Organizing

DIY Wood Shelf Craft Storage

We needing some shelving in our new craft room. The space we had to work with was 81 inches floor to ceiling and about 15 ft. wide. We wanted something sturdy and easy to throw together. We decided to go with 2×4 shelving. It is relatively cheap, easy to work with, super strong and if you don’t go crazy with the screw fasteners it can be disassembled pretty simply if you need to move it.

The other dimensions we landed on were the depth of the shelves at 14” and the distance between the shelves of 13”. Once we had these picked it was just a matter of drawing up the simple design to maximize the space and minimize the number of cuts. This way I could buy standard 2×4 lengths.

Overall the shelving unit measures 68 inches (H) x 14 inches (W) x 12 ft (L). It has five levels of shelves spaced 13 inches apart and allowing a nice clearance to the ceiling on the top shelf. We were able to get all of the pieces we needed out of (23) 2x4x12’ and (2) 2x4x10’. The unit is held together with 2” and 2.5” # 8 phillips deck screws and wood glue.

Purchase list:

(23) 2x4x12’ 2” #8 phillips deck screw

(2) 2x4x10’ 2.5” #8 phillips deck screws Wood glue

Cut List:

(15) 2x4x 14 inch rungs

(6) 2x4x68’ ladder legs

Tools:

Circular saw or chop saw

Milwaukee cordless Hex impact with phillips bit

Milwaukee Cordless drill for pilot holes

Hammer

Measuring tape

Pencil

Ladder supports

The first thing to do is to build what I call the ladder supports. It’s obvious why I call them this, they look like ladders with the rungs providing the support for the shelf boards. This length of unit needs three of these identical ladder supports. So first using 3 of the 2x4x12’ boards cut (6) 2x4x68” pieces which will be the legs of the ladder and using the (2) 2x4x10’ cut 15 pieces 14” long which will be the rungs of the ladder. After you have all the pieces cut lay out one of the ladders on the floor and mark the legs at the point where you want the rungs to attach. Remember that you will be placing a 2×4 on top of these that will become the actual shelf surface. So adjust the position of the rungs so they are evenly spaced with the top rung allowing the shelf to be flush with the top of the leg and the remaining shelves to be 13 inches below the next shelf as you go down. (see picture). Secure the 14 inch rungs in place between the two legs using the 2.5” deck screws and glue on the joints. Use 4 screws per rung. We drilled pilot holes in the leg to make it easier to hold the rung and get it square on the leg as you screw it in. We used a really awesome Milwaukee power impact driver that made life really easy. It had tons of power and the torque settings were perfect to keep the phillips drill bit in the screw without twisting out, and not countersinking so rapidly that it splits the wood. At the end of this section you will have three identical ladder supports.

Shelf stringer boards

Now take the rest of the 2x4x12’ boards and place them between the ladder supports. Four boards will fit snugly within the 14 inch space in the rung. When you have a ladder section on each end and one centered in the middle at the 6 foot mark. Use the 2 inch deck screws to secure the shelf boards to the rungs. I find it wise to have a helper and to fix one shelf board top front and back and bottom front and back first. This will hold the whole thing together and upright while you set the rest of the shelf boards. Finish setting and screwing in the shelf boards and you are done !!

We also threw together a paint storage unit with our extra 2×4 from this project. It is super simple. Another ladder unit as you can see. We just measured the space and cut our shelves to fit.

Remeber our DIY Custom Built-ins from Bookshelves…

It was hard to leave this awesome set up, but we are finally getting settled into a new studio that we love!

50 Plus Awesome DIY Storage Ideas

by Johnnie Collier

It is time for spring cleaning, and I am here to help you with 50+ awesome DIY storage ideas. You can get organized on a budget with this week’s collection. As always, if we missed your awesome DIY storage tutorial, send us the link or comment after this post. Enjoy!

Repurposed Toy Car Box to Sewing Notions Storage

by Johnnie Collier

Hello! I’m Steph and I blog at The Silly Pearl. I’m mom to 7 year old twin girls and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.I love to repurpose containers into storage for my craft room. So I’m excited to show you what I made today here on Saved By Love Creations: I took a plastic toy car storage box (don’t worry, it’s not vintage!) and created a storage box for my collection of vintage trims that I’m always collecting from the thrift store. Thanks so much Johnnie for having me on your blog today to share my tutorial!

