedding Wine Basket

Gift Basket Container Ideas

For example, for the baking theme, your container could be a cake mold or mixing bowl. If doing a cooking theme, you could use a strainer, crock pot, or an oversized measuring cup.

For a get well theme, you could use a big soup bowl. For a college survival kit, you could use a cute storage container. And, for a housewarming, you could use a large pitcher or an oversized jar.

If you’re stuck for a container, go to the craft store and a take a look at their baskets. There are so many pretty ones – floral themed, industrial looks. And, you can save money by using a coupon.

Here are some more ideas for containers for DIY gift baskets:

Oversized mason jar
Terracotta planter
Glass kitchen jar
Pitcher
Colander
Crockpot
Baking, salad, or serving bowl
Cake tupperware
Cookware
Picnic basket
Laundry basket
Tote bags
Bundt pan or cake mold
Bucket
Cute storage bin

DIY Gift Baskets for Dogs

What do I put in the gift basket?

Wondering what to put in a homemade gift basket? Now that you have your theme and your container, now is the fun part. You’ll fill the container with items from the theme.

Gift basket items can definitely add up, so you’ll want to make sure that you stay on budget. It definitely helps to create a budget ahead of time. Another idea is to make a list of things that you are looking for, so you don’t buy everything. Definitely use coupons where you can.

Try to throw in some low cost items along with some higher cost ones.

For example, if you’re making a baking basket, throw in some sprinkles, cupcake wrappers, parchment paper, or cute napkins.

If you are making a holiday basket, you can some candy canes or chocolates.It makes for a fuller basket, and the range of items keeps my price point low. If the recipient has a registry, you can always include any items that fit the theme.

Amazon is great for ordering items that are hard to find or that you need quickly. However, there are so many bargains out there. Check out the below list for where to find low cost items.

Where to Shop for Low Cost Filler Items

Target’s Dollar Spot – You’ll find all kinds of things here! It’s great to check regularly and pick up things that catch your eye.
Dollar Stores – Dollar Tree is by far the best of the dollar stores. You can get so many things here from cupcake wrappers to ribbons to storage bins (you might find a cheap container here too).
Craft Stores – There clearance sections or dollar sections up front are amazing! Always use a coupon – you can use your phone.
Walmart – Lots of low-cost things here – and if you find something on clearance, the price is even better. Check the ends of aisles for random clearance items.
Five Below – I was amazed at how much awesome stuff this store has – especially around the holidays. Books, socks, toys, college dorm things, and all kinds of seasonal things too!
Christmas Tree Shops – I love this store SO much. It’s a cross between a Dollar Tree and a Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Lots of seasonal things, kitchen items, books, decor – they have it all.

Choose a Creative Filler

As your shopping for your items, think about whether your basket need a filler or not.

You can use tissue paper, you can use shredded paper (you can get this at the dollar store or I’ve even made my own). But my favorite thing to do is to use something from the theme for the basket filler.

For a holiday basket, you can use garland. For an indoor picnic basket, you can use a cozy blanket. And, for any kitchen, coffee/tea, or bridal baskets, you can use cloth napkins, which are always on clearance at some of the above stores.

Gift Basket Filler Ideas

Shredded paper – Buy or shred your own! I’ve done this to make a unique color – it takes a lot of paper, but it works like a charm.
Tissue paper
Small cardboard box – Perfect if your basket is too big. You can even hide an extra gift in it!
Towel/Cloth Napkins – Depending on your theme kitchen towels, beach towels, or even bathroom towels could work
Cozy blanket – great for “time to relax” basket or a picnic basket
Table cloth – If you’re making a craft basket for kids, use a few plastic tablecloths as the filler for easy cleanup with their art activities.
Scarf or t-shirt – If you’re making a gift basket for a new college student, the basket liner could be a t-shirt or sweatshirt with their college name.
Craft materials (felt, knitting, etc) – For a crafty basket, you could use felt or another craft material to the line the basket. For a baby basket, you could line the basket with your knitted gift.

DIY Indoor Winter Picnic Basket - perfect gift idea for couples or families

Winter Indoor Picnic Gift Basket, with a cozy blanket as a basket liner

How do I assemble the gift basket?

Once you have your container, your items, and your filler, you’ll want to start assembling your DIY gift basket.

When you are arranging your items, you’ll want to arrange them in a way that showcases them all. Start with the larger items and put them in the back. Work your way down to the smaller items, which you can easily fill in the front. Tilt things at an angle to bring intrigue and showcase more.

You can tuck away any of the less exciting items, and put the more exciting ones in a more visible spot.

When I was arranging my sister’s Year of Dates gift basket, I had a hard time making everything look nice. There were 12 separate items, each with envelopes, and it was difficult to make it look elegant.

I ended up tying a piece of ribbon around the items that went together (for each date), along with the envelope. It brought some cohesion and elegance to the gift, rather than just looking like I threw a bunch of items in a basket.

Add a Gift Tag

Once you have your DIY gift basket arranged nicely, you can add a cute gift tag. You use a little piece of card stock and print or write on it – and then attach with a nice ribbon. If it’s not obvious what your basket is, definitely write it on the tag (Pizza Night Gift Basket, Little Artists Basket, etc).

You can even come up with a sweet rhyme.

For my gift tags, I usually just print them on Microsoft Word. Sometimes, I print on card stock and cut that out. Sometimes, I just print on regular paper and glue to card stock.

One thing I love to use is squiggly scissors. I seriously cannot cut a straight line, so the squiggly scissors not only hide my imperfections but they add a bit of fun to the tag.

DIY Ice Cream Sundae Gift Box Basket - how to make a gift basket

Ice Cream Sundae Gift Basket

If you want your tag displayed more, then you could attach it to a wooden skewer and then stick it right into your basket like a candle on a cake.

Creative Ways to Wrap a Gift Basket

If you want, you can add a clear gift basket bag, cellophane, or even tulle over your basket.

In my opinion, the easiest and cheapest way to hold it together is definitely with a clear gift basket bag. You can get these at the Dollar Store (usually 2 for $1).

With the gift bag, you don’t have to worry about trying to wrap the basket up – you just slip it into the bag 🙂 Make sure to check the size on the bag to make sure if will fit your container. You can always slide the basket in sideways and tie in the back.

With my gift baskets, I typically don’t wrap them up at all because I think it takes away from how nice the basket looks. However, if you are travelling or are worried that something will fall out, then definitely buy one. You don’t want to lose any items after all your hard work.

You can also use a box and then no extra wrapping is necessary.

DIY cookie decorating gift basket for holidays and kids

Cookie Decorating Holiday Gift Basket

No matter what kind of themed gift basket you are making, I’m sure your recipient will absolutely love the hard work and thought you put into it.

Anyone can buy a couple gifts at the store, but to make a DIY gift basket with a special theme is next level.

Whether it’s a wedding gift basket, an encouragement gift basket, or a family gift basket, I hope this helped you with creative ideas for your DIY gift basket.

How to Apply Peel and Stick Wallpaper the Easy Way

April 15, 2019 by Eileen Leave a Comment

Learn how you can give a room or a space an instant update with peel and stick wallpaper. This easy tutorial will show you all the tips for how to hang wallpaper in your home.

Ever since our pantry update in our old home (we added beautiful French doors for an instant makeover), I’ve been wanting to give our new pantry a makeover too.

