It all started on a HOT Fall Florida day. My good friend Sara and I went and hit up the community garage sale.  Let me tell you, we were victorious!  I found this wood dresser in decent condition and they only wanted $15 for it. SOLD!  
What intrigued me about this piece is that it was symmetrical, (the sides naturally) but also the top and the bottom of the unit were the same! Peculiar right? Well this unique piece ended up in my garage and began collecting dust. That was until Elisha from Pneumatic Addict extended a challenge, the “Organize Build Challenge”. Challenge Accepted!

The premise of this challenge was to create a piece that would help with organization, and also included building elements.  Lucky for me, I had this dresser just itching for a nice makeover!

…and when it comes to makeovers no one does them quite like HomeRight!  I am so excited to partner up with HomeRight on this  project,  it is through  great companies like HomeRight and affiliate links that I can continue to provide all these tutorials at zero additional cost to my readers! So a big thank you to them!  (More info. available here.)

So, let’s dive in, shall we?!

How I turned a Dresser into a Mini Mudroom

I started by throwing caution to the wind and went a little crazy!  I removed the drawers and flipped it on it’s end. MIND BLOWN, right !?

  I knew I was going to need better access to the inside of the dresser, so I removed the back.  I also removed a secondary face frame from the unit. (It just made it look too bulky.)  Next, I beefed up the base using 2×3’s. 

The reason for beefing up the base ?  I wanted to be able to add some base trim, and also give it a little bit of visual weight.  I then proceeded to do the same to the top, first by adding the 2×3’s as a base to attach the trim to.

Naturally, next I added the trim to cover up the 2×3’s on the top of the unit.  After it was trimmed out,  I went a little crazy.  I cut out some of the  divider/supports! Crazy, I KNOW! ( Don’t worry I had a plan! *fingers crossed*)

Next, I constructed a series of shelves that would be inserted and attached to the dresser.  I decided to do staggered width shelves. First for visual interest, and second  I wanted to use them for… wait for it… SHOE STORAGE! Gasp, *shock and awe*.  I know, right!?   The staggered widths would be perfect for my shoes,  boots, and would also be perfect size for my kids shoes . Also with the shorter shelves  they wouldn’t need to go fishing to reach them out of the back of the cabinet.  Once the shelves were attached, it really started to come together! *phew* Next, I needed to add doors. So, I used what I had!  I removed the faces from the old drawers.

  I definitely did not want this to look like a dresser that  I had flipped on it’s side. So, I decided to cut grooves in the panels to give a more rustic apothecary feel. Worked like a charm!

Once the panels were all sanded and prepped, I was ready to prime!  So I busted out my handy HomeRight Finish Max Sprayer and got to work!

I was able to prime both my cabinet doors and the dresser/cabinet in just a few minutes!  Part of this dresser was oak so it had a really deep set grain,  so it required two coats of primer and then it was ready for paint!

There is something about spraying on paint that I find so rewarding!  Seriously, look at how quickly I knock out this board, with ZERO brush streaks!

Once all of my painting was done, it was time to bring it all together! I decided that I wanted to add feet, so I simply  added some adapter plates, and then you screw the feet in!  Easy Peasy.

 Next, it was time to face my  aversions to hinges and install the doors.  Thank goodness it went smoothly!  Also at this point I added a piece of wood to the back of  the doors to bridge the gap. (Remember we removed the dividers earlier.)  You may ask “But Corey, Why? This seems counterproductive!”

 Well my friends this part of the reason. I wanted the two drawers/doors on the left side to be one continuous space…   it would serve as a place to hang jackets!  I even installed a pull out coat rack and key rack so that you can easily  find everything! 

  The reason I cut out the divider bar on the other spaces, is because I wanted to have easy access to the shoe storage below. ( I really didn’t want a bar right in the middle!)

Side note: I had not originally planned to have open shelving. I had installed all the doors and was preparing to install those last two, but I kept staring at it, and ultimately decided  I liked it, and that it gave it character. So  I 86’d  the two last doors.   And there you have it folks, my alternative to a mudroom! It has a place for jackets, keys, shoes, and even extra cubbies for glasses etc!  All -in – all, I will call this a success!  Thanks for stopping by and make sure you see what others did for the “Organize Build Challenge” !

