Merilee Lane...Where Life is but a Dream: Altered 3-Drawer Organizer

Hello Everyone! I hope this finds you all happy and healthy!

I would like to begin by apologizing for being inconsistent in my blog posting. We are in the midst of selling our home. Sadly, my husband's company is transferring us from Atlanta, Georgia, to Nashville, Tennessee. We love Tennessee, but we have really enjoyed living in the suburbs of Atlanta. We are so sad to leave our beloved friends, home and community. However, as we all know there is one thing you can count on: the ever-changing world around us. I keep reminding myself that life is a journey. It's not about the end result but, rather, the adventure in traveling to our destination. It certainly isn't always easy, but I know in my heart that home is not really a geographical location. I know that wherever my husband and I are together, I will find the true meaning of home.

Okay, now on to my project. Today I am sharing two altered 3-drawer organizers that I have made for my two oldest granddaughters. Santa gave each of the girls a vanity for their bedrooms; however, those vanities only have one small drawer for storage, so I thought these would be perfect to hold some of their smaller things.

As you can see, these organizers are blingy and girlie, just like my granddaughters. They like all things glamorous, so the patterned papers I used were The Lady Couture Stack and The Street Lace Stack, both by DCWV--and nothing less than gorgeous! :o)

These organizers began life as plain, utilitarian organizers by Sterilite. I found them at Walmart, but you can buy them just about anywhere. The drawer fronts are covered in rhinestones from a 1-pound container of acrylic stones labeled "In Bloom", by Bead Design. This collection contains several different sizes and cuts of rhinestones. I sorted through them and chose the size and style I wanted to use and adhered them with super strong Terrifically Tacky Tape.

The rhinestones are easy to apply. First of all, I covered the entire drawer front with Terrifically Tacky Tape. I then applied the large rhinestones--as many as would fit to cover the surface. To address the remaining gaps, I selected the smallest stones and placed them in and around the large rhinestones, and then medium stones along the edges of the drawers. Note: Be careful placing the stones--once they're on, you will not be able to remove them. Terrifically Tacky Tape has a super strong hold!

The next step in the process is covering the sides and the back of the organizer. After removing the drawers, I chose a flower pattern from The Street Lace Stack. The quality is great--it is heavy cardstock with a durable finish that will last a long time. It's hard to see in this photo, but it has a glossy, glittery finish--perfect for my girlie-girl granddaughters!

I matted this pretty flower pattern on black cardstock with my ATG gun and then adhered the panel onto the organizer with hot glue. Tip: Be sure to remove the drawers ahead of time. You'll need that extra space to get a good grip on the organizer as you adhere the panels, and you don't want the hot glue to ooze out and glue your drawers closed!

The top of the organizers are actually easel cards adhered to the lid with hot glue. If the girls choose to display the glamor girls as art, the card remains open; however, if they need the space for something else, the cards can be closed and they can use the top of this organizer for an additional flat surface, as in the photo below.

The colors I chose to use for this project are all neutral tones--black, white, shades of gray, and sepia tones, so the girls can accent their rooms in any color they choose and these organizers will always blend right in.

For the card itself, I found a tutorial on the Splitcoast Stampers website here. It really isn't hard to make at all. The card base is done in white cardstock with a small, glittered flower pattern over top. I then cropped the pretty glamour girl to center on the card front, matted it on leopard print paper and, again, on black cardstock. The edges of the cardstock are inked in browns and black for added dimension--it just makes everything pop right off the page.

Once the card front was in place, I added three large rhinestones (upper left-hand corner) to tie in the drawer fronts. I then added tiny colored rhinestones as necklace and earrings in the girls' favorite colors--blue for Missy and purple for Sissy.

The base of the card features a "faux crocodile" belt. This serves two purposes: Not only does it add plenty of glamorous detail and further tie in the rhinestones on the drawer fronts, but it acts as a stop for the easel card to keep it in place when open.

For the belt, I used black cardstock embossed with the burlap folder from the Tim Holtz Texture Fades, Alterations collection. Even though the texture is supposed to be burlap, it is perfect to create this faux crocodile skin. It is then layered over the flower print; and, finally, layered over plain black cardstock, popped up with foam tape, and additional rhinestones placed in all four corners.

The buckle is created from metallic silver cardstock by simply cutting two nesting squares, one large and one small, using my paper cutter--easy as can be! It is then layered atop the belt with pop dots for dimension. The card base upon which everything rests is covered in leopard print cardstock matted on black. The finished belt is adhered onto the card base with foam tape which, as you can see below, creates the stop that keeps the card in place when open.

The entire card is adhered to the top of the organizer with hot glue. The view below gives you a better idea of the layering process and the finished product.