My girls do have a collection of cars themselves, but most are larger and wouldn’t fit into the compartments of the box. So I thought I could use it for myself in the craft room, to house all the little lengths of rick rack, seam binding, lace, and bias tape currently tangled in a box.

First step is to remove the label on the front and spray paint the entire box, inside and out. Choose a spray paint that bonds to plastic. Use a primer as well. Do several thin coats, allowing time to dry in between. Be sure to follow the drying time recommendations on the spray cans, particularly in between the primer and the color. I chose a turquoise color that I have a lot in my craft room.

Once the paint is dry and you’ve allowed it to cure, you can start applying the scrapbook paper. An 8×12 inch piece of scrapbook paper fit perfectly on the front (I used my Xyron 9-inch Creative Station to apply adhesive to my scrapbook paper). Then I framed the paper with some red rick rack using my Xyron 1.5-inch sticker maker.

Inside the lid, I created a pocket by folding an 8×12 inch piece of paper in half. I applied adhesive to just one of the folded sides and pressed that to the bottom half of the lid so that the other half of the paper unfolds out towards the bottom. Then I applied adhesive to another 8×12 inch piece of paper and pressed it to the inside of the first piece.

Then I applied some double-stick tape to the edges of that unfolded half and pressed down the edges over that 2nd piece of paper. To allow some give for the pocket, I adhered the pocket at a slight angle on both sides.

I grabbed some clothespins and wooden spools and wrapped my trims around them. For narrower trims, I used the wood spools, securing the ends with a little bit of washi tape. For wider trims, or for trims where I had a longer length, I used clothespins. Just make sure the clothespins and wood spools you use aren’t too wide or tall for the compartments. I was able to stack two of these one-inch spools into one compartment.

On the outside, I used a piece of cardboard that one of my trims came in, and with some letter stamps and more trims (of course), I created a label and adhered it to the front. All done!

Inside, I stored some vintage trims that are still in their packaging. Plus, I added some trim along the edges of the pocket papers.

Before and After!

Hope you’ll come on by my blog for more craft tutorials and check out my craft room ideas as well. Also, find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Thank you again Johnnie for having me here on your blog today! –Steph @ The Silly Pearl

DIY Wood Pallet Coat Rack

by Johnnie Collier

My sweet friend Jordan came over to learn how to build, and we started with this simple DIY Coat Rack from Shanty 2 Chic. I love when people have an interest in learning how to work with power tools, especially women. It is so much easier than most would think, and there is not much more fulfilling than creating your own beautiful pieces from a pile of wood. We followed Ashley’s steps, substituting pallet wood everywhere except for the 4×4 and the furniture foot on top of the coat rack. That made this project super cheap, and Jordan mastered the Kreg Jig, compound mitre saw, drill and air nailer! I think she is addicted, just like I was after My First Woodworking Build.

Here are the pallet wood legs that attach perpendicular to the bottom of the 4×4.

I was so glad the Shanty 2 Chic instructions suggested to make a line around the bottom of the 4×4 using the width of 1×3 scraps attached to the underside of the legs. This made attaching the legs to the 4×4 super simple. Jordan used the Ryobi Air Strike cordless nailer to attach the pallet scrap “feet” to the underside of the legs. This tool makes building way faster and easier!

Jordan attached the legs to the 4×4 using pocket holes she created with the Kreg jig, just like Ashley did in the Shanty 2 Chic tutorial. To attach the angled supports, she used the Ryobi Nailer again.

To finish up, I cut a square from pallet wood and drilled a hole in the middle of it, using a bit just smaller than the diameter of the rebar on the furniture foot I picked up at Lowes. (Jordan had to take off for an appointment, so I finished up the project that took just a couple of hours start to finish).

I applied Minwax Wood Conditioner, followed by Rustoleum Wood Stain in Mineral Green. Since I used wood that was different to start (the purchased, unfinished 4×4 and the weathered pallet wood), the stain took differently. To unify the piece, I went over the stain in aging wax by Plaid.

Once that dried, I placed the furniture foot in place on top, and added 4 hooks purchased from Lowes.

The piece stayed at my home for a few days before I took it to Jordan. I got attached. That is why I am no building my own! It is a perk of creating with others… this isn’t a piece I would have thought of for my space, and now I must have it. Thanks Jordan!