Make sure you check out these other awesome bloggers!

For sneak peeks of my upcoming projects be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram. You can also follow me on Pinterest to get tons of projects plans from all around the web!

Take Luck,

Corey

The post Dresser Makeover into a Mini Mudroom appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

 Hey All,  I hope everyone is recovered from the back-to-school mayhem.  I feel like we are back in the swing of things, I have only  walked out the door without school lunches twice… so obviously we are way on top of things here in the Sawdust 2 Stitches household. 

 In the event you are like Me, and could use a little help keeping mornings less manic, then I might have a beautiful solution!  Granted it won’t make the kids lunch or make sure they brush their teeth (both top and bottom), however  it can keep the all the essentials organized!

About 17 seconds before we are suppose to be in the car, I am yelling to no child in-particular, “Do you have your shoes? Where is your book bag?”. Wouldn’t it be miraculous if there was a central location for all the essentials?  What if I were to go a step further and say all organized, AND a beautiful addition to your home for a minimal cost !?!  Say what ? Here is the tale of how I did just that.

  I am sure you have seen old TV cabinets similar to this before. It was in pretty rough condition and had several layers of thick paint. It was a bit of an eye sore, but it was solid wood, with some elbow grease I was sure it had potential.  So I picked it up from a garage sale for $10.  I wasn’t entirely certain what I was going to do with it, but I knew I needed to take off the decorative pieces.  Regardless of the end goal, it would simplify sanding and painting.
After trying to remove the many layers of sloppy  paint, I decided it would be easier to just break down the whole piece and pull out the “big sander”.  It was then that I started to really  get a clear image of what I wanted this piece to look like.

 I wanted there to be  ledge that stuck out for seating. So I cut into the boards so that it would create a ledge.

I then began to re-assemble the piece, only this time I added supports for where I would put my bench seating.   I also decided  I wanted this piece to sit a little higher, and I wanted to give it visual weight on the base, so I beefed it up with some 2×3’s.
  Once  the cabinet/locker was re-assembled and stabilized I started on the aesthetics.  I added all sorts of trim and face frames to five it a nice finished look.   I knew I still wanted it to have more height, and I thought an “x” frame  box was the perfect way to do just that!  I then used 1×3″ boards to create the bench. It was a cheap and easy option that would add the rustic feel I was trying to create.
 It then needed some molding to really finish the piece, and a piece of thin paneling to close off the back.  I made two customized crates that would fit in the top section of the locker.  I did this for two reasons, I wanted it to have added storage, but I was also planning on staining the bench portion of the locker and wanted to carry the stain color  elsewhere on the piece.

   All that was left to do was the finish work (prime, paint, and stain), and then re-installed the doors, and added hooks.    There you have it!  A perfect combination of form and function!  Booyah! 
So do you have an old cabinet sitting around begging for a makeover ?

Take Luck,

Corey

The post Media Cabinet Makeover into a Locker appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

 Supplies Used:

•  A whole bunch of FREE crap
• Elbow Grease
• Lots of of Work
• Clearance Hardware from Lowes

Ok, I am speaking to all of my skilled craftsmen out there,  please just ignore the following post. Seriously, stop reading. The following post will make you cringe.

BUT to all of my  DIYer,  makeover addicts, and frugal finders, you are gonna love this!  I am going to show you,  how I took a whole bunch of free Craigslist crap  and turned it into an awesome workspace.

It all started with these cabinets. These were originally from a High School  renovation.  There were three left and I was able to snag them for free!  I sanded them down, primed them, and then installed them.

The next question was what to use for counter tops… the cabinets from the high school,  did have a counter top,  BUT   I wanted to space out the cabinets to allow for more storage,   so the original counter top would be far too small.

