With the first day of Spring launching this week, our homestead is in full “Spring Cleaning” mode and this super simple and stylish way to organize drawers is a fabulous DiY project that anyone can do. Â I love the difference these simple DiY drawer dividers made in our “junk drawer.” Â This is just the beginning for our farmhouse in the hollow! Â I am hooked and plan on making these custom pieces for every drawer in the house that needs it! (smile) Â It didn’t take me long at all. The longest part was choosing what scrap pieces of wood from my hubby’s workshop would work the best for this project.
BEFORE
This is how I attempted to “organize” the drawer previously. Â Sometimes these plastic baskets can add up and be costly. They can take up a lot of space and as you can see, my attempt at organizing this “junk drawer” didn’t work out so great.
The first thing I did was empty out the contents of the drawer and give it a good wipe down. If you’re looking for more natural alternatives to conventional cleaning products that are filled with chemicals and toxins, check out my 3 Simple Tips for Natural Cleaning Alternatives post here.  After I took a quick snap shot of all the items that I would be organizing,  I measured the width and length of the inside of the drawer.  For this particular project, you want your pieces to fit snug, but not too snug where your thin wooden pieces crack or bow.
Here were the pieces I found that I thought would work fine for my first test run. Â It worked out well and is working like a champ to keep this little drawer nice and tidy. Â Hooray! Â With a farmhouse full of little people that out number you on a daily basis, you celebrate those little organizing victories, ya’ll! Â Hahaha!
The thickness of your wood pieces can vary as well. Â Remember, this is a custom piece, so you can make it anything you would like that works best for your spaces. Â That is the beauty of this simple and quick project. Â You can use this same technique for organizing your kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom drawers.
Supplies I used…
-Thin scrap wood (ideally, thin furring strips or wood lath would work well…the height of your wood pieces will depend on how high your drawer is)
-Measuring tape
-Wood glue (I used Gorilla glue)
-Paint brush
-Wet paper towel for accidental spills
-Miter saw
-Slide ruler
-Pencil
-Clamps (optional if you build a box frame first)
-Chalk paint (optional, I love the Amy Howard line here)
-Contact paper (similar to this from the Dollar Tree Store here)
Then I cut my pieces and played around with the configuration before applying the glue.
Once I had the configuration that I thought would work well for our family’s “junk drawer” needs, I took my wood glue and a small paint brush and I started to glue the wood pieces together. But before I did this, I cut my contact paper down to size and attached it on the bottom of the drawer. Â I made sure to cut the wood pieces to the size that would fit snuggly within the drawer. This helped in two ways to make this DiY project even easier.
1.) Using the drawer itself as a box template, maximizes the useable space within the drawer and helps fit more items without compromising on the neatness or space available.
2.) Because I didn’t build a box frame, there were no need for the clamps. I was able to just make it work with what you see above. Â The glue dried nicely and now everything has a place and everything in its place. Â SCORE for the home team!
Quick Tip:Â To cut down on a messy glue bottle that is challenging to open, I like to unscrew the cap and dip a small art brush inside the bottle. Â This not only controls the mess factor that glue can dish out, but it also helps you control how much glue comes out of the bottle at one time. Â I learned this simple technique from my dad this winter when he helped me build this simple DiY console here.
Note:  If you wanted to take this a step further and really customize the pieces, you could spray paint them all white or use chalk paint (Amy Howard’s Chalk Paint line is my go-to brand).  Visit A Makers’ Studio, Amy Howard Home to give this beautiful line a try.  A little goes a long way, especially with this simple DiY project.
AFTER
And that’s a wrap! Â With this simple and inexpensive DiY, the organizing possibilities are endless! Â Have you used a similar technique to add some custom organization to your home? Â Share in the comments. Â I love to hear how you tame the clutter in your own homes.
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Until next time, remember to keep it simple!
Isaiah 26:3-4
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