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March Challenge - Office Organizer Drawers

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.


Good morning everyone!

It's time for another DIY  Challenge and this one is all about organization. I'm teaming up with a group of bloggers to bring you a monthly challenge. For March, we had to pick a messy space in our homes and organize it. Ha, I think this was easy, we all have messy spaces in our homes! At the end of this post you can find the links to visit all the projects my friends created.

As for me, I've been creating storage solutions around our home, the built-in in the family room is a good example of this. However, my problem has been organizing the inside of those spaces.

For this challenge, I decided to organize one of the
base cabinets in my office. This picture below is the way it has been for more than a year...  Placemats, some tools, file folders, some craft supplies and those boxes that I don't remember what's inside of them... Wait, some lights I guess.

*This post contains affiliate links.
A few weeks ago I started organizing the paper goods. It took me quite some time to sort throughout all the contents of the big basket where I stashed papers, pretty papers, stickers and some stencils... Well, the hold it all paper basket.
The thing is, I want to have this room functioning like a proper office. I want to stop running upstairs when I need white paper, or going down to the basement when I need beads or glitter for a craft project.
In order to start organizing this cabinet, I had to get everything out of there, including the shelves!
And my plan was to build a few drawer boxes (like the one below) to keep all my office supplies organized and at hand.
The drawer boxes are a simple build. Five pieces of wood where all the sides are corralling the bottom piece.

1/2 inch plywood was the material I used for every single part of the drawers. I was trying to keep the costs low.  The full sheet of plywood was cut at Home Depot in three lengths. Have I told you how I hate handling full sheets of plywood? Ha, I can't handle them! :D
At home I made even more manageable cuts with the circular saw.

Tip: Know the dimension of your drawers before heading to buy your material. Those lengths were cut at the size of the drawers depth.
Now guys, I finally got my own table saw! My BIL gave me some classes and this was my very first project using it!!  It took me a good amount of time to go through all those cuts because I was extra cautious, but I guess that's the way it is going to be from now on.
DeWalt Table Saw
Once done cutting all the material, it was time for assembling the boxes with glue and brad nails.
Ryobi AirStrike 18-Gauge Cordless Brad Nailer
And hey, it was time to relax listening to some good music! :) I love the sound that comes from this DeWalt bluetooth speaker.
  • Able to be powered by 20-Volt/ 60-Volt DEWALT batteries as well as AC power cord
  • Bluetooth connectivity up to 100 ft.
  • Compact size and light weight
  • Rugged and durable design to withstand tough jobsite conditions
  • Up to 15-hours runtime (1.5 Ah 20-Volt MAX)

All the boxes were assembled with glue and 1" brad nails.
However, I don't think nails are strong enough and I didn't use too many because I was going to add some screws.
I added 3/4" wood screws all around the bottom of the drawer and at every corner. And I countersunk them to make them disappear after filling them with wood filler
The next step was to work on those drawer dividers. And I didn't escape the tedious sanding. Filling nail holes and sand, then paint and sand and then some more paint a sand.
DeWalt Miter Saw
The last phase of this project is installing the drawers in the cabinet.
Since, I didn't remove the doors and there's dead space right there all along them. I had to install those wooden supports to bring the cabinets out of the door's way.
Installing the drawer slides comes next. I like to use a screwdriver when working with small screws and soft woods. This Husky set was perfect for the job!
Husky Screwdrivers
Make sure everything's level. And hey, take care of those knees! I spent like three hours in that spot. Installing the slides, doing patch up painting and organizing.  I'm so thankful of those gel pads.. Very comfy and supportive.

  • Tough, nylon molded shell for comfort
  • Next generation gel and memory foam protection
  • Wide, single neoprene comfort strap
  • Hook and loop closure
  • Knee pads enable comfortable kneeling and protect against impacts

And this is how it looks now!
A place for everything and everything in its place. ;)


Oh, I also had a huge basket full of pens, pencils, color pencils, markers, crayons... Well, I got rid of some that didn't even work and organized these ones here.

The stencils belong here on the lower drawer.
And this artsy space makes me happy.
Paint, paint brushes, scissors, chalk are stored here.
It all looks so much better!
organized base cabinet
Built-in unit  |  Bench  |  Table  |
How to build drawers
All these organized supplies almost make me want to start an art project right now!!
One base cabinet done, seven more to go! Hopefully not until another challenge. ðŸ¤ž


Talking about a challenge, here are the links to visit all the organization projects my friends have created:


For more Home DIY Ideas check these out:

white and gold wooden planters on wall


bathroom makeover vintage modern




I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the promotional program described above (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.


*This post contains affiliate links.





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14 comments :

  1. I really love this. I have very few drawers in any of my cabinets. Neither of my bathrooms have any. Can you link to the drawer slides and do you have any tips to install them? They seem intimidating for some reason

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    Replies
    1. Thanks girl! My next post is going to be about that the measuring and installation, which I think are the two issues why I was also intimidated to work on drawer projects. ;)

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  2. seeing all those supplies organized so neatly makes me so jealous! My craft paint is organized on a new shelf, but the rest of my supplies are a mess!

    I agree with invisible girl, drawers and slides intimidate me too!

    pinning!
    gail

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    Replies
    1. Oh Gail, don't be jelly, organization is a daily battle, one space tidied up, 374 more to go! And yes, drawers and slides are a tricky business.

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  3. Oh my Cristina! I need some drawer organizers stat! Lol! Seeing this makes me want to organize all. the. drawers. Love it!

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    1. Thanks Cara! I'm at it. one slowly step at a time. ;)

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  4. I know this is a lot of work, but well worth it. At 71, I have given up standing on my head and twisting into cabinetry to find things. If I can't find a drawer---I use a bin/basket and a shelf---Great tutorial and congrats on the table saw...we have one and I'm still terrified of it, and more often use the arm saw.

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    Replies
    1. Oh Sandi, you know how it is! And yes, totally worth it. That's exactly what was happening here, the back of those cabinets was empty because I didn't want to move things around.
      You should've seen me doing my very first cut... a mix of fear and excitement. After it was done, I just run inside the house to tell everyone I did it! :D

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  5. Your organized drawers make my heart happy, Cristina! And I love that little Dewalt speaker - it's so cute! Thanks for joining in on the fun!

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  6. Fantastic project! Drawers are awesome!

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  7. Truly a place for everything and everything in its place. Those drawers are just fabulous and proof that with a little elbow grease organization is possible!

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  8. Oh my goodness! Spaces this organized are my favorite. I LOVE how functional you've made each and every inch of that space!

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  9. Those organized drawers are so pretty! And not to mention, super functional! Nice work girl. :)

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  10. Very clever and nice job! I like your jell knee pads!

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