This shop featuring our Easy DIY Filing Cabinet Makeover Tutorial has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DymoandDone #CollectiveBias
Honestly? My home office space can get a little out of control. At any given time, you'll generally find stacks and stacks of paper laying about on just about every surface. I'm not perfect folks, by any stretch!
Between my children now attending an online charter, our small business, and my blog, I have a TON of paperwork to keep track of. It makes my head spin some days! In an effort to get more organized, I decided to do a mini-overhaul on our filing cabinet last weekend. It was an ugly eyesore that sat stagnant in the corner for months. Functionally speaking, I suppose it served its purpose. However, I find that I vest more in the up-keep of things, when everything has its own pretty little space.
Check out the simple supplies needed for this easy DIY $10 filing cabinet makeover below, along with our simple step-by-step tutorial.
What you'll need:
- An old metal filing cabinet to makeover
- 1 yard of fabric ( I used scrap fabric from another project that I had on-hand)
- Chalk paint brush
- Large paint brush to apply fabric to drawer fronts with decoupage glue
- Pencil (to outline a cutting line on the back of your fabric)
- Fabric scissors
- Chalk paint in your choice of color (I found white chalk paint and tinted it with a small about of multi-surface paint to achieve the Tiffany blue color that I wanted for my cabinet )
- Decoupage Glue
- Cover your filing cabinet with your chalk paint of choice, using your chalk paint brush. Follow the directions according to the product that you're using. I used two coats of paint and waited 3 hours in between coats. (You may also want to use finishing wax on top of the two coats of paint - depending on the brand that you're using). I covered the back and two sides, along with the sides and tops of the drawers, and drawer pulls (see images above and below). I left the fronts as-is, as I intended on covering the drawer fronts with fabric.
- Once dry, lay your filing cabinet down on its back with the drawers facing up.
- Use your pencil and fabric to trace the outline of each drawer, and the drawer-pull on the back (unprinted) side of your fabric. .
- Cut your fabric for each drawer front according to your traced pencil lines (making sure to include a hole(s) for the hardware/ drawer-pull
- Using a clean paint brush, paint a thin layer of decoupage glue on the entire surface of the 1st drawer of your filing cabinet.
- Carefully place your fabric (smoothing it down as you go) on your decoupage glue covered surface. Allow 5-10 minutes for the fabric to set.
- Next, paint a thin layer of decoupage glue on the top (printed) surface of your fabric. Make sure to cover the entire surface and edges (to prevent fraying of the fabric/ fabric peeling up from the corners.
- Allow adequate time for drying (preferably overnight) before placing your completed filing cabinet in a desired area, and filling it with contents.
After this simple DIY was complete, I knew that I had to take a few extra steps to make sure that the interior of the filing cabinet remains tidy. For my own peace of mind, I really need all of our paperwork to remain easily accessible - especially during tax season.
Tax season can literally make me crazy, folks! I mean, C R A Z Y! I think I'll be one step ahead of the game now that I'm more organized though, thanks my new easy to use, small (but mighty!) DYMO LabelWriter® 450.
I picked up the DYMO LabelWriter 450 Value Pack at my local Staples (also available at Staples online). I love that everything that I needed (and MORE) was included right in the box. In addition to the DYMO LabelWriter® 450 printer, the value pack includes; LW Appointment Card Labels, LW Shipping Labels, LW File Folder Labels and LW Multi-Purpose Labels. I also love that I can avoid the hassle and expense of using my large printer with the DYMO LabelWriter 450. Its thermal printing technology eliminates the need for expensive ink or toner, which adds up to big savings for me. And who doesn't like to save, right?
I'm also loving the money saving (and energy saving) "sleep mode" feature in the DYMO LabelWriter 450. Need a single label printed, not an entire sheet? This little machine is perfect! Whether you need 10 labels printed, or just 1, the DYMO LabelWriter 450 makes it easy to eliminate the waste and hassle of sheet labels. You know what that means? MORE savings for you. Every penny counts!
Installation and setup was quick and easy (you all know how much I like to keep things easy). Before I knew it, with a few clicks, I was printing off custom labels from the 60+ label styles and layouts, and was all organized in no time at all!
This was such a simple transformation. Seriously, if I knew that it would be this easy, I would have taken the easy steps to get everything organized a long time ago.
Seeing all of our tax documents, receipts, and the required school paperwork organized and in one convenient place - makes me SO happy. You don't even know! The peace of mind that this brings is literally priceless to me. Big smiles going on over here today -and there may have even been a happy dance involved!
If you're in desperate need of organization like I was, stop procrastinating. Trust me, you'll be so glad you did, especially when tax time rolls around. The DYMO LabelWriter 450 can help you get organized in a snap, and if you love a great deal like I do, you'll definitely want to get in on this one available now at Staples. The DYMO LabelWriter® 450 Value Pack is now FREE when you purchase 4 LabelWriter label rolls!
How do you stay organized during tax season, and all year long, for that matter? Share your tips and tricks in a comment below. Looking for some more ideas on how to reign in the chaos this tax season? CLICK HERE for more great ideas! You can find the DYMO LabelWriter 450 Value Pack at select Staples retail locations nationwide and online at Staples.com
