Workspace Wednesday - Plastic Drawer Makeover

Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments regarding my studio makeover on my first Workspace Wednesday posting last week. I even saw my room pinned on Pinterest (thanks Nancy!) so I guess that means I did a good job!

Today I want to share another view of my room. This first photo is taken from right behind where I sit to work. Look at the bottom right of the photo to see Stevie peeking out from where he had been napping on my chair. The other day Diana had left me a comment saying she was laughing while looking at my posts because it was like "Where's Waldo" with my cat. I think she is right! I didn't even notice him while I was taking the photo!

The shelving unit next to the door has stayed the same as before. It holds lots of books & magazines along with my ipod docking station (gotta have tunes while I'm busy creating!) and boxes of photos to scrap. Previously the three sets of plastic drawer towers shown above had been in my closet, so they were labeled and functional, but not much to look at. Once I moved them out into my room, the photo below is what I saw from my desk... I'm sure you'll agree they were not very pretty!

I didn't have another spot to put these and couldn't get rid of them...because look at how much junk good stuff they hold! So I decided to give them a make over with some pretty patterned paper to match my room. Now they are not only functional, but they also look clean and uncluttered. I really love how they turned out! If you would like to make over your plastic drawers this is what you will need:

First, I selected papers that matched my decor...and since I didn't have enough of the same prints in SU! papers for this project I bought some at the craft store...*gasp!* As it turns out, those lesser quality, lighter weight papers actually worked better for this project. Since they were not as thick they conformed to the rounded shaped of the drawers and ended up adhering better with not as many air bubbles. Lighter colored paper with more of an all over pattern looked best when dry as well, so you may want to consider this when choosing your papers.

After I selected my papers, I measured the drawers and cut them to size. (Note: It is better to cut the paper slightly shorter (about 1/16") than the depth of drawer vs having it slightly longer where it may rise even slightly above the plastic. If it's higher, eventually it will catch when opening & closing the drawers and the paper will easily start to come away from drawer front...don't ask me how I know! ;-)

After cutting to size, I then placed the papers into the drawers to get an idea of which papers looked best in which drawer position. After I liked the placement I repeated the same pattern on the other end set of drawers, and then slightly off set the middle set of drawers.

Because every brand of these type of drawers are going to be different, I am not going to bother giving you exact measurements, but I will tell you what worked best for me. My drawers are rounded and the handle juts into the inside of the drawer, so I had to cut a slit into each paper using my paper trimmer before adhering it.

Measure carefully both the width of the handle and where it is situated from the bottom of the drawer. You can make a scrap paper template if you wish. I found it worked best for my drawers to cut my slit approximately 1/8" longer than the handle actually was.

Next, you will need to remove the drawer and lay the front down on your work surface. Using a foam brush, apply a generous, but uniform coat of Glossy Mod Podge to the inside of the drawer front. (don't apply so thick that it gets gloppy)  I kept a damp sponge handy to wipe up any boo boos. My drawers are approx 13 inches wide, so there is about 1/2 inch on either side of the front that the 12" paper doesn't cover, so to those areas I did not apply any Mod Podge.

After the drawer front is covered with the Glossy Mod Podge, slide your paper into place. I smoothed out the paper lightly with my hand first and then used my bone folder to help smooth out any remaining air bubbles or ripples. I ran the bone folder along the surface of the paper right to the edge until the excess Mod Podge started to seep out the side, and then kind of burnished the edges with my fingertips using the extra Mod Podge that seeped out to help seal the edges.

After I got the main portion into place as shown above, I adhered the top portion around the handle into place last. Doing it this way I was able to fit the paper easily around the handle without getting any creases. (It took me a couple of drawers to figure this worked best for me...the first few do have a small crease or two, but even those are barely noticeable. Continue the process until all drawers are done. If you want extra protection, you can also cover the other side of your paper with a coating of Mod Podge as well. (I didn't...so hopefully it will hold up fine) Leave them open for approximately 24 hours to thoroughly dry before returning the contents to the drawers. While waiting you can create some labels for your drawers.

I used the label image from the Creative Elements stamp set and stamped them onto Avery mailing labels. I have a couple calligraphy tipped markers that are almost SU! colors so I used those to write the contents of each drawer. I sure wish SU! would sell markers in their colors with the calligraphy nib!  If you have scraps left after covering your drawers, use them to cover tin cans or small boxes to hold other supplies. Note: You can click on any of these photos to see a better detail if you wish.

I covered a couple tin cans to hold some of my paint brushes. A favorite old mug holds some colored pencils and some antique canning jars hold buttons and scraps of ribbon. The box in the center holds my card stock scraps...each file holds a different color family, and each pocket shares two colors. I've used this system for quite a while and it works out pretty well for me. The French memo board above is a project I made a while back...it holds cards I've received, photos, etc... You can read more about that here if you wish.

Here is another look from a different view.

Hope you have enjoyed this post! If you decide to cover your own plastic drawers I'd love to see how they turn out. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. Thanks for stopping by today!