Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Chalkboard boxes

Yes, I like to organize...I have been called the "Ziploc lady" before, because you know, everything is just more organized if grouped together in a bag! (or a box)
This project is SUPER easy and the end result is sure to be both functional and inexpensive!




The idea for this project came when I was looking for a way to organize our office/school room, but could not find the right size nor the right look (in the right size), nor the right price for the right container of the right size!
Now pause for a minute...
OK,
there are 2 things you need to do this...well, 3 if you consider the foam brush.
 chalkboard paint+ foam brush

and a box

I am using this boxes from Aldi. They are sturdy (made to hold 4 gallons of cooking oil), but you could use any boxes that you have or find. Literally, think out of the box!

The process is simple: paint the box, let it dry, paint second coat and let it dry. DONE!

I taped white cardstock inside the front opening,both for look and functionality. Really, you don't want to see all the stuff that the box holds.

And here is the before and after

I just love the black and white look I wanted to achieve, and the fact that this are so practical to organize school/office/junk games/magazines...the possibilities are endless.


Cost breakdown:
quart of chalkboard paint $10
foam brushes (9) $1
boxes FREE
Now,I probably ended up using maybe 1/10 of the paint and 1 foam brush...so, really for this project I spent about $1 and made 9 boxes so far.

Total cost for each box more or less 0.11cents

Now, do you see the white boxes at the bottom of the shelf? Those were free copy paper boxes in their previous life...same concept, 2 coats of semigloss paint & primer all in 1. Let dry, and there you have it!

Stay frugal,

6 comments:

Rob said...

That is awesome! Please come organize my space :)

Jillian @ Hi! It's Jilly said...

Awesome idea!

Weathered Treasure said...

Clever idea! I love making things from all those old boxes too! I Love your blog and the name "Frugal Aint Cheap" - you said it sister! I'm a new follower now!

Heidi@OneCreativeMommy.com said...

Awesome idea--and you recycled. I'm definitely trying this!

I'm hosting my first linky party "One Creative Weekend" at OneCreativeMommy.com. I'd love for you to visit and link up this idea and/or anything else you'd like to share.

Heidi@OneCreativeMommy.com said...

Thanks for linking up!

The Prudent Pantry said...

This is such a great idea! It can be so hard to find the right boxes for a project. And if you find them they are so expensive!

I would love it if you would share this at my new Smart Solutions linky party. You can link up here:

http://theprudentpantryblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/prudent-projects-smart-solutions-linky_13.html

Have a great day!