Well my Husband was scrolling through the “free” section of Craigslist, and came upon  two FREE “all wood doors”.  So  he was my hero and went and snagged those from the curb.  Which was no easy feat, those beasts are HEAVY,  which is  probably why the owner assumed they were all wood…  They weren’t.  They were solid core, meaning they aren’t hollow,  but they were not solid wood. Which presented some problems,  but stay  tuned I will be showing you how I turned them into awesome  counter tops.

Next, I needed to create some overhead storage.  Over the past few months my husband acquired quite a collection of solid wood furniture for me.  He found them by  simply  perusing the “Free” section of Craigslist.  After moving all of these pieces from place to place while trying to organize the garage, I decided to sacrifice all my spare wood and potential projects towards the greater good of the garage. I tore them all apart and ripped them down to make my  cabinets.

Like I said,  all pro wood workers,  look away.  I am butchering these cabinets.

BUT  guess what they are in my garage, they  are going to take some abuse and are FREE.

Mic Drop.

  After a little bit of playing around with sizes, I came up with this configuration. I kept one of the cabinets in the original dimensions ( the center one) and then  installed the two side cabinets.    I then used 1×2’s and 1×3’s to make face frames for the cabinets.

The only  part of the project I really  spent money on was making the cabinet doors.   I  made a simple shaker style cabinet door.  I apparently  got a little ahead of myself and did not document the process.

BUT,  Jill  from “The Rozy Home” did   great post at Remodelaholic showing “How to Make a Shaker Cabinet Door”.

After deliberating over the cabinet color I settled on a dark gray.   I am not going to lie, I changed  some of the cabinets 3 times! After my frustrating trial runs, I realized I  really wanted them to match the floor.  So that is exactly what I did.  I had leftover paint from  refinishing the floor, and so that is what I used!  Ha.

 Last thing they needed was hardware.  A few months ago,  I was at Lowes and stumbled upon this hardware… all on CLEARANCE!  they were selling the small pulls for like $.49!   The large ones for $.97! I bought every single one, and I am so glad I did. I have used them everywhere and had just enough to put them on my garage cabinets!

  So there you have it,  my  nearly free modge podge garage cabinets.  There is a lot more to the garage renovation, but that will need to wait for another day.

 The moral of the story: If  you are hesitant to start an overhaul  because of the price, then  start hitting up the “free” section of Craigslist.  It WILL be a lot more work,  but it is A  LOT cheaper!

 Take Luck,

Corey

The post My Recycled Shop Cabinets appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

Picked  up this beauty  at a garage sale for $5.00 a  while back.  It wasn’t much to look at, but it was all wood, and a decent size and shape.  In all honesty I had no clue what I was going to do with it, but I couldn’t just pass it up!

After a few weeks of walking past it in my  garage,  I started getting some ideas, and I really wanted my garage space back! So I  jumped right in.

This is not really a tutorial per-Se ,  but you can follow along  and see the steps I took to get there.

I started by dismantling the doors.

  I then removed all the hardware. ( There was metal shelving brackets.)

Next,  I removed the back panel, and then sanded down the entire unit.          I beefed up the base and the top to give it more visual weight.  ( You can see more details about the basic premise here.) 

  I then  started  trimming out all the corners and edges. (Again,  you can see more details about this process, here.)

 Next step was the doors.  I opted to go with the “Apothecary Cabinet” style.  

 They are  just  faux drawer fronts, made to look like functioning apothecary drawers.  

See look how pretty!  I used concealed hinges so that it would hide the fact that  they aren’t real drawers.  If you want more info on installing the doors you can see my
“Apothecary Cabinet” tutorial.

Instead of making the entire cabinet hidden, I  decided to add some exposed shelving.   

  I also added interior shelving , for practicality purposes.

Now it’s time for the finishing touches.  I stained it Jacobean by Minwax, and then added pulls that  I found at Michaels!  Nice, right ! ?

 I decided it needed a few last finishing touches.  It needed crates!  Just a couple of 1×2’s,  1×3’s  and handles! Voila, custom made crates.

Look  how pretty!  With lots of great hidden storage!  Perfection!  

