I just love the Internet…..sigh….no, this is not a love letter, but rather I marvel how we lived (or crafted or decorated) without it! I came across this organization/craft idea the other day about how to make custom drawer organizers for your kitchen and knew I HAD to do this for mine — it is a hot mess! I had bought the organizers we all have, but nothing seemed to fit my drawers. They were either too big and wouldn’t fit or too small, leaving a lot of random leftover space and no good way to organize them. Thus, my life looked like this:
My first plan of attack was the main utensil drawer, but since I’m not that proficient with construction (or a saw for that matter) I thought I would start small. In this post you will see my large utensil drawer and my junk drawer and how I organized them.
Supplies:
– ¼” x 2″ x 3′ boards
(I used aspen, which I assume is pine? but Home Depot also had red oak as well. The aspen ones were cheaper — $1.25 in my neck of the woods — so I went with that. I found the wood in the lumber section. Note, there were some boards that were warped. Be sure to check that first.)
– Gorilla wood glue
(This is my first experience with wood glue as an adult — oh, the projects we made as kids in my dads workshop, unsupervised! — and it seems stronger than your average wood glue.)
– Saw
(I used my hubby’s miter saw as it makes quick, relatively clean cuts, but you could use a hand saw as well.)
– Sand paper
– Pencil, measuring tape
Directions:
1. Draw a Plan
Measure your drawer and draw a plan to include the items you would like to organize. (I wish I could say, I drew my to scale, but I’m not that precise or patient, so I sketched a quick drawing.)
2. Cut One Board at a Time
Measure your first board and cut it slightly longer ¼”. (Note, it is easier to recut or sand your boards down if you’ve cut them too long. Once it’s too short, there’s not much you can do, except use it later on a shorter piece. You want it to be nice and snug. )
3. Measure and Mark Your Drawer
Measure and mark in pencil where you want the divider to go. Place the wood divider in the drawer and run a bead of the glue on the side seams. Wipe away extra glue with a damp cloth or napkin, but don’t be overly concerned, as the glue will dry clear.
Continue on to the next piece until you have them all glued into place. (Tip, measure, cut and glue one board at a time. I tried to make several cuts first and then glue them into place and it didn’t fit correctly.)
And there you have it….a nicely organized drawer. I have done two now in my kitchen and I plan on doing the main utensil drawer, the baking drawer and then venture into the bathroom for my makeup drawer (oh, I could do some damage there!). My hubby was concerned what if we moved and the new owner didn’t like my custom dividers? I think they would be easily enough removed. Just score the glue seams and remove. If there is glue left over that wouldn’t easily remove, you could place contact paper over it..
I hope you enjoyed this post. I was inspired by this wonderful post by Stephanie Lynn from Under the Table and Dreaming. She’s awesome. Check out her blog!