DIY Reclaimed Wood Craft Paint Storage Shelves

by Johnnie Collier

Paint storage is an issue in my new craft space. Bookshelves are not a great solution since they are so deep and tall. I like to be able to see my paints for inspiration, and to get to the colors I need easily. I decided to make my own shelves that are shallow and closely spaced so that I could fit as many as possible in the allotted area. This was a quick and easy project, made with reclaimed wood I had on hand, so I spent zero dollars.

SUPPLIES:

Reclaimed wood cut to length and width you want your shelves

Shims cut from 2x wood, the same length as the shelves (mine are 24 inches), 1/4 inch thick

2 1/2 inch Kreg Screws Kreg Jig

Ryobi Air Nailer

Wood Glue

Leveler

Stud Finder

Pencil

Tape Measurer

Straight Edge

TUTORIAL:

Cut shelves to 24 inches. I used tongue and groove boards that I had on hand and ripped to 3.5 inches to fit my 3.25 inch paint jars. I cut the groove edge off when I ripped them, so that the tongue edge would create a lip for the wood shims to sit on as the front of the shelf in a later step.

Find studs and mark shelf boards in 2 spots where you will create pocket holes with Kreg Jig. Create pocket holes like I showed you here: How to use a Kreg Jig. I decided to stagger my shelves, so I created pocket holes four inches from each end on half of my shelves and on the other half, 1 inch from one end and 7 inches from the other end.

Use tape measurer and straight edge to draw lines on the wall where your shelves will go. I spaced my shelves 5.75 inches apart. Use 2.5 inch Kreg Screws to attache shelves into studs on your marked lines. After placing the first screw, use leveler to level shelf, then place second screw in the other stud.

Add wood glue to the tongue lip and place wood shim, creating front of shelf. Nail shim into place with 1 inch brads in air nailer.

Attach all shelves and place paint!

So easy, and free, this paint storage solution is tops!

What do you think? How do you stay organized in your creative space?

Recycled Wine Bottle Tiered Veggie Stand

by Johnnie Collier

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Do you love Dollar Store Crafts? How about making things from recycled materials? Make an all occasion display in just a few simple steps, using dollar store dishes and cut wine bottles! This project is perfect for displaying your garden harvest, letting tomatoes ripen in a window sill, filling with holiday themed candies and filler, or for storing your favorite jewelry in a fashionable way.

MATERIALS

-2 wine bottles and bottle cutting supplies – See How I Cut Wine Bottles

-E6000 or other industrial adhesive

-3 plates or dishes in varying sizes

DIRECTIONS

1. Place largest plate or dish on a flat surface and glue a wine bottle top to it as shown.

2. Glue the top of the same bottle and place middle sized dish on top of that. Continue in this fashion until your stand is constructed.

3. Let dry 24 hours before using!

Do you love it?

What are your favorite wine bottle crafts?

Would you like to see more?

VISIT OUR 50+ Dollar Store Crafts:

And our 50+ Glass Bottle Crafts:

Stylish Craft Storage with Sauder Bookcases

by Johnnie Collier

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Do you love the look of custom built-ins, but not the hefty price tag that comes with them? If you have unlimited funds at your disposal to do with whatever you like, this is not the post for you. This is for those who want the designer look on a tight budget, like us. As you may know from our recent new home tour, we are remodeling and decorating pretty much every room. Today I am sharing a peak into the studio. See how I am using affordable bookshelves from Sauder to help organize the space in style!

The ultimate plan here is to add trim and crown molding to make these bookshelves look like custom built-ins. I ordered four 5 Shelf Bookcases from the Sauder website for under $250. There is a ton of furniture to select from on the site, which is well organized and easy to navigate. The product was on my doorstep in no time!

Assembly was a cinch with easy to follow directions, taking about 30 minutes per bookshelf. If I could change anything, I would add marks where the nails should go in the backing. It was hard to know if I was on the wood or not, but I got better at it as I went along, and was a pro by the fourth bookshelf!

If you are keenly observant you may have noticed that the bottom shelf in the first image I showed you is raised compared to the initially assembled shelves. That is a part of the custom built-in plan. These bookshelves are perfect for such a project, but I needed the bottom shelf to be a few inches higher to be flush with the baseboard we will be adding for the built-in look. I cut a 1×12 to fit and attached it to the assembled piece with pocket holes. You can see the added shelf is perfeclty flush with my baseboard! More on that project to come.

If you aren’t up for tackling the custom built-in project, these bookcases are still a great solution for stylish storage! I love the white, and they are the perfect size for inexpensive storage bins to keep you organized.