Cost Breakdown :

• Hinges $10.00
• Pulls $6.00
• Trim Pieces $25.00 (Approximately,  I had some on hand.
• Cabinet $5.00

Total Cost $46.00!  I flipped it, and sold it for $375. 00

  Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Corey

The post Garage Sale Flip appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

Front Entry 

      If you want to see how you can make your own  “Believe”  Chalkboard sign,  you can  check out this tutorial here! 

Sitting Room

        I have an awesome video showing how I made this chalkboard,  available here. Want to learn how to make your own “Who-Ville”  tree?  You should check out this tutorial here .

Family Room

   You can learn more about how I decorated this tree for CHEAP  here.

Dining Room

Entertaining guests  this Holiday season ?  I can help with that. COMING SOON a tutorial on how you  can create this Tablescape for CHEAP!  Stay tuned!

Kitchen

      You can get more info on this  chalkboard sign here.

 Hopefully these may  have sparked some ideas of your own, and best of luck for for all those getting ready for the Holidays!

Happy Holidays,

Corey

The post My Holiday Home Tour appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

The holidays are coming up,  which means a lot of baking, and cooking. Are you ready ?   Well,  kitchen  organization has been lacking a little…  Especially  my “baking” cabinet.  It needed a little bit of a facelift. 

Supplies  Used:

•  (2) 1″x4″  Boards (8′)
• Primer
• Paint
• 1 1/2″  FinishNails
• Wood Glue
• Glass Jars
• Round Stickers
• Black Primer
• 1/4″ Paneling

 Tools Suggested

•  Miter Saw
• Sander
• Paint Brushes
• Nail Gun
• Compressor

Spice Rack 

Step 1: Prep Boards

Cut boards, sand all the boards.

Cut List:

1″x 4″=

• (2)    17  1/4″
• (2)    22  1/2″
• (3)   21″

Paneling=

• 18 3/4  x  22 1/2″

Step 2: Assemble Frame

I first applied glue, and then reinforced with 2″ nails.  Make  sure to use a square when constructing the shelf.  Once constructed fill all holes with nail filler,  and then  sand.

Step 3:  Add Shelves

Add shelves using the dimensions depicted in the image below.  For good measure I used wood glue and reinforced with 1 1/2″ finish nails.

Step 4: Attach Backing

Once  the shelf is constructed,  I then applied glue to the back, and then reinforced the paneling with 1/4″ nails.

Step 5: Finish

After the structure is completed, sand, prime and paint! ( I ended up distressing mine.)

Step 6: Add Spices

I used glass tilted jars,  I know you can purchase them at Ikea and Hobby Lobby.  If you have access to baby food jars that would be and awesome/cheaper alternative.

I used  chalkboard stickers  for my jar labels.  When I originally  made this spice organizer,  chalkboard stickers were not readily  available.  If you have trouble locating  chalkboard stickers.  Consider this alternative.

This awesome spice rack is extremely  versatile!  It can either go on a counter top,  mounted to the wall , or like I did fit in the cabinet!  I love the way it looked.

I liked it so much that  I added a  few more modifications.  Next on the agenda ?

 Measuring Spoon Rack

I used a 1×2″ board.  I then  pre-drilled holes.

I then painted the board and added the hooks.  All that was left, was to attach the board to the cabinet door.

  I even ended up  adding an extra shelf to the other door.  It is perfect for salt, pepper, and commonly used spices.

So there you have it folks,  an easy fix for the cluttered cupboard!

The post Spice Cabinet appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

Today you can find me over at Remodelaholic, where I will be showing you how I took a boring media cabinet and turned it into a kids storage locker!  Head on over and check it out!

The post Turn a cabinet into a Locker! appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.

 

If you would like to add a glass rack to your cabinets, here is a very easy way!
All you need is :

3   – pieces of 1×2″  ( cut to the depth of your cabinets)
6   – 2″ bolts
18  –  nuts

Simply drill holes through you 1×2″ slats as well as your shelving board. Use the bolts to hang the slats securely.
Easy Peasy.

The post Add Character to Your Cabinets! appeared first on Sawdust 2 Stitches.