Inspire My Creativity - Chalk Paint Desk Drawer Organizer

We all have one of those drawers, don't we? A catch all for pretty much every little thing in our life. Pens, lip gloss, spare change, little pieces of fabric or scrapbook paper all get lost there. Well, maybe the last two are just the crafter in me.

It's a relief when we can find those little things that we are looking for, and have it look pretty at the same time is an added bonus. Using chalk paint to make a desk drawer organizer look nice is an easy and quick project.

You can find wood desk drawer organizers at pretty much any store. Plain brown wood works, but it looks so much nicer with some color to it. Pick your favorite colored paint to work with, one that will make you smile when you see it. Then keeping all your little items organized isn't such a chore anymore!

I was given products from HomeRight and Rust-oleum to try out for free. All opinions in the post are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means that I will receive a small portion of any sale in exchange for advertising products I love.

This project is for the second month of the Inspire My Creativity Party that Shani from Sunshine and Munchkins has put together. We are assigned a theme once a month and all of the co-hosts for the party create a new project to share, then we open the link party to anyone who wants to add a project in the theme. This month our theme was - Chalk Paint.

Check the end of this post for the other great projects that the co-hosts have shared. If you are a blogger, leave a link to one of your own chalk paint projects!

Chalk Paint Desk Drawer Organizer

I'll be honest with you, this is my first time using chalk paint for a project. I have been known to use spray paint before (see here and here) and acrylics too (see here and here). I've seen some great pieces of furniture that have been made over with chalk paint, and it's been on my list for quite a while to tackle0. I was glad for this reason to finally give it a try!

A few months ago when I attended SNAP Conference for creatives, I was able to talk with quite a few representatives from some of my favorite companies. Rust-oleum was at the conference and was nice enough to give free samples of some of their newer products. I knew I wanted to make a few projects with chalk paint, so I got two cans of their spray chalk paint - Chalked Ultra Matte. It glides on so smoothly and I will definitely be using it again!

I also talked with a very nice representative from HomeRight about their small spray shelter. She was so nice and gave me one that day to try out (you can see how it worked here). I loved how easy it was to use and let her know, and she sent me their new turntable to try out. It made painting all sides of my drawer organizer quick and easy!

This project is so simple! With just a few supplies, you will have your desk organized in no time at all!

Supplies Needed For Drawer Organizer Makeover

Drawer Organizer (here, here, or here) - The size you need will depend on the dimensions of your drawer

Chalk Paint - Spray Chalked paint (I used Serenity Blue)

Spray Shelter (optional)

Turntable (optional)

Lightweight Sandpaper (optional)

Note: I actually found the wood piece that I am using as a drawer organizer at the local thrift store. It originally held wooden toy pieces. You can see a similar wood piece that I made in to a LEGO doll house for my kids here. So take a look at your nearest thrift store in the wood or toy section to see if they have any. I bought this one for $0.50!

Quick and Easy Tutorial to Chalk Paint Your Desk Drawer Organizer

1. In a well ventilated area, put down material to protect your yard, driveway, or garage. With the spray shelter, you don't have to worry about tacking down the corners of newspaper or plastic sheeting. And because of the protective sides, there is no concern about a fine mist of paint going off the edge of your paper - it is all contained in the spray shelter!

2. Depending on the wood piece that you bought, you may have to sand the item a bit. Use lightweight sandpaper, then wipe with a clean cloth.

3. Shake the can of spray chalk paint for one minute after the ball starts to move in the can. Hold the can of chalk paint about 10 inches from your project and spray back and forth evenly. The paint comes out so smoothly and I didn't have any problem with drips at all. I only used one coat of paint for my project, but if you need a second coat you will need to wait 10 minutes between coats.

That's it! Cover your area, sand if necessary, spray your chosen paint, and wait to dry! Easy as can be!

Now you are ready to organize the jumble of items in your junk drawer. All the little odds and ends that seem to just get thrown together.

Here is part of my "before organization". Craft supplies, oodles of pens (I can't ever seem to find one when I need it!), snacky treats, notepads, scissors, and more. All floating around in my drawer.

And after organization! I can find my pens, always know where my washi tape is going to be, can quickly grab a sweet treat while working on a project, and know where my favorite lip balm is! It only took me 2 minutes to put everything in it's place.

Now I can find what I need, when I need it. No more hunting through loose paper scraps to find my favorite washi tape or pen. This will cut down on frustration and time wasted. And it looks so nice too!! I love the color and may have to chalk paint a few more items to match.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the crafting group Inspire My Creativity, is hosting a craft challenge link up once a month. We create a new post each month to go along with our theme and share the tutorial on our pages, as well as hosting a link up for other people to share their projects that fit out monthly theme.

  

So, you will get my tutorial, as well as links to quite a few other wonderful projects to check out too! This month our theme is - CHALK PAINT 

Meet the Co-Hosts

Shani - Sunshine and Munchkins         Missy - Gypsy Magpie 

Anna - Practical and Pretty          Ali - Home Crafts by Ali          

Meredith - The Designer DIY          Cathy - A Boy and His Mom

Emy - Semigloss Design          Christine - Swordfights and Starry Nights

Meg - The Kusi Life          Kim - Creigh~ations

Sarah - Making Joy and Pretty Things          Candice - She's Crafty

Inspire My Creativity Link Party

Link up 2 of your posts that have to do with the monthly theme - CHALK PAINT

We will share on social media the posts linked up to this party!

An InLinkz Link-up

Mark your calendars for Wednesday September 13th for our next link party! We will be sharing a new challenge project and the link up on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. Here's a sneak peek at our theme for next month, we would love to have you create a project and share at our next link party!!