When we moved in, I put contact paper on the shelves, which made it look better. However, it still could use an update.

I had a vision to add white brick wallpaper and walnut DIY pantry shelving.

I was totally nervous to hang wallpaper.

After all, everyone spends hours and hours removing wallpaper from decades ago. Yet, this wallpaper was different. It’s peel and stick, so it can easily be removed whenever. There’s no paste – just adhesive.

Today, I’m sharing exactly how to apply peel and stick wallpaper to your walls.

Before and After Pantry Pictures

Below are the before pictures. One is the pantry as I started to empty it out, and the other is the empty pantry.

Below is the updated pantry – refreshed with the wallpaper and DIY wooden pantry shelving.

Choosing a Wallpaper

The first thing I did was decide what I wanted this transformed pantry closet to look like.

I knew I wanted white brick wallpaper, so now I had to find the best bang for my buck. Since I would be installing shelves in front of the wallpaper, I didn’t want to spend a ton of money. I was actually hoping to spend less than $40 on the wallpaper.

With a short timeline (Amazon prime for the win!), I found a wallpaper that had good reviews, was prime delivery, and it came in under budget. I measured the pantry to be about 50 square feet and the wallpaper would cover 49 square feet. I knew it would be a little tight, but I was okay with this – because of the shelves and the budget.

When choosing your wallpaper, keep these things in mind:

Measure the square footage of the space you need to cover in wallpaper. If you are doing an accent wall – where everything needs to line up perfectly, definitely order over the square footage you need. That way, you can have extra to perfectly line up your patterns. Now, I under-ordered for my pantry, and that worked for me. I was willing to compromise perfectly matching bricks to save money by only buying one wallpaper roll.
Read the reviews on the wallpaper you like before buying it (even if you are buying it at the store). People will mention if the pattern is easy or hard to line up. They’ll mention if they ran into any difficulties. These can be super helpful in making your decision.
Carefully read the description. If you are wanting peel and stick wallpaper, make sure that’s what it says.

Gather Your Wallpaper Materials

After you choose your wallpaper, you’ll want to gather a few more materials to complete the project.

Peel and stick wallpaper (I used this white brick pattern)
Xacto Knife – make sure it’s nice and sharp – I have this set and it’s wonderful
Smoothing tool – You can use your hands, a credit card, or a rag. I found this smoothing tool helpful – especially when cutting edges on the wall.
Measuring tape or ruler (the longer the better)
Scissors
Paper towels or rag

Prepare Your Walls

After you pick out your wallpaper, you’re ready to start your project.

First you’ll want to prepare your walls. Take down any pictures or shelves. I removed all of the shelving in our pantry – which felt so good to get rid of those metal shelves.

Next, you’ll want to give your walls a light cleaning to get rid of any dust or grime. This will help the wallpaper stick to the walls.

I just took a wet paper towel and went up and down wiping the walls of the pantry.

Hanging Your First Sheet of Wallpaper

In hanging your first sheet of peel and stick wallpaper, you might be nervous like me. However, these tips will help you to smoothly apply your first piece.

Choose a Starting Point

You’ll first want to pick a starting point. Usually, you want to work from left to right. In my pantry that has a few corners, I decided to hang my first sheet of wallpaper to the right of the first corner. I would still work left, but I would line my first piece up on the corner.

This was the most visible part of my pantry, and I wanted it to look perfect, especially because I knew I might be piecing together scraps at the end 🙂

Lay Out Wallpaper Pieces on the Floor

Once you decide where you will start hanging your wallpaper, you’ll want to measure the length of your piece. Our pantry was about 79 inches so I cut everything at 81 inches to have a little extra at the top and bottom.

The absolute best tip that I can give you is to lay out your wallpaper pieces on the floor first. So I cut my first piece at 81 inches. And before taking this to the pantry to hang up, I unrolled more wallpaper. I lined up the pattern, making sure the pattern went seamlessly from the first piece to the second piece. Once it was lined up properly, I trimmed to 81 inches.

I took the first piece and hung that up. When I went back for the second piece, prior to hanging that up, I lined up and cut the third piece. This way, you are lining everything up on the floor, as opposed to struggling to line it up vertically.

Slowly Peel and Stick

Take your first wallpaper sheet over to the top of the wall and peel about an inch of the backing. Slowly stick the adhesive wallpaper to the wall (letting the backing fall loosely against the wall). Unpeel a little bit of the wallpaper backing at a time – smoothing the wallpaper out with your hand or the smoothing tool.

Before you stick too much on, you’ll want to make sure you pattern is straight. Sometimes ceilings might be crooked, so before you apply the whole sheet, you’ll want to make sure it is straight. You can use a ruler for this – or even just stand back and eyeball it.

What do I do about windows or trim?

With a window or trim, you’ll want push your wallpaper right up to the edge and then trim off the excess with your Xacto knife. Your Xacto knife will be your best friend when working with edges like these. Make sure to have a sharp Xacto knife, so you can easily get perfect cuts.

Continue to Peel and Stick the First Sheet of Wallpaper

You’ll want to continue slowly peeling off the backing and smoothing everything out.

It’s better to go slow because you can smooth out any bumps before you get too far down. When you’re finished with the first sheet of wallpaper, take your smoothing tool and go over it again to give it a good firm stick.

What if I mess up?

If your pattern is crooked or you have too many bumps, simply peel up and wallpaper and try again. You can keep retrying as much as you need to. That’s the beauty of peel and stick wallpaper. If you are really having trouble, you can always work in smaller pieces rather than a very long one.

Applying the Next Sheet of Wallpaper

When you go to grab your second sheet of wallpaper, remember to match and cut your third sheet on the floor first.

When hanging your second sheet of wallpaper, you may find that it’s a little harder than the first piece. That is because now you are lining up the pattern.

It took me quite a few tries to get my second sheet of wallpaper down perfectly. Make sure you go slow when pulling off the backing.

Do I overlap my wallpaper pieces?

I would not overlap pieces. You want a perfect side-by-side fit, so be sure to perfectly line up those edges. With this particular paper, I could absolutely tell if the paper was overlapped, and it didn’t look pretty.

You might find yourself working left to right more with the smoothing tool – to make sure you get the pattern lined up right.

Continue Applying the Peel and Stick Wallpaper

As you get toward the end of your space, you might find yourself needing to make smaller cuts. This will especially happen if you (like me) are running out of paper. I didn’t have a full last sheet left, so I used bits and pieces to piece together this last (hard to see) area.

When making smaller cuts, you can do this by using the marks on the back the back of the wallpaper or you can draw your own lines with the ruler. You can cut this with the scissors or your Xacto knife – it’s your preference. The back of my peel and stick wallpaper didn’t have full lines where I needed them, so I usually used a metal ruler and the Xacto knife.

Here’s a look at a finished corner of the pantry.

And here are a few more finished pantry pictures.

Not only will you notice the new wallpaper, but you’ll see the DIY pantry shelving system we built in a weekend.

The wallpaper background and the floating shelves as well as pull-outs completely transformed this previously-boring pantry space.

Wrapping Up + Time & Cost

The cost was just what I spent on the wallpaper. We had the other materials around the house and garage. Even though I split the work up in two days, it only would have taken me an hour or two if I worked straight through. I just didn’t have that time block with the kids.

As I’m wrapping up this wallpaper article, here are a few questions I wanted to answer for you.

