Pretty Drawers

We're winding down on a major project - transforming a Craigslist desk into a pretty (and functional) desk for The Niece.

While we finish a bit of touch-up work, I thought I'd share with you a quick and easy way to visually improve your furniture by making your own decorative drawer liners.

You'll need wrapping paper of your choice:


And if you want to make your drawer liners a bit more durable, pick up some clear adhesive paper (like Con-Tact, which comes in both gloss and matte):


Carefully measure the inside of your drawer and cut the wrapping paper to size. We opted to cut the paper slightly smaller (about 1/2" total on all four sides) to allow the liner to adhere to the bottom of the drawer for a stronger hold. You can also cut your paper slightly larger than the drawer, then use a craft knife to cut the paper precisely to fit the inside of the drawer.

Place the paper in your drawer. To make your task simpler, use a few pieces of double-sided sticky tape to hold the paper in place. If you aren't worried about ripping your paper, you can simply tack the paper down by adhering the edge of the paper to the drawer with clear tape.

Since our desk drawers will see a lot of use, we were worried about durability. Using your cut wrapping paper as a guide, cut a piece of liner paper approximately 1/2-3/4" wider on all edges than the wrapping paper. This will allow the liner to stick to the wrapping paper, the bottom of the drawer and the sides of the drawer. It's all about staying power, baby!

Working carefully, place the liner on top of the wrapping paper and lightly press it into place. Use a straight edge, like a ruler, to smooth out all of the air bubbles. Then firmly press the liner to ensure that it seals to all surfaces.

Note: We found this is much easier done when working as a twosome!

And there you have it! A lovely custom lined drawer that can easily be changed whenever it strikes your fancy. (Believe it or not - the liner paper is easy to peel off when you want to, but holds tight when you don't!)

Even better? The total cost for our custom liner project was $6 for the wrapping paper and clear liner paper. However, we can discount the actual cost because we have lots of paper left over for gift wrapping and future projects.

I'll bet you're about ready to see this desk, aren't you? Photos and how-to, coming soon!!