Creative / Your Chateau

Turn Your Junk Drawer Into Organised Craft Storage

Everyone has a junk drawer! Turn a random collection of bits and bobs into the perfect storage space for craft pieces or those items you just can't bring yourself to throw away. Beautiful and functional!

What You'll Need:

• Paint stripper – eco friendly & water soluble are available
• Stripping tools of various sizes and shapes – straight flat
blade, multitool, thin flat tool like an old screwdriver
• Old paint brush and old glass or metal bowl
• Wire wool
• Bucket of water
• Plenty of cloths
• Sand paper
• PPE – masks, gloves, goggles & boiler suit
• Cling film
• Wire brush
• Bucket
• Dustpan and brush

Step 1.

Empty the drawer and sort through all the items by grouping them into categories. Place each category back into the drawer to map out how many compartments you will need to create a divider system.

Step 2.

Using washi tape, mark where you want the dividers to go to keep the items separated in their categories and then empty the drawer again. Carefully measure the base of the drawer and each taped line, making a note of each measurement. We used this as a cut list. It’s helpful to sketch out the drawer and dividers to make sure everything matches up!

Step 3.

Before getting to work, it’s good to give your drawer a wipe with a damp cloth to make sure it’s dust free! We used the beautiful Mademoiselle Daisy wallpaper to line the drawer. Draw out the dimensions of the drawer base onto the reverse of the paper, carefully cut this out and then checked that it fit neatly into the drawer. Do the same for the four sides of the drawer. Marking up the dimensions on the reverse, cutting these out and checking they fit neatly into place.

Step 4.

Stick each piece into the drawer using double-sided sticky tape. Sticking the double-sided tape to the back of the wallpaper, peeling the back off the tape, carefully laying the wallpaper into the drawer and gently smoothing it out as you lay it down. Repeat the process with the side pieces of wallpaper.

Step 5.

Using your cut list, measure and mark each length on the pine stripwood. You can use a mitre saw, or just a good old-fashioned hand saw, to make the cuts - anything that can cut a straight line will do! It may be helpful to lay out each piece of the divider to keep them in order, and it’s good to sand some of the edges down where you might have a few rough cuts.

Step 6.

Start to place the divider pieces into the drawer to check they are a snug fit – the final piece will always need to be trimmed down slightly to factor in the width of the stripwood. For this piece, simply mark a line where it needs trimming, cut this to size and then pop the final piece in to check everything fits.

Step 7.

To make sure you have the correct spacing, mark the two vertical pieces of strip wood where the horizontal pieces need to be glued into place. Then to secure it all together, glue each edge of the horizontal places and match them to the pencil line marked up on the vertical pieces. Leave to dry.

Step 8.

Match the Mademoiselle Daisy wallpaper by painting the wood with a suitable colour, or leave it looking natural. Once everything is dry, pop the divider back into the drawer and fill with your crafting tools, ready for the next project.

If you make this we'd love to see it. You can share it on The Escape to The Chateau Fan Club Facebook page or tag us on Instagram @the_chateau_tv.