Was hanging the wallpaper as hard as I thought it would be?

Absolutely not! I’m not the most precise person. I tend to make lots of mistakes and learn things the hard way. That being said, this was super easy and turned out really pretty. I didn’t struggle with the wallpaper at all – it was very simple to work with.

What was the hardest part of hanging the peel and stick wallpaper?

The hardest part of applying the peel and stick wallpaper was definitely matching up the patterns. Since I knew I would run low on paper, I settled for a less than perfect brick match sometimes, which I was okay with. The pantry wall would be covered with shelves, drawers, and food, so I wasn’t aiming for perfect matches. I saved a lot of paper this way.

As I mentioned in the tutorial, definitely make sure you have extra wallpaper if you’re going for a perfect match, e.g. doing an accent wall.

Is the wallpaper easy to peel off?

I can’t speak to peeling this off after a long time, but when I made a mistake putting it on the wall, it was very easy to peel off. It didn’t tear either. For a low cost wallpaper, I was impressed.

Anything else noteworthy to mention?

Yes! Consider the lighting in the room that you are going to wallpaper. Our pantry has no light and isn’t near a window, so it’s very dark. The white wallpaper looks gray-ish sometimes because of the lighting. Before you put your wallpaper up, tape a piece to your wall and check it out through the day. Make sure you love it!

Overall, I loved this DIY project. Hanging the peel and stick wallpaper was easy, and I can totally see how wallpaper can completely makeover a space.

If you have a space in your home that could use an update – whether it’s a closet, a piece of furniture, a wall, look into wallpaper. It definitely gives an instant update in just a couple hours.

15 Ways to Upcycle Popular Thrift Store Finds

March 27, 2019 by Eileen Leave a Comment

Thrift store makeovers are my favorite.

I love scouring the aisles of thrift stores and flea markets looking for my next project.

Right now with the Marie Kondo organization craze, thrift stores are a gold mine with everyone decluttering and organizing their house, leaving some pretty awesome things up for grabs.

Our DIY project challenge this month was to upcycle a thrift store find (see the befores and afters of my TV table). I’ve got some amazing upcycled thrift store makeovers to share with you.

Not only will you be saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” but you’ll also be running to the thrift store to look for these items to repurpose.

These thrift store redos below are items that are commonly-found at thrift stores – fans, bowls, picture frames, TV tables, furniture, and more. I know that I’ll be on the look out for quite a few of these thrift store items too. Especially because thrift stores are the place to be right now 🙂

15 Amazing Upcycled Thrift Store Creations

From a Seasoned Fan to an Industrial Light Fixture

How gorgeous is this light cover fixture?!

You would never know that Randi from Dukes and Duchesses made this beautiful light fixture cover from an old fan that she found at a junk sale. It definitely looks like a fancy light fixture from one of the home decor stores that you’d pay top dollar for.

I’ll be keeping my eye out for old fans when making my thrift stores rounds – this is a perfect example of an awesome upcycle.

From an Aged Window to a Chalkboard Laundry Sign

Looking at this pretty laundry room sign, you wouldn’t think that it used to be a window.

Megan from Two Feet First upcycled an old window into a stunning laundry room sign. She shared all the details including how she got perfect lettering, without using any fancy machine.

Even if you don’t have an old window, you should definitely check out her lettering techniques for your next DIY sign project.

From Hula Hoop to Spring Wreath

That gorgeous spring wreath was made with a hula hoop!

Spring wreaths can be so expensive at the crafts and home stores, but Carmen from Living Letter Home made this amazing spring wreath from a $1 hula hoop. She gives all the details on this elegant dollar store transformation.

Seriously, I would never know that it was a hula hoop! It makes me wonder what other creative upcycles can also be made with hula hoops.

From a TV Table to a Rustic End Table

This rustic side table was made from a TV tray table. You know, those folding ones that are super convenient but not that pretty?!

We added a new top and gave it some fresh paint, and it looks like a whole new table.

Not only is it a great side table (it’s the perfect height for an arm chair), but it’s also a fun game table.

From Hand-Me-Down Dresser to Stunning Buffet

How amazing is this beautiful buffet?!

Kenya from Kenya Rae transformed a mahogany double dresser into a modern buffet, turning the drawers into shelves and giving the piece a combination of wood and painted finish.

There’s so much used furniture at thrift stores, and this thrift store redo reminds of all that potential. Usually second-hand furniture doesn’t always look pretty, but if it’s good wood, you can definitely redo the piece. Kenya’s tutorial is super detailed on the steps she took to redo this old dresser.

From a Simple Vase to a Gorgeous Anthropologie Knock-Off

You won’t believe the “before” on this colorful vase. Anam from Delicious & DIY turned a common clear vase into this gorgeous Anthropolgie knock-off.

I am just floored at how she DIYed this!

Thrift stores have aisles and aisles of vases that look like the “before” on this one, making it an easy thrift store DIY to find and recreate. Be sure to check out all the details on how she painted the beautiful vase.

From a Old Bowl to a Modern Planter

This pretty hanging planter was formerly just an old bowl sitting around the thrift store.

Brittany from By Brittany Goldwyn transformed the silver bowl into a beautiful modern planter.

Hanging planters can be really expensive, but this repurposed planter only cost a few bucks, and it looks perfect with her decor. That’s another advantage of DIY projects – you can customize them however you’d like 🙂

From a Basic Seat to an Upholstered Farmhouse Chair

Sara from Twelve On Main reupholstered a basic chair into a beautiful farmhouse seat. This is another thrift store upcycle where you won’t believe the before picture.

Chairs like this one usually cost an arm and a leg, and Sara spent only 8 dollars on it! Even though she reupholstered the chair, there was no sewing involved. That’s my kind of project.

This farmhouse thrift store chair makeover turned out so pretty. Be sure to read all the details on how Sara completed this amazing thrift store redo.

From Old Books to Farmhouse Decor

Thrift stores have tons of old books, and here’s a creative way to give a farmhouse thrift store makeover.

Amy from 1905 Farmhouse turned old books into farmhouse decor with stencils and paint. So pretty, right?!

Old books are the perfect farmhouse decor when upcycled, and these beautiful stencils are spot-on.

From a Spice Rack to Spring Floral Decor

This elegant spring decor, holding cheery flowers, was made from an old spice rack.

Amy from Health, Home, and Heart totally brought this old piece into modern day with her creative spring vision.

She always adds the perfect touches too, like the cute hello sign. Definitely check out her post to see the before picture of her amazing spice rack transformation.

From an Outdated Light to a Beautiful Mirror

You won’t believe this DIY from Toni at Girl, Just DIY. This beautiful mirror was once a stained glass lamp shade. You have to see the “before” to take in just how incredible this upcycled mirror is.

Toni found the old light in a pile of trash on the curb. After cleaning it up, she realized its potential. She shares all the details on this highly creative transformation, so be sure to give it a read.

I’ve definitely donated a couple of these stained glass lamp shades, never realizing they had upcycling potential.

From an Old Shelf to a Coastal Shadow Box

This old shelf was turned into a coastal shadow box by Meegan at What Meegan Makes.

Thrift stores have tons of old decor shelves that I’m always passing over because they look so ancient, but Meegan totally had a vision with this shelf – and she nailed it. No pun intended 🙂

The colors on this upcycled decor shelf are gorgeous, and I love the coastal vibe. It’s amazing what fresh paint can do to an old piece.

