Tote Makeover Tutorial

If you're like me, you have a million organizing totes everyone filled to the brim with craft items. 

You may even have so much stuff that you forget just what you have. (Only craft-hoarders will understand that one. Haha) 

Hey, I'm not judging. In fact, I'm right there with you. I need an intervention!

Well, if you are a craft-hoarder, you may not like the idea that most organizing totes are clear and everyone can see all the junk...cough cough...craft items you keep. 

To me, it all looks so cluttered, even when its organized.

So, I was fishing around Pinterest for something to fix that little problem. 

And I decided to do...drum roll please...

a Tote Makeover!

This project is very easy, but may be time consuming (I had 5 totes to makeover). If you have one, it should take you around an hour.

Here's what you'll need:

Totes (I did the totes that have drawers.)(3 medium, 2 small/tall)

Scrapbook paper

Modge Podge

Paint brush/ Sponge brush

Spray Paint (5 totes=2 cans)

Newspaper (To put under the tote when you're ready to spray it)

Step 1: Take the drawers out of your totes and make sure your tote is clean. (If you've had them for a while, they gather dust in little nooks and cranny's like nobody's business!)

Step 2: *Get a color of spray paint that will match the paper you've chosen. I chose gray so that it could match well with my room and pretty much any color of paper I chose. 

(optional step) You can sand the tote a little so the spray paint has something to grip. Or you can buy a spray paint with primer in it. They also sell spray paint especially made for plastic. Any of those options will work. If you don't, the paint will scratch off easily if scuffed.

*Spray the totes. (I did this in two sittings. I sprayed one side, waited for it to dry then flipped it upside down and sprayed the other side)

Step 3: While you wait for the paint to dry, take the drawers that you pulled out and measure the fronts for the scrapbook paper. This may be a little tricky because a lot of totes have bends in the drawer handles. It took me about two tries to get the proper size.

Step 4: Modge Podge the inside of the drawer, stick your paper to it, color side out and then modge podge the back of the paper to give it a good seal. Yes, you'll probably get modge podge on your fingers.

Be sure to press the paper into the drawer face very well, you don't want any bubbles.

(I've seen some tutorials that do this with fabric. Same basic concept as the paper)

Step 5: When everything is dry, put it all back together and fill the drawers to your hearts content. Now, it doesn't look all cluttered, but crafty instead. 

I took a few more scraps of paper that I had and made little labels for my drawers. 

Perfectly organized and neat! I love it!

I hope this tutorial helped. Now you only have one thing to ask yourself...what color of paper are you going to put inside the totes?!

Let your creativity SOAR!

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