Stay tuned for the built-in transformation!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sauder. The opinions and text are all mine.

How to Make Your Craft Storage Beautiful

by Johnnie Collier

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Hello there, SBLC readers! This month I have a fun and really quick project for you. I just finished repainting an old desk that took me nearly a week. While I love how it turned out, I was ready to create something cute that only takes a few minutes.

I found these cardboard tubs at Target in their Dollar Spot. That place is dangerous! I snagged two, resisting the temptation to buy them all. I thought they’d be the perfect size to corral my paintbrushes, pencils and pens that are always everywhere but where I need them to be when I want them.

I had these pretty aqua and turquoise spray paints on hand and gave the tubs a couple of quick coats. The Krylon is Ocean Breeze and the Rust-oleum is Satin Lagoon, if you’re a turquoise-lover like I am.

I picked these houndstooth sticky letters up at TJ Maxx a while back, without any idea what I’d use them for. Perfect for labeling some craft tubs.

To get them to line them up straight, place the bottoms of the letters on one edge of a ruler, or any straight edge.

Gently press the tops of the letters onto the tub, give the ruler a little twist, and the letters will pop right off, staying in perfect alignment.

Only one problem though . . . with the letters too close together, the houndstooth pattern made it hard to read the word. So I just popped them off, lined them up on the ruler again, farther apart this time, and pressed them back down. Much better.

Some other goodies I found in my craft stash were these rolls of washi tape.

Have you used washi tape yet? Oh wow, is it fun! It dresses nearly anything up in a snap!

My first attempt was a little too . . . busy, what with the houndstooth already. But you can play around with the letters and washi tape for quite a while without losing too much adhesive and eventually you’ll find a design that works just for you.

I wound up layering two tapes, first a plain turquoise and then the polka dots on top of that. So there’s color and just a little extra pattern, without making your eyes go too buggy.

Then I loaded them up. The turquoise tub says “Draw” on one side and “Create” on the other and holds my pencils, gel pens, and pigma markers.

The aqua tub says “Paint” and “Inspire” and holds some of my paintbrushes. The brushes I use the most often. Yes, I have quite a collection having painted for nearly 20 years. I actually have more markers too but I don’t use them as often so they’re tucked away on a shelf.

Of course, if Target still has some of these tubs, the markers might just wind up on my worktable with the rest of the group.

Yeah, I have a huge worktable. It’s actually a door, set on top of two bookshelves, so it measures 30″ wide by 80″ long.

And that’s why I need these craft tubs . . . because my worktable never really looks like this pic above.

No, this is more like it, with four or five projects going at once.

So if I’m doing some sketching, I grab my tub of pencils and pens and have everything I need. I usually have two to three paint projects in progress so it’s really helpful to grab all of my brushes at once, wherever I’m working in the studio.

I also love the subliminal reminders. I love to draw and paint and I create to inspire others to do the same.

Of course, if you don’t have little tubs like these, you could decorate a shoebox or any other box with a little spray paint, some stick-on letters and washi tape in a matter of minutes. And choose some words that have a special meaning just for you! It’s a great project when you need to get those creative juices flowing but you don’t have a ton of time.

When you do have a little more time, stop by Just Paint It and say hi. I’m getting ready to do some PIY Spring Flowers. (PIY = Paint It Yourself) You can always find me on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram too.

Happy Crafting!

More SBLC Storage ideas:

Wanna see how to store your markers for next to nothing? Click the following image…

How about some free, stylish book storage? Click the image below…

And here is a quick and easy dollar store 3 tiered organizer DIY:

Finally, for some more fun ideas to use those pallets, check out my 50+ pallet project roundup;

I hope you got some good ideas here today. Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

DIY Washi Tape Storage and Vintage Trunk to Craft Organizer

by Johnnie Collier

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This is your first peak into my new studio, unless of course, you follow Saved By Love Creations on Instagram. It is finally coming together in an awesome creative space after a couple of months of building and repurposing. Today I am sharing with you a vintage steamer trunk I scored and converted into storage for my supplies, as well as a scrap wood + curtain rod washi tape organizer I threw together with my Kreg Jig.

The vintage steamer trunk organizer is self explanatory. I just opened it up and stored my stuff in there. It is so cool looking that I didn’t have to do much.

Washi Tape Organizer DIY

My friend gave me these random thingies. He knew I would use them eventually.