From Picture Frames to a Headboard

Christine from The DIY Dreamer had this amazing idea to make this headboard made from picture frames.

It’s so creative and so pretty – it adds a perfect touch to bedroom without having to make or buy a typical headboard.

There’s tons of frames at thrift stores. I’m always donating old frames too. But, now my wheels are turning! If you can make a beautiful headboard with old frames, the possibilities are endless!

From a Tool Box to Kids Book Storage

If you’re running out of places to store things, such as kids books, see if you can score an old toolbox at the thrift store.

Ruthie from Refashionably Late turned an old toolbox into book storage for the kids using paint and stencils.

Baskets and storage bins can definitely add up – organization is usually not cheap! However, this creative, easy idea is a great way to be organized and save a few bucks.

From a CD Tower to Pantry Shelf

This CD tower was practically out to the curb (who has CDs anymore?!). Until an idea struck… It was the same size as a hollow wall in our pantry, making it the perfect pantry shelf to store all kinds of spices and baking supplies.

Be sure to see the details on this transformation, including a cool tool you can use to see inside walls. That’s like a DIY super power 🙂

How amazing were these 15 thrift store redos?! From upcycled furniture to farmhouse makeover to creative home decor, these thrift store makeovers are creative and easy to do, especially with the detailed tutorials.

Thrift store finds are so great as they cost next to nothing and give us a good project to work on.

There’s no buyer’s remorse if it doesn’t turn out as expected either.

On the flip side, if your thrift store makeover turns out amazing, it’s a pretty good feeling knowing you spent next to nothing and recreated something pretty cool.

What’s on your flea market or thrift store list?! After compiling this thrift store finds post, my flea market list definitely got a little longer 🙂

Easy DIY TV Tray Table Makeover

March 15, 2019 by Eileen 18 Comments

Today I’m sharing an upcycled thrift store find – how I turned a TV table and a checkerboard game into an easy end table. This was a super simple project with a fun transformation.

It’s our monthly challenge day!

Each month a group of talented DIY bloggers and I all work on projects with the same theme. Last month, the theme was build to organize, and this month we are upcycling a thrift store find.

With all the Marie Kondo craze out there, it’s a great time to find treasures at the thrift store.

Last month, I built a swing out wall shelf to organize my paints, and for this DIY challenge, I gave a second-hand TV tray table a makeover.

Be sure to scroll to the end of the post to see the other 30 + thrift store projects, and feel free to share your own with us and tag #athomediychallenges.

How to Makeover a TV Tray Table

One of my favorite garage sale finds was a rustic wooden checkerboard game.

I snagged it for just $5!

Immediately I had visions of using it as some sort of tabletop and went searching for a TV table.

After a quick trip to Goodwill and another $3, I found a simple DIY television table.

With a few screws and some spray paint, I made this easy DIY end table from a folding TV tray table.

Materials for the DIY TV Table Makeover

TV table – Thrift stores have a ton of these!
Checkerboard game – you could even make a tabletop!
Wood screws
Spray paint

Instructions for TV Table Makeover

This was a really simple project, with no building involved.

We usually build our own everything, so this TV table makeover was a refreshingly simple.

Clean the Surfaces

First, I cleaned off the checkerboard tabletop and the TV tray table. I like using baby wipes to clean old furniture because they get all the dust and dirt.

Paint the TV Table

My next task in this TV tray table makeover was to try to color match the checkerboard tabletop to a paint.

I used spray paint for ease of use and found a Rustoleum color that matched the tabletop pretty well. It wasn’t a perfect match, but it was very close.

The spray paint had a little texture to it, but it still worked with the rustic tabletop.

I only spray painted the legs of the TV table and the sides of the TV tray tabletop. The checkerboard would cover the top surface.

Attach the Checkerboard Top

With a few screws, I attached the checkerboard tabletop to the TV tray table. I had to be very careful that the screw head didn’t protrude out of the top.

I was able to use 3/4 inch screws, but it will depend on the thickness of both the top and the table itself.

You don’t want it too short or else the top won’t have a strong connection and could fall off. If it’s too long, it will poke out the top of the table.

Helpful Tip: If you don’t have the perfect length screw but you do have screws that are too long, you can always place small wooden blocks underneath that will hold the excess screw.

That’s it!

I was able to repurpose an old folding TV tray table into a fun little end table. I love the height of the repurposed TV table – it’s perfect for grabbing the clicker or putting your glass down. Usually end tables are quite low, so I love how it’s elbow height.

And, of course the TV tray table still folds, so it easily can be moved or stored away.

Time and Cost for the TV Table Makeover

I spent $11 total! Not bad considering I’m using it as an end table in my family room 🙂 It took about 30 minutes to spray paint and put together, and then a few hours of dry time.

The TV tray table makeover was definitely one of our simplest DIYs. It was really enjoyable too. It’s always fun when you have a vision in your head, and then you get to see it through.

When you see those $3 TV tables at the thrift store, snatch them up – and give them a fun makeover too! You could paint a pattern, stencil a design, use contact paper, or make/find a new tabletop.

So many possibilities when thrift shopping!

Be sure to check out the my blogging pals who also all Upcycled Thrift Store Finds! So many great ideas, right?!

10 Ridiculously Easy DIYs for Your Home

March 9, 2019 by Eileen 2 Comments

Did you know that you can transform a room in your home using just your craft skills?

You don’t even need to have a big budget.

There are so many things that you can make yourself that can completely makeover a room.

Here’s 10 ridiculously easy DIY projects for your home. They include easy crafts and projects that you can easily do.

Use Stencils

You can use stencils anywhere – on large scale projects or small scale DIYs. Stenciling a wall is super simple – it just takes time and patience, but you don’t need any special skills.

A great pattern on a wall or piece of furniture can completely update the look of a room, by adding color and texture. It’s definitely an easy home decorating idea.

Stenciled nursery wall of hearts

Here’s a few ideas for stenciling:

Stencil an accent wall
Stencil a room to look like fancy wallpaper (see below pic)
Stencil over a tile floor (or any kind of tile)
Stencil a pillow cover to make a thrifty accent pillow
Stencil a wooden sign. Have the home improvement store cut your wood – or look for pieces of wood the size you need, e.g. like a fence post
Stencil furniture, such as drawer fronts, a tabletop, bar stools, or inside of drawers.
Buy plain fabric and use stencils to make a gorgeous curtain

Mudroom entryway cubby shelves with drawers, lockers, and baskets. DIY drawers and shiplap

Two-color stencil in entryway

DIY Artwork

If your wondering what you can make for your room, make your own wall art.

Even if you aren’t an artist. There are so many ways you can DIY your own art. This is also a great option for cheap artwork and a perfect solution for awkwardly large spaces above couches or beds.

Using a world map stencil to create DIY wooden wall art canvases

Three piece wall art made from a stencil and acrylics

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Buy canvas from the craft store and either stencil or use wall decals to create cool pictures (see below pic).
Make alphabet letters with cardboard, foam, or wood and then paint them
String art is another fun option
Use decals directly on your wall – you can use shapes like a wall of stars or dots.
Make an easy abstract painting with paint and canvas

Using Wall Stickers to Create Cool Wall Art

DIY wall art from decals and canvas

Make Your Own Rug

Rugs are awesome because they are an easy way to bring color into a room. The problem is they are so expensive for even a small piece.

