Thursday, May 14, 2015

25 UHeart Organizing: Upcycled Toiletry Storage

When it comes to organizing and searching for storage solutions, I always recommend shopping your home first.  It is amazing what you might find to solve a problem at hand.  Recycled food packaging is always my "go-to" and if that doesn't work out, I start looking through cabinets, drawers and my donate pile.  If all else fails, I may even try to DIY something just to save a little cash and create something specific to fit my needs.  My friend Karen blogs at A House Full of Sunshine, and she recently upcycled some unused storage boxes she already had on hand.   She is here today to share more about her special toiletry project and inspire us to search our homes prior to heading out to the stores as well.



My bathroom storage situation has been feeling a little uninspired lately. Bottles and jars that start out lined up neatly inside the cupboard seem to always end up in a messy clutter all over the shelf. 

I wanted some way to dedicate an area for face products and fragrances and make those bottles look neat and orderly, but also keep them easily accessible so I could see and grab what I needed.

Solution: a pair of old CD storage boxes. I don't know about you, but CDs are practically redundant at our place now. Time to repurpose! (If you don't have any unwanted CD boxes lying around, these pretty birch boxes would be a fun starting point as well.)


I used thin masking tape to mark out a simple geometric pattern on each box.



I also taped two of the inside surfaces with clear packing tape, to preserve the wood finish for a bit of contrast. Because it's not a painted surface, there's no danger of paint lifting off when you remove the tape, so you don't need to worry about using painter's tape.

Since the wood had a varnished finish, I gave the boxes a quick coat of primer to ensure the paint would adhere properly.


Then I rolled on my colors using a small foam roller. I chose a pretty peach...


Soft mint...


And lipstick pink for a pop of fun.


Time to remove the tape.



I love the contrast of the blonde timber against the colour-blocked pastels.


The last step was to spraypaint a pair of adhesive bookplates with gold, and print some labels to slip inside. The font I used is Peinture.


I debated about what to "call" my boxes (Face and Fragrance? Skin and Scent?) but in the end went with "Lotions and Potions" purely for the fun factor.


All loaded up with bottles of product, these sweet little caddies would be fun peeking out from a bathroom cupboard, but I think they're also pretty enough to display on a dressing table in plain sight.



I hope you feel inspired to repurpose some unwanted storage boxes in your home and tame that lotion and perfume clutter.

Thanks so much for having me here today, Jen!

__________________________


Hi friends, I’m Karen from A House Full of Sunshine. Do you see that grin I can’t wipe off my face? That’s how thrilled I am to be here! I live in Australia where I’m blessed to be a stay-home mummy to my three little people. I’m also a part-time interior decorator and a former teacher of Creative Arts. Basically, I’m happiest when I’m squeezing every drop of creativity out of life – whether that means decorating a room, inventing a fun new activity to do with the kids, thinking up pretty organizing solutions or putting together a DIY project. I believe life is meant to be beautiful, and home is an expression of the heart. My blog, A house full of sunshine, is the place where I share my adventures in creative home-making with kids. The coffee’s on and the welcome mat is out – I’d love to see you there!

25 comments:

  1. This is such a cute idea! Thank you!

    Her Heartland Soul
    http://herheartlandsoul.com

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  2. This is such a creative DIY. I love the colors you chose too. Who knew storage could be so stylish?

    The Office Stylist
    www.theofficestylist.com

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  3. These are ADORABLE! What a great idea. I am SO not a crafty person, but I could probably manage to do something similar. Thanks for the inspiration!
    "The Busy Brunette"
    http://thebusybrunette.blogspot.com/

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  4. This is such a wonderful DIY storage idea! I just moved into my new house, so I'm really looking forward to organising all of my things (especially beauty products) over the next few weeks. I really like the concept of splitting my AM and PM skincare routines like this actually.

    Thanks for sharing!

    www.lioninthewild.com

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    Replies
    1. Yay - new house! I love having a blank slate to organise everything. It's very motivating. :) Have fun setting up your new home. xo

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  5. This is a really cute idea!! I would love to do this in stripes! :)

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  6. Neat idea! I had a similar problem with "messy" looking bottles all over my dresser. I used food cans covered in either ribbons or mod-podged scrapbook paper. Now everything is corralled, and in pretty coordinating colors that I can easily change.

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  7. Those are adorable!! Although I am not sure I ever had any CD boxes like those so I would have to buy something to make them. :) But I love them and love "lotion and potion"!!

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  8. Great colour choices - the pinks and mint totally work with the natural wood tone! Those are awesome little boxes, and great idea to making essentials like creams and perfumes look like decorations!

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  9. Cute idea!

    Kristi
    www.beloverly.com

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  10. So cute! Thanks for sharing :D

    http://shaviology.blogspot.com

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  11. I love this! I was actually just musing over how to upcycle my toiletries and this reminded me that I have some adorable boxes in my close leftover from a gift tree of candies that I received. I'm definitely off to see what I can do with them, now! Thanks for the reminder.

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  12. where is that heart print from?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jade! It's from The Motivated Type (Etsy shop). https://www.etsy.com/listing/198990330/inspirational-print-love-heart-geometric

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  13. I love the colors and the font. Is it hand lettered or a typeface?

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    Replies
    1. Hello,

      The font used is Peinture: https://creativemarket.com/ianmikraz/183557-Peinture-Typeface-%2830-Off%29

      xo!

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  14. I'm totally in love with this idea! Thank you for sharing!

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  15. This is the cutest storage I've seen in awhile! Absolutely loving this color combination. :)

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