Crafty Girls Projects: Turn a drawer into a shelf

Here is the first installment of our crafty projects. I'm not going to do one of those "how to" posts and walk you through step by step. This isn't a how to blog. But if you want instructions, just email me and I'd be happy to share. For the cost of a cup of coffee or a new job.

During my first trip to the Rebuilding Center, I was on the lookout for something I could make a little vanity-type station with for my bedroom. A place I could put a mirror (which I already owned) and do my makeup and store my jewelry (since all my furniture is in storage).

And in a stroke of brilliance, saw an old drawer and immediately envisioned it as a shelf. Because I am brilliant. BA-rilliant. Honestly. I'd never thought of it before, but when I saw the drawer sitting on its side, it wasn't hard to picture it for another use.

So I bought the drawer for $3 and bought a $3 can of espresso colored spray paint (it was blond wood with a cream lacquer on the front of the drawer. I chose the espresso because my sheets are a rusty orange and when I get my bed, it's a creamy color, so the espresso should be a modern compliment. I really wanted a flat brown, but they didn't carry it, so I went with a satin finish. Ultimately, I like the satin, so I'm glad it worked out that way.

And of course I forgot to take a picture of the drawer before I painted it. But here it is after one coat of paint:

And here it is hanging on my wall with my stuff. I mounted that mirror on the wall and didn't set it on the shelf, because I didn't want it falling.

It's not crooked, I just didn't take a straight shot.

Didn't it turn out so cute?

But it doesn't end there! Lynnette and I liked this idea so much that we decided to do the same thing in our kitchen to make a spice rack above our ugly ass green stove *shudder*.

We went back to the Rebuilding Center and were lucky enough to find a drawer with partitions already inside it (I assume for socks or something) which would make nice shelves for our spices if we turned it on its side.

Once again, I of course forgot to photograph it before painting. But it was also a blond wood and we chose a flat black because all our kitchen furniture is black and red (but more on that later). Here 'tis:

I'm holding it up because we haven't mounted it yet, but you get the idea. 

See how ugly our stove is? *shudder*

So imagine it flipped on its side and that's how it looked as a drawer. And we took the handle off, painted it red and moved it sideways (you can see the original holes).

To use as a towel rack.

Next? Our kitchen table and chairs! oooooooh.

If you want instructions on how to do this, just email awesomecrazylady at gmail dot com.