I bet you didn’t know that you can easily DIY your own rug. My grandma used to make braided wool rugs and they are beautiful – and last forever.

Make a rag rug with a runner and fabric
Make a felt rug (use coarse felt) for kids reading corners
Make a wool rug with old sweaters

Redo a Piece of Furniture

An easy way to update the look of a room is to redo a piece of furniture in it. This is a fun way to make old furniture look more modern, colorful, or fun.

Don’t forget about the hardware. New (or updated) hardware is an easy way to bring new life into an old piece.

My favorite furniture paint is milk paint – and you don’t even have to sand. Just clean off your piece and start painting.

If you’ve never painting before, definitely check out a few tutorials before starting so you feel comfortable.

How to transform old furniture with milk paint

You won’t believe the before on this milk painted dresser!

Rearrange the Room

This is one of my favorite ways to bring freshness into a room. When an arrangement is no longer functional for your family or you just need a change, start moving things around.

I just rearranged my family room – and I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I opened up the window area, bringing in more light and sectioned off the room with a couch. I finally mounted my TV up high, so I no longer need to tell the kids they are too close to the television.

When you’re thinking about your room, use your crafty eye to bring in a creative configuration, but remember function too.

Add a Little Flair with Patterns or Paint

Incorporate some patterns, colors, or paints that would add a little flair to the room. From pretty wallpaper accents to using painter’s tape for a DIY pattern, here are a few ways to add some fun elements to your room.

Add fun wallpaper (or card stock with mod podge) to the back of bookshelves or the sides of drawers.
Frame some patterned paper that you love in a shadow box with a few other crafty things or knick knacks.
Use chalkboard paint in playrooms, craft rooms, or kids rooms. Paint a whole wall with chalkboard paint or the side of the dresser.
Use painter’s tape on an accent wall or a piece of furniture for geometric creativity. You can arrange the formation to make a herringbone pattern or a subway tile pattern.

Patterned paper placed in the background of simple shelves

Make or embellish pillows or throw blankets.

Even if you aren’t great at sewing, there are so many easy ways to make a simple pillow.

You can skip stuffing the pillow and use an existing pillow. Make a simple cover with cloth napkins or leftover fabric.

Also, you can embellish existing pillows or blankets with crafty items like pom-poms, fabric, or buttons.

Find home décor pieces you like and DIY them.

When out shopping, when you see home décor items that are so expensive, think about how you could make them yourself.

I saw a clock that I loved (going for $80) and make my own version for $12. If you see a wooden sign that you like, DIY it! It’s cheaper, more fun, and you’ll amaze yourself.

My next home decor piece will be a shiplap clock I’ve been eyeing, so I’ll be making that next (painting faux lines for the shiplap). Be creative and you’ll love the outcome.

DIY chalkboard clock – total cost was $12!

Paint old picture frames to update them.

A few years back I was making a gallery wall and was two picture frames short.

I found perfect frames but they were the wrong color.

Wanting to finish the gallery wall quickly, I took them out back and spray painted them to match the others. No one can even tell which pictures in the gallery were spray paints.

Styles and colors are so quick to change, so instead of replacing your old frames, paint them. You can even get creative and paint a pattern, such as buffalo check, or a style, such as shiplap.

Transform an good find

Thrift shops and flea markets are gold mines these days.

Take advantage and find a few gems for yourself and fix them up.

Whether you give it a new coat of paint or upcycle it into something else, someone’s trash is definitely someone else’s treasure.

I’m sure you’ll be so thrilled with your thrifty refurbished item.

Turn anything into a homemade lamp – including a train car!

Your Turn!

Pick a room in your home that needs a little updating. Choose one of the DIYs on this list and get started!

Need a little more help? Check out my workbook for making over a room.

I hope these 10 easy DIY projects for your home help you bring more happiness into your home.

50+ DIY Organization Ideas for Every Room

February 28, 2019 by Eileen Leave a Comment

You know that one moment after you’re done cleaning where your house is perfectly organized.

Not one item is out of place. It’s perfect.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long.

This year I am on a quest to have my home organized so that everything has a neat, organized place. No more messy drawers, packed closets, nor random items that just seem to collect.

Of course, Marie Kondo is helping us out because I’ve finally been able to get rid of some unnecessary items (If you haven’t watched or read Tidying Up, get on that 🙂 )

So today, I’ve compiled 50+ DIY organization ideas to help us all in our quests to keep an organized home. There are some awesome storage and organization DIY projects, so be sure to check them out.

Organized by room, here are dozens of DIY organization ideas for every room in your home.

Entryway Organization Ideas

It’s amazing to have an organized area when you are entering and leaving your house. We recently added built-ins to our mudroom, and it’s a wonderful feeling seeing all the shoes, hats, and coats in their designated spots. Below are several DIY entryway projects that can help you get your mudroom or entryway organized.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree | The Frugal Homemaker

DIY Industrial Shoe Rack | Two Feet First

Entryway Built-Ins with Locker-Style Cubbies | Just Measuring Up

Shoe Shelves for the Closet | Dukes and Duchesses

Living Room Organization DIYs

It can be really hard to keep a family room or a living room organized, especially because everyone – especially kids – spend so much time in there. Here are some really great ideas to keep your living room space tidy and functional.

Gorgeous Floating Shelves | Shrimp Salad Circus

Floating Ladder Shelves | Anika’s DIY Life

IKEA TV Stand Hack | Refashionably Late

No Sew Rope Baskets | Happiness is Homemade

Floating TV Shelf | Pretty Handy Girl

Bathroom Organization Ideas

There are so many creative bathroom ideas – from shelving to organization caddies to trash cans. Even if you think your bathroom is pretty organized, I’m sure you’ll find some ideas below that you can’t wait to include in your bathroom.

DIY Bathroom Pipe Shelves | House by the Bay Design

DIY Bathroom Tray | Creative Ramblings

Cabinet Door Mounted Garbage Can | Abbotts at Home

DIY Electric Toothbrush Holder | DIY Danielle

DIY Box Shelves | Health, Home, and Heart

Bathroom Vanity Shelf | T. Moore Home

Kitchen Organization Ideas

Whether we like it or not, we spend way too much time in the kitchen. Here are some amazing DIY kitchen organization ideas – including spice organization and pantry organization, which are definitely two hot spots for us. What’s your hot spot in your kitchen? Hopefully the below ideas will inspire you to create a DIY kitchen solution that works for you.

Fruit Rack Storage Idea | Red Cottage Chronicles

DIY Menu Chalkboard | Happily Ever After, Etc.

Foldable Recipe Stand | Cherished Bliss

Creating a Functional Pantry | DIY Beautify

DIY Spice Rack | The Handyman’s Daughter

Installing a CD Tower into a Pantry Wall | Just Measuring Up

Easy DIY Kitchen Caddy | The DIY Village

Command Center Organization

Ahh the command center. The place that keeps the whole family organized. We are definitely lacking in this department. If you’re anything like us, the below ideas for command center organization will help you get up to speed.

Rustic Hallway Command Center | Houseful of Handmade

DIY Junk Drawer Organizer | By Brittany Goldwyn

DIY Memo Board | Sawdust Sisters

Command Center Calendar | Kenya Rae

Bedroom & Closet Organization

Having an organized bedroom and closet can start your day off on the right foot. So many times there’s a lack of storage in bedrooms – and closets usually come with just one rod and one top shelf. The below bedroom and closet organization ideas will help you to organize your clothes, jewelry, nightstand items, essential oils, and more.