I attached scrap wood planks between them using my Kreg Jig, like I showed you in this DIY Pallet Sign Tutorial.

I removed the “legs” and distress painted the piece like I showed you in this DIY Distress Painting With Vasoline Tutorial.

Next I attached curtain rods to the front that I got for $2 each at Wal Mart, screwed wire onto the back and hung on a hook to the wall.

Pretty simple project, and I cost next to nothing.

While we are on the topic, you may want to check out last year’s budget friendly craft storage ideas we brought you:

Wanna see how I made that handy dandy hanging marker storage up there on the left? Click the following image…

How about some free, stylish book storage? Click the image below…

And here is a quick and easy dollar store 3 tiered organizer DIY:

Chalkboard Tray To Do List With Printable

by Johnnie Collier

If you are like me, to do lists are a vital part of keeping it together! They are just necessary, so why not incorporate some chalkboard paint and burlap into creating a pretty one? Today I am sharing a quick, easy DIY chalkboard tray “To Do List”, complete with a free printable template for you to transfer onto your painted tray using transfer paper. I can’t promise your productivity and punctuality will skyrocket, but I can guarantee you will have a pretty list. That’s something, right?

SUPPLIES:

Old Tray – I got mine for $2 at a thrift store

Martha Stewart Chalkboard Paint – Black

White transfer paper

One inch foam brush

Burlap or other ribbon

White opaque gel pen

White acrylic paint

Tiny detail paintbrush

Printable “To Do List” – click the link or the thumbnail above to bring up the full resolution file, then print

Painter’s Tape

Stylus or other pointed object to trace printable through transfer paper (I used a mechanical pencil with no lead)

TUTORIAL:

Clean tray off with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Let dry then paint with chalkboard paint.

I did three thin layers, allowing complete drying between.

Once the chalkboard paint was dry, I taped the transfer paper in place.

Then I taped the printable list template on top of the transfer paper and began tracing it, making sure to use enough pressure to transfer the design through to the chalkboard background. You can lift the papers to make sure the transfer is happening and tape them back down, being careful not to let them shift in the process.

I removed the papers and was left with a faint outline of the list, which i went over with my white opaque gel pen. I had to shake the pen often to keep the ink running, and I took some of the chalkboard paint off in a couple of places by pressing to hard. Don’t do that.

I used white acrylic paint and a fine detail brush to go fill in the title text, and to touch up here and there. I ended up painting over the <<<>>> under “Things to Do”. I just liked it better without, but I left it in the printable so you have the option of using it.

Once dry, your sweet new to do list is ready to go. Hang with a burlap ribbon or embellish as you wish!

DIY Wood Shelf Craft Storage

50 Plus Awesome DIY Storage Ideas

Repurposed Toy Car Box to Sewing Notions Storage

DIY Wood Pallet Coat Rack

DIY Reclaimed Wood Craft Paint Storage Shelves

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Recycled Wine Bottle Tiered Veggie Stand

MATERIALS

DIRECTIONS

Do you love it?

What are your favorite wine bottle crafts?

VISIT OUR 50+ Dollar Store Crafts:

And our 50+ Glass Bottle Crafts:

Stylish Craft Storage with Sauder Bookcases

How to Make Your Craft Storage Beautiful

More SBLC Storage ideas:

How about some free, stylish book storage? Click the image below…

And here is a quick and easy dollar store 3 tiered organizer DIY:

DIY Washi Tape Storage and Vintage Trunk to Craft Organizer

Wanna see how I made that handy dandy hanging marker storage up there on the left? Click the following image…

How about some free, stylish book storage? Click the image below…

And here is a quick and easy dollar store 3 tiered organizer DIY:

Chalkboard Tray To Do List With Printable

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Meet Johnnie

Categories

Recent Printables

50+ Roundups

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

MATERIALS

DIRECTIONS

Do you love it?

What are your favorite wine bottle crafts?

VISIT OUR 50+ Dollar Store Crafts:

And our 50+ Glass Bottle Crafts:

More SBLC Storage ideas:

How about some free, stylish book storage? Click the image below…

And here is a quick and easy dollar store 3 tiered organizer DIY:

Wanna see how I made that handy dandy hanging marker storage up there on the left? Click the following image…

How about some free, stylish book storage? Click the image below…

And here is a quick and easy dollar store 3 tiered organizer DIY:

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Meet Johnnie

Categories

SBLC Topics