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Monday, April 27, 2015

Updated Numbered IKEA Boxes


Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? I enjoyed some shopping on Saturday with my mom then laid pretty low on Sunday.  If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen the picture of my overflowing cart from our IKEA trip on Saturday.  I went in search of dining room chairs and ended up coming home with a ton of fabulous storage boxes and other great finds.  I've always loved IKEA's small storage not only for their price, but for their great selection.  Although many of their items are great as is, with a little tweaking they can be amazing.  I mean really, who doesn't like a good IKEA hack?

Updated IKEA Storage Boxes
I was immediately drawn to the TJENA boxes for their dark gray color as well as their price, hello $1.49.   They came with little matching tags, but I knew I could do better.  


I also bought a pack of number tags ($.99) that I thought would come in handy for a future project.  I didn't know exactly how I was going to use them, but when I got home I was immediately inspired by leftover balsa wood.  I purchased a bunch for a previous project and planned on returning the extra pieces.  If you're not familiar with this wood, it's extremely light weight and thin, perfect for tags.
Cutting wood tags
I started by cutting the strips of balsa wood into smaller rectangles then gave them a coat of Minwax Jacobean stain.
Painting wood tags
Once the stain was dry, I cut the number tags down to size, drilled holes in the wood using a small drill bit then attached the tags with brads.  

Updated IKEA storage boxes

Updated IKEA storage boxes

Updated IKEA storage boxes
You may recall that we have been trying to get my husband's office back together after the big flood.   We've gotten most of the mess cleaned up and the furniture back in place, but we still have a lot of purging and organizing to do.  These little boxes ended up being the perfect addition for storing small odds and ends in my husbands manly golf inspired office.
Updated IKEA storage boxes

This won't be the end of organizing projects in the office.  Make sure to stop back on May 13th for our next Monthly DIY challenge.  Our theme is trash to treasure and I'll making over another piece of furniture using more balsa wood.  Here's a sneak peak!



Would you like to comment?

  1. These are awesome, Katie!! I have some Ikea boxes in my basement that I've been meaning to spruce up. Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. Thanks girl! I'm so glad I could inspire you to get creative with your boxes. Have a fabulous week!

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  2. LOVE how they turned out Katie! SO creative!!! And I'm dying to see more of that gorgeous sneak peek!!!

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    1. Thanks Kristi! I'm dying to get it finished and share the full reveal. I was hoping that I could use it as a side table, but it's too tall. Boo!

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  3. I subscribe to a "few" blogging sites like yours. Quite honestly, yours is the only one, so far, I really, truly enjoy and get excited about when I see a new posting. Thanks!! You make my thrifty-decorating days! :-)

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    1. Cindy you are so sweet! Thank you so much for completely making my day :) It's always nice to hear that someone else also enjoys thrifty decorating. Wishing you a fabulous week!

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  4. This is adorable! I really need to do this! :) Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thank you! It's so easy and a great way to customize storage.

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  5. Wow! You turned those ikea boxes into something really cool.

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  6. You completely changed them! You wouldn't even know they were ikea boxes now. I have been wanting to do something with balsa wood because it looks so graft to work with....maybe now I will have motivation to give it a go!

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    1. Thanks girl! You must give balsa wood a try. It's easy to work with and great for so many crafts and projects. Have a great week :)

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  7. I love the way these turned out, and such a smart idea to use brads to attach the tags to the boxes! Thanks so much for linking up with us at The Creative Circle! - Angela, Blue i Style

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    1. Thank you! I figured out the brad trick on a previous project and it works out perfectly, no pointy nails sticking out!

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  8. Oh! I miss IKEA! Love this hack. Thanks for sharing with us at The Creative Circle.

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  9. I adore these boxes! They look like something you'd pay a lot of money for at the store. I included them as one of my features this morning at our party. Thanks so much for always sharing your fabulous projects with us, Katie! Can't wait to see your DIY Challenge project next week!

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    1. Thanks so much Jamie! I'm glad you liked them and appreciate the feature. Have a great weekend!

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  10. These are so cute (or manly since they're in your husband's office). 😊

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