Modern DIY Side Table | Southern Revivals

Easy DIY Closet Organizer | Two Feet First

Anthropologie-Inspired Jewelry Organizer | Renovating Mapleson Manor

Easy Wooden Closet Shelving | The DIY Dreamer

Rast IKEA Nightstand Hack | Practically Functional

Essential Oil Storage | Songbird Blog

DIY Necklace Hanger | Shine Your Light

DIY Closet Drawers and Shelves | Pinspired to DIY

Craft Room Organization

Crafters usually collect so many different types of items – paint, fabric, felt, yarn, thread, card stock. Gosh, you can even have half a dozen pairs of scissors. It’s tough to keep everything organized, but these below ideas can definitely help bring some organization to your craft room.

DIY Swing Out Shelves | Just Measuring Up

DIY Mini Crate Organizer | Delicious and DIY

Vinyl Storage Rack for the Craft Room | Girl, Just DIY!

Pegboard, Cubbies, and Simple Shelves for the Craft Room | Just Measuring Up

Craft Room Organization | Sweet Red Poppy

Play Room Organization

Getting your play room organized is such a tough task, especially when the little ones can destroy it in a matter of minutes. Happens all the time over here 🙂 Below are some great DIY ideas to get your playroom looking neater.

Homemade Kids Toy Organizer | Bitterroot DIY

Playroom Storage | My Kitchen My Craft

Easy DIY Desk | Kaleidoscope Living

Easy Organized Toy Baskets | Design Inside the Box

Upcycled Coffee Container | Mad in Crafts

DIY Memo Board | Little Bits of Home

Garage & Tool Organization

Just as kids playrooms get so disorganized, it’s so easy for our tools and garage to become the ultimate mess too, especially when you have several projects going or are constantly adding more tools and materials. These ideas will help you keep your tools organized, with or without a garage.

How to Organize Tools without a Garage | Living Letter Home

Folding Workbench | Just Measuring Up

Garage Paint Shelves | Savvy Apron

Easy Storage Boxes | What Meegan Makes

French Cleat Removable Storage Boxes | Just Measuring Up

DIY Corner Shelves | Kenarry

There you have it!

50+ organizational ideas for your entryway, living room, bathroom, kitchen, command center, bedroom, craft room, playroom, and garage. So many amazing DIYs that can help you.

I hope these DIYs inspired you to take charge of some of these messy areas of your home.

They definitely inspired me!

St. Patrick’s Day DIY Decor in Just 10 Minutes

February 26, 2019 by Eileen 5 Comments

Make this easy St. Patrick’s Day DIY decor craft to decorate your home. The materials for this craft are simple and you can make it in 10 minutes!

I love decorating for St. Patrick’s Day for so many reasons. First, I’m almost 100% Irish. Second, I love decorating with shades of green.

And third, I feel like St. Patrick’s Day is the beginning of spring. The greens make everything look so happy and vibrant.

The problem is that it’s hard to find St. Patrick’s Day decor that isn’t cheesy looking, so I almost always make my own.

Today, I’m sharing a super easy St. Patrick’s Day DIY project that you can do in just 10 minutes.

St. Patrick’s Day DIY Decor Craft

This DIY shamrock picture is very simple to make, and it turns out so pretty! The materials for the St. Patrick’s Day DIY decor craft are listed below – but if you’re a crafter, I’m sure you can find this materials around the house, making this a zero dollar project.

Materials for the DIY Shamrock Decor

Card Stock or Scrap Book Paper in patterns you love
Scissors
Glue
Picture Frame (or you can make one – tutorial coming soon!)

Instructions for the DIY Shamrock Decor

These four simple steps will show you exactly how to make this DIY shamrock picture frame.

Choose your Scrapbook Papers

First, I looked at what materials I could use for the background, and I settled on scrapbook paper.

I had a book in my collection from my sister’s bridal shower last year. Many of the patterns weren’t touched – and I loved them even more than when I originally bought them.

I chose one scrapbook sheet for my background – it was one that looked like a birch tree, and I chose another one for the shamrock. This one was light green. Both sheets of scrapbook paper looked textured but worked well together.

I also tossed around the idea of using fabric for the background, but I liked my scrapbook paper options better than my fabric options. I try not to make extra trips to the store because that takes the fun out of using what you have 🙂

If you choose fabric, then just attach your shamrock with mod podge instead of glue.

Choose a Picture Frame

Next, I looked around the house for a picture frame that would work. I had this simple heart (below) up as decoration for Valentine’s Day, and I loved how the frame was deep and there wasn’t any glass.

I always take the glass out of frames if my pictures are hanging in a place where they constantly glare, or if I’m hanging them in my kids’ rooms.

Also, I thought about making a simple frame. It would be super simple, so I’ll probably do a tutorial on this soon.

Make & Attach Shamrock

After, I had chosen my picture frame and my scrapbook paper, I got started on my shamrock.

How to draw a shamrock?

You can draw a shamrock really easily by just drawing one heart. Then cut out the heart and fold it in half vertically. Trim as necessary, making sure the heart is symmetrical.

Then, I traced the heart on the back of my background scrapbook paper. Then, I turned the heart sideways and traced it two more times, creating a shamrock. I added a stem, and the shamrock was done. If you need help drawing your shamrock, I have a shamrock in my free Resource Library that you can trace. It’s easy to google and print a shamrock too 🙂

Cut your shamrock out. Use a good pair of scissors – it’s worth having a nice pair of scissors for crafty projects rather than your junk drawer scissors.

Trim Your Background & Attach

Next, you’ll trim your background to fit perfectly inside the picture frame.

Make sure to measure carefully so you aren’t wasting your scrapbook paper.

After that, just glue your shamrock to your scrapbook paper and place in the frame.

It’s definitely a very simple St. Patrick’s Day DIY decor craft. The cost of the DIY shamrock decoration was zero dollars because I found all of the materials for this decor craft around my house. I love a DIY where you can use things you have.

But, the best part is definitely that you can easily remove your shamrock and reuse for the next holiday.

A bunny would look perfect, wouldn’t it!?

If you’re looking for another DIY St. Patrick’s Day craft, check out this easy burlap banner.

Easy Swing Out Wall Shelves from Scrap Wood

February 15, 2019 by Eileen 52 Comments

This post will show you how to make these easy wall shelves that swing out, providing ample wood storage for small spaces.

In an effort to share more creative DIY ideas and generate fresh content, my friend Megan from Two Feet First and I have co-organized a group of fun DIY challenges.

For every month, there is a theme, and almost 40 talented DIY bloggers will be participating and sharing their how to projects focused on that theme. The themes are really fun, such as building a whole project with a 2×4 or building a piece of furniture cheaper than buying it – you can find more here – At Home DIY.

This month’s theme is to Build to Organize, and my hubby put together these DIY swing out wall shelves for my craft room. Be sure to scroll to the end of this post to check out everyone’s “Build to Organize” projects. There are some awesome organization DIYs!

DIY Swing Out Wall Shelves

I love a good storage solution – a creative way to store something, a hidden pull-out cabinet, furniture that folds out from the wall.

In fact, the tiny house shows are my favorite. I am always oogling at all the ideas to create more storage.

