How to Make a Teacher Toolbox

I recently jumped on the Teacher Toolbox train, and am THRILLED about it!

I'm trying to take advantage of these stress-free summer days by thinking ahead about classroom organization for next year. My desk always ends up so messy (please tell me I'm not the only one!), and I think most my problem is that I've never taken the time to really think through a specific home for everything. 

You guys, I'm not gonna lie. This project was a dream for me. It took me maybe 15 minutes of hands-on time to put together (seriously) and I felt sooo accomplished. Not too bad for summer, right? ;)

Here are the steps:

1. Look up "Teacher Toolbox" on Pinterest for some organization inspiration.

2. Go to Lowes and buy one of their plastic organizers from the tool section. (I bought this one, but they do have larger options with more drawers available if you really want to go all out.)

3. Head over to the paint section and pick out some spray paint, if you'd like. Make sure it says "bonds to plastic" on the bottle.

4. If you do decide to spray paint, give your drawers a light sanding. I used 220-grit sandpaper and spent about two minutes roughing up the smooth frame of the drawers. (Don't sand the drawers themselves--go ahead and just remove those for this part of the process.)

5. Spend two minutes spray painting. You  should ideally use light, even coats, but I was too excited to wait and did one thick coat. It turned out just fine. : )

6. Leave the spray-painted drawer frame in a cool, dry place to gas off for a couple days. THIS is the part you don't want to skip--an accidental paint drip here and there doesn't bother me, but paint really does need time to cure before you expose it to any wear and tear. Chipped paint is way worse than accidentally dripped paint. Trust me, you won't regret the wait. 

7. While your drawers are drying/curing/gassing off, print and cut your labels. You can find the ones I used in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, if you'd like the same look--and the file's editable! You can laminate your labels for extra durability, too.

8. Use a dot of hot glue to attach your drawer labels to the drawers, then put the drawers back in the frame. That's it! 

I hope this is inspiring for you as you're getting ready for the new school year. Do you have any organization projects planned?  I'd love to hear from you!

Happy crafting!