Craft Dresser

Looking for a storage solution for my (possibly too) many craft hobbies.  My ultimate goal was to be able to bring together all my supplies currently tucked away in a 1001 places around my apartment into one easy to find location.  I originally fell in love with a Bisley metal (often times filing) cabinets, especially when I found out they came in different colors, including this handsome blue that would have complemented my apartment's coloring scheme (the container store).  Alas unfortunately, I couldn't find any retailers selling a size that worked for me, and the fun colors only appeared to be offered for the smaller desktop sized cabinet (I loved it so much I am planning on getting the letter sized version for my printer shelf). 

I finally settled on this unfinished piece from Gothic Cabinet Craft.  It is meant to be a lingerie / tall dresser but it was actually one of the very few drawers that I could find that could fit scrapbook sized paper (12in by 12in).   Being wood I could paint it to perfectly match my decor.  Additionally it was reasonably priced at $389 + $45 delivery to my walk up.  Plus I had this brilliant plan to make it look reminiscent of an old style filing cabinet with the help of a few brass labels.  I found exactly what I was looking for on ebay.   Ten labels came with matching screws for $7.68 + $5.40 shipping.

For the paint I chose "blue spa" from Benjamin Moore, which I was a bit worried was going to prove to be too dark.  But I forgot to take into account the light base wood, and the color turned out to be near perfect match to my peacock couch.  I am all for simplicity and since the dresser was new, untreated, natural wood, I skipped the sanding and priming steps.  For any stained, painted or otherwise used wood I recommend at the very least sanding the surface so the paint has something good to stick to.  If not natural wood, check to see what primer works best with the material you are using, otherwise you'll risk peeling and other unsightly problems after all your hard work. 

 I took out the drawers for easy access to all surfaces I wanted painted, which included the back--not a necessary step but I hate to see a completely natural side even if it is just peaking out.  I used foam sponges since they are cheap and easy to use and laid out a few pieces of cardboard.  Remember for your own safety to keep the room well ventilated when you are painting and while the paint is drying.  I only did coats which provided sufficient coverage for my purposes.

After all the pieces had dried, I carefully measured the front panels of the drawers and the brass label holders so that they are basically centered, for a neat filing cabinet look.  I first hammered a nail that was a little smaller than the screw to "prep" the wood, which made screwing in the TINY screws much easier.

Next I printed labels for each of my drawers on some light cream card stock I had.  I thought the muted cream looked great against the blue and the black script would just pop.  I chose a basic cursive script font from my version of microsoft word (Edwardian Script ITC) in size 28.  I then printed with enough spacing between each line (this took me a second try as the first time around I did not leave enough white space between each label).  I used my cutter bee paper cutter to slice the labels.  Instead of taking formal measurements, I did this somewhat freehand, placing the label against the brass hardware and slicing as needed.


I am really pleased with my finished project and the streamlined, fancy way to keep my crafts out of sight but readily available.