I have a little craft corner in sitting room off our bedroom, where I thought I had completely maximized my wall storage space. However, I found a seven-inch area on the end of a cubby shelf we built, where I could add more storage.

When thinking about organizational ideas, I was thinking of making just a simple shelf to hold some of my acrylic paints, and then my hubs comes along and turned my design into a swing-out shelf, that would hold three times the paint bottles.

Who can say no to that?!

After all that, it looked just a little too plain, so I added the colorful background.

The best part of this design is that you can build just the simple shelf, or you can build both pieces, making this easy DIY swing out wall shelf. The simple shelf holds one row of paints, and the second piece holds two rows of paints. If you build the whole thing, like we did, you’ll have three rows of shelving.

Here our my hubby’s instructions on how he built these swing out shelf cabinet.

Design for Swing Out Shelves

Here is the design for the swing out wall shelves that I sketched on my computer:

The swing out shelf was going to attach to the end of a cubby shelf I had built. We love to maximize all the space everywhere.

The project consisted of two vertical boxes of shelves. Either one could work as a stand alone shelf, but we like to kick things up a notch. So I planned on hinging the shelves together for maximum storage efficiency. The left box would swing freely, and the right box would be affixed to the wall.

For the freely swinging box, I had to put small ledges to prevent items from sliding off the shelves while opening or closing the unit. I also had plans for a small magnetic catch to keep the shelves closed when not in use.

Tools and Materials

Material for the Shelf

3/4″ plywood OR board for frame
Strips of 3/8″ plywood for individual shelves
Small hinges
Construction adhesive
Finishing nails
White Paint

Tools for Building the Shelf

Table saw / miter saw for cutting the wood
Drill for the hinge screw holes
12″ Bar clamp to hold the frame together while nailing

Making the Colorful Background

Mod Podge
Card stock – Here is the patterned paper I used
Foam brushes

Instructions for Building Swing Out Shelves

To start this project, I used my table saw and cut out a piece of 3/4″ thick plywood, about 30″ x 12″. This piece would be used to construct the frames for the two shelving units. I actually wanted to use boards for these shelves, but I didn’t have any lying around the garage.

So plywood would have to do.

The disadvantage of the plywood was that I would have to glue on some trim to hide the exposed plywood edges. Also, plywood doesn’t have as smooth a surface as boards. However, I love a good scrap wood project, and this route worked well.

Cutting Grooves for the Shelves

With my plywood cut, I used a pencil and ruler to mark the positions of slots where the individual shelves would go. I planned on cutting grooves to insert 3/8″ thick plywood sheets for the shelves.

Here’s a picture of the marked up plywood with shelving grooves outlined:

I used my table saw to cut out the shelving grooves. Since the table saw blade was only 1/8″ wide, I had to make 3 separate cuts to get each 3/8″ wide groove required for the shelves.

After each cut, I slide the plywood over by 1/8″ until I achieved my desired groove thickness.

Here’s a close-up of one of the grooves being cut by the table saw:

Times like this I wished I had some dado blades. I would be able to stack multiple blades together to make a 3/8″ cutting surface, and cut out the grooves in one pass, instead of three.

Here’s a picture showing all the shelving grooves cut out:

Cutting the Strips for a Swing Out Wall Shelf Frame

Next, I used the table saw again to cut the plywood into strips to be used to construct the shelving boxes:

Constructing a Frame for the Swing Out Wall Shelves

To join the plywood pieces together to form a frame, I used construction adhesive, a bar clamp, and my finishing nail gun.

Here you can see I clamped together some plywood strips to get ready for nailing:

Here’s a close-up of the finishing nailgun in action:

Once I joined four pieces of plywood to make a frame, I nailed on a backing strip of 3/8″ plywood:

To build the second shelving box, I repeated the same steps for the first box. However, I omitted the the 3/8″ plywood backing sheet, as it was not needed for the second box.

Here are both shelving boxes assembled:

Cutting and Inserting the Plywood Shelves

Next it was time to cut 7.5″ long strips of 3/8″ thick plywood for the individual shelves. Theses were going to be inserted into the grooves I cut earlier.

I used the miter saw to quickly cut the strips:

Here I am inserting the 3/8″ plywood shelves into the boxes:

Here is the completed pair of shelves:

Trimming and Painting the Swing Out Wall Shelves

Next I used the table saw to cut strips of 3/8″ plywood trim for the shelves:

I used constructive adhesive to attach the trim to the plywood boxes:

Here are the completed shelving boxes with trim:

Now it was time for a paint job:

Decorating the Swing Out Wall Shelves with Patterned Paper

After the paint dried, I wanted to the give the inside shelving box a colorful look. So I planned on cutting out rectangular sheets of patterned paper and adhering it to the back of the shelves with Mod Podge:

Here’s some of the card stock paper I used for this step:

The inside shelving box was completed. It looked awesome with the patterned paper:

Now it was finally time to connect the two shelving boxes with a hinge. Here I have placed a hinge on the two boxes, and marked the center holes to pre-drill for screws:

Mounting the Swing Out Wall Shelves

With the hinges attached, I needed a way to mount the shelves on some custom built cubbies I made recently. Instead of just screwing the shelves to the cubbies, I opted to mount the top and bottom with some metal plates, as seen below:

Finally, it was time to mount the shelves! I positioned them in between the metal plates attached to the cubbies, and screwed them into the plates.

The metal mounting plates (also called mending plates) worked out great because I didn’t have to see screw heads holding the shelves on.

Also, I didn’t have to put any visible screw holes into the cubbies in case I wanted to move the shelves somewhere else in the future.

However, if you’re doing a similar project, you may not have a mounting area with the same height as your shelves.

So it’s just as easy to mount the shelves to a wall. I would suggest using screws with washers to fasten the plywood backing of the inner shelving box to the wall. The washers would help prevent the plywood from ripping through the screw heads and falling to the ground under load.

Swing Out Wall Shelves in Action

Here are some pictures of the awesome mounted shelves. Here is the shelf mounted and empty. You can easily see that the swinging part can hold two rows of acrylic paint.

Here is the closed swing out shelf. It’s actually three rows deep – the first two rows of paint are on the swinging door.

And, here is the swinging shelf open:

I used all scrap wood for these swinging wall shelves, so the budget was very low – under $15 for the hinges. Even if I had to purchase the wood though, I can’t image it being more than $35 in total to make this project.

Let me know if you try it out!

Be sure to check out all of the below Build to Organize Projects. Enjoy all the inspiration!

Turn Cardboard Boxes into Storage Bins with this Genius Trick

February 8, 2019 by Eileen 4 Comments

Getting organized can be expensive.

At first, storage bins seem cheap because some only cost a few bucks.

But, multiply that by the number that you need – and you’ll find that getting organized is super pricey.

It’s easy to use old Amazon boxes or cereal boxes for organization, but then the bins don’t look as nice.

And, I love when things match and look pretty – like the expensive ones in the store.

If you’re like me, I have super simple solution for you.

It will help you save money by creating your own storage boxes but the solution will keep you from having to look at Tony the Tiger while putting your things away.

DIY Storage Bins with Three Materials

You can easily reuse old cardboard boxes and cover them in contact paper. Add a knob and you’ll have yourself a little storage bin that can be easily pulled out.

For full instructions, hop on over to my post how to make storage bins from cardboard boxes.

