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Filed Away in the New Year

January 1, 2016 By Chelsea Lipford Wolf 3 Comments

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Happy New Year! I’ve got lots of great, easy (and some a tad more difficult) projects planned for this year. So I hope you’ll keep Checking In with me throughout the year for some inspiration and downright how-to information. But for now, your regularly scheduled program.

It seems storage and organization are always trending topics this time of year. And for good reason. It’s always nice to have a catalyst to start fresh, whether it involves getting rid of stuff or organizing what you’ve got. So that’s why this month’s project falls into that category. But I’m not going to give you any tips on how to organize. Just a fun way to make utilitarian storage a little more cute.

Exhibit A:

file cabinet with fabric on drawers and new drawer pulls

Toni, a local photographer, and I took her old, mundane filing cabinet and transformed it with simple tools and materials.

Items We Used:

  • screwdriver
  • sandpaper
  • dust mask or respirator
  • Mod Podge
  • foam brush
  • cabinet pulls
  • scissors
  • straight edge
  • lightweight fabric

After taking off the handles, label holders, and lock, we lightly sanded the entire surface (220-grit sandpaper) to get rid of a few rust spots and just general grime. Then we drug the cabinet outside and spray painted it white with several light coats. (Most spray paints these days can be applied to almost any surface, including metal. Check the label on your can to be sure, though.)

But we left the drawers inside since we had other plans for them. We did, however, spray paint the old label holders with a satin nickel hammered spray paint to match our new drawer pulls.

Before we attached our new hardware, we spread a nice, even coat of Mod Podge on the face of the drawers. Then we quickly laid a piece of scrap fabric on top, making sure the pattern went in the same direction on both drawers. While the glue was still wet we used a ruler to smooth out any bubbles before cutting the excess fabric. Another idea is to use scrapbook paper or wallpaper scraps. The same installation instructions apply.

We wanted the fabric to wrap around the sides of the drawers, so we also spread glue on the edges and pressed the fabric in place.

Mod Podge is great for a project like this. It adheres to almost anything but won’t make colors run on fabrics or papers like other glues can. Plus you can put a coat on top to protect it from stains and other wear and tear.

You don’t have to wait for the glue to dry to finish the makeover either. We snapped the label holders and screwed in the new drawer pulls next.

Once the spray paint on the sides of the cabinet was dry, Toni and I were ready to transport it back to her photography studio in lovely downtown Mobile, Alabama!

yellow file cabinet after makeover

Toni’s a woman after my own heart since she’s planning to keep snacks in one of the drawers. Who needs files anyways? 🙂

Of course I couldn’t leave without a few photos of the filing cabinet…and myself!

Chelsea Lipford Wolf sitting on top of file cabinet after makeover

Ha!

Don’t forget to watch the video above for the nitty gritty details. Hope everyone has a blessed and prosperous 2016!

Thanks for Checking In! ~ Chelsea

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Comments

  1. Lulu kaliher says

    January 4, 2016 at 5:58 pm

    This is great!! I’m so doing this to my file cabinet

    Reply
  2. Catherine says

    July 2, 2019 at 8:29 pm

    I did this file cabinet makeover but my file cabinets had these weird drawer pulls that made pushing them back into the fabric problematic. I cut a hole in the fabric but it was not precise enough and ended up looking a little rough in the middle around the drawer pulls. Additionally, I think I could have benefited from more specific directions about how to secure the edges or at least a close up while you did this on the video. We can’t see what you are doing for 1/3 of the demonstration. I am pretty happy with how they turned out. Definitely an upgrade from the brown metal file cabinets! Thank you for the inspiration.

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      July 29, 2019 at 4:15 pm

      Good feedback, Catherine! I’ll keep this in mind for future videos. ~Chelsea

      Reply

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Thank Heaven for little girls!💕The best part of Thank Heaven for little girls!💕The best part of having daughters is getting to dress them up in clothes from my baby hood.😍🥰Not sure where Clara got her dark hair but it’s a fun change to have a baby with actual hair this time around! Doesn’t she look like a little baby doll?!
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#newbornlife #changingtable #babygirl #thankheavenforlittlegirls #mommasgirl #allpinkallthetime
Welcome home Baby Clara! We love you so much alrea Welcome home Baby Clara! We love you so much already!💕
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#welcomehome #familyofsix #babygirl #happybirthday #3girls1boy
Monogrammed washcloths and clear hooks was an inex Monogrammed washcloths and clear hooks was an inexpensive fix to a constant headache in my kids’ bathroom!🤯 As with many organization projects, hanging it on a wall makes all of the ugly go away!👏🏻
What simple fixes have you done around your house lately?Washcloths used here➡️ https://amzn.to/3bd9Gpv
Clear hooks here➡️ goto.target.com/zaGZ5x
She’s a Brick. House. Who went through mighty mi She’s a Brick. House. Who went through mighty mighty changes to get here!👏🏻Peeling paint was our nemesis on this project, but we eliminated it with persistence and determination. 👊🏻
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We took it a step further by waterproofing these bricks to PREVENT paint from peeling in the future. A fresh coat of matching house paint and it’s like it was always meant to be🥰
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All the details are in my latest blog post which is linked in my profile now! I know it’s not a project on everyone’s list but save it if you have a painted brick house or retaining walls around!
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Still pregnant over here🙃Just finished up these Still pregnant over here🙃Just finished up these concrete spheres and will have a video to share soon! I first discovered them visiting my sisters in Mountain Brook, AL. They seem to be used to keep people from parking in the yard along the street. But I think they are so neat just as yard decorations! What other purposes could they serve?
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#rainymonday #39weekspregnant #yardwork #paintedbrick #exteriorrenovation #cedarshakes #cornerhouse #lawndecor #yarddesign #yarddecor #yarddecorations
For my 4th baby, clothes become nursery decor. Bud For my 4th baby, clothes become nursery decor. Budget-friendly and practical. But how stinking sweet?! Most of these my sisters and I wore as babes 30 years ago😳Still trying to figure out the origin of the sweet blue dress though.🤔
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What have you reused or repurposed as wall decor in a nursery or other space? I just love personal touches like this!
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