I have these homemade storage bins all over my house, in various sizes and colors, and they are easy, thrifty, and they keep your house looking nice.

DIY Storage in the Nursery

I made the first set of DIY storage bins when I was pregnant with my son, and I couldn’t find changing table bins that were the right size for his discounted changing table. So, I put these together and absolutely LOVED them. They used the changing table space perfectly, provided plenty of storage, and were really durable.

I lined the insides with contact paper too – for easing cleanup.

The thing that makes these storage bins so perfect is the knobs. They’ve held up for so many years – even after the constant pulling when grabbing diapers. Check out the how-to post to for easy instructions on this.

DIY Storage in Closets

Since the DIY storage bins turned out so nice, I started organizing everything in my home using random boxes and contact paper.

One of my favorite places I used these cardboard box storage bins was in my hall coat closets.

Using boxes keeps everything so organized. Everyone in my family has their own boxes for gloves, hats, etc. The knob makes the storage drawer easy to pull too.

I love how it maximizes the space too. Every bit of space is used – from the shelf to the ceiling.

We actually have double shelves in here – so I can fit 8 of these storage boxes in the closet!

DIY Storage in the Pantry

In the pantry, I also have these bins. I don’t like resting food and drinks directly on the floor, so I originally used baby wipe boxes.

I had some leftover contact paper from the closet project, so I whipped these together. How much better does this look?!

DIY Storage for the Office

The last thing that needed major organizing was my hubby’s office, which is filled with every computer part there is. (And after watching Marie Kondo, it definitely needs to be revisited…)

I saved up all the diaper boxes for months and covered them in black contact paper.

One type of contact paper had a leathery look, which was cool, and the other was chalkboard contact paper.

This made it fun and easy to label 🙂

I loved how different and modern the chalkboard storage boxes looked. It shows how you can achieve any kind of look you want depending on the contact paper.

Other Places for DIY Storage

You can use these DIY storage bins anywhere that you need smaller compartments to organize things.

They are great for toy storage because the boxes are sturdy but light – and the knob makes it easy for kids to pull. You can make these storage bins to fit into cubby shelves too.

The DIY storage bins could be used a filing system for papers or mail.

You can use the storage bins on any kind of shelf. For example, if you have a bookshelf, but toys line the bottom – this is a perfect way to hide those toys in a stylish way.

To Do 🙂

Basically, save all of your old boxes, pick up some contact paper at the dollar store and start getting organized!

Here’s one more look at our changing table – the original inspiration for the cardboard storage boxes.

Happy organizing!

DIY Nursery Wall Decor on a Budget

January 22, 2019 by Eileen 4 Comments

DIY Nursery Wall Decor on a Budget Post Preview: Make your own DIY nursery wall decor with this simple tutorial. This easy wall art is perfect for anyone to make on a budget for their child’s nursery.

While wandering around the craft store, I found a fun sale item – a few rolls of adhesive fabric. It was discounted and it was pretty, so of course, I bought it and stashed it in my craft room.

Lately, I’ve been working on my daughter’s nursery, bringing in some brighter colors and textures – leading me back to those adhesive fabric rolls.

I got out the fabric and a few other things from around the house – and threw together these easy DIY nursery wall hangings. If you are looking to decorate your nursery, before you start shopping on Etsy or at Target, check out this easy tutorial – anyone can do it and you’ll save a ton of money. I also have the baby animal outlines available to you for free.

Baby Animal Nursery Wall Hangings

This DIY wall art is so simple to make. Below are the materials you’ll need to make this adorable nursery decor. If you are worried that you aren’t very artistic, almost no skills are required. With the free baby animal templates, all you need to do is cut it out and attach. This is a perfect first DIY project that you can get done during naptime.

Nursery Wall Art Materials

3 8×10 Picture Frames (If you can’t get to the store, there’s these frames )
Adhesive fabric (I found these at Michaels but I LOVE these textured ones)
X-acto Knife
Scissors – Use a really good pair of scissors. You’ll get a much nicer edge with a great pair.
Optional: card stock – keep reading for more on this 🙂
Baby animal outlines (see below for free wall art templates)

Material Alternatives

If you can’t use the adhesive fabric, you can certainly use scrapbook or card stock or some other material you find around your home. I’m all about using things from around your house! If your material doesn’t have its own adhesive, you can use mod podge or adhesive dots to place on the back.

Print & Cut Baby Animal Outlines

After you gather your materials, you’ll want to print out the baby animal outlines. If you can, print it on card stock.

That way when you cut it out, you’ll easily be able to trace the card stock cut-out onto the fabric. If you don’t have card stock, no problem. You’ll just be extra careful when tracing.

Trace Baby Animal on Fabric

After you have printed and cut out the baby animals, trace the animals onto the BACK of the adhesive fabric. You’ll get a better cut cutting from the back (less tear on the fabric) and you won’t have to worry about pencil lines. I traced onto the front the first time – and while it looked nice, using the back was much easier and gave a cleaner look.

I also made sure to center the animals vertically and horizontally.

Cut Out the Animals

Find a hard board, big old book, or some other surface that is fine to cut on. Then, use the X-acto knife to carefully cut out the baby elephant, lion, and giraffe. Remember you are using the outside of what you are cutting – not the animal itself.

If you’ve never used an X-acto knife before, it’s super easy. Just practice first to make sure you can the hang of it.

I found the easiest way to use the E-xacto knife is to pivot the sheet when you to make a turn, rather than picking up the knife constantly. When you are finished separate the baby animal from main piece.

Place Fabric onto Background Paper

Choose a background to place the main piece on. I was planning on using card stock, but my card stock choices weren’t cutting it. The white looked way too harsh against my fabric. So I found some watercolor paper that wasn’t as pure white and gave the animal a little texture.

Then, I carefully separate the fabric from the adhesive. I found the best way to do this was to peel off about the first inch going across.

Next, I placed this part directly onto the watercolor paper. I then carefully pulled the backing as the fabric part slid onto the watercolor paper. You can also slide a ruler across the fabric – but be careful not to stretch or misshape the fabric.

Placing the fabric onto the watercolor paper was very similar to using contact paper.

Frame Your Animals

Last, choose a frame for your baby elephant, baby lion, and baby giraffe, and you are finished! How’s that for nursery wall art on a budget?!

If you don’t have the adhesive fabric, you can very easily use something else – such as card stock, wall paper, wrapping paper, or anything else you can find around your home. Save your money and use what you have 🙂

Time & Cost

This project should only take you about an hour or so to complete. I hem and haw over everything, so I feel like things take me longer at times. However, I finished the project before my daughter woke from her nap.

Nursery Decor on a Budget

My total cost for the nursery decor wall art was less than $20 – and almost all of that was spent on the picture frames. I did get two frames on sale and with a coupon from the craft stores. The third frame I took off my wall and painted white when I decided to add a lion one too. The adhesive fabric for the nursery prints was $5 on sale.

To save more money, check thrift stores and dollar stores for cheap frames and look around your house at materials you can use or reuse.

If you’re looking for nursery decor, definitely think about making it yourself. Not only will you save money while still getting nice quality art work, but you’ll have something special that you made yourself for your son’s or daughter’s nursery. And, if you aren’t that artistic – don’t worry! With the free baby animal templates. all you have to be able to do is cut.

This easy nursery decor craft makes me smile every time I look at it. Hope it does the same for you 🙂