How To Turn A Boring Dresser Into A Cute Secretary - Tutorial

This is a project I am actually really proud of. I have never seen anything like it, and it solves a problem that I had in my office. (My office still deserves to be called a problem, but I am working on it.)

The topic of this month's Craft Challenge was repurposing. I had about five projects in my head when I started, but this was my favorite - I hope it's yours, too!

Here's what I started with:

These Ikea Knuff magazine files are sold in sets of two (they are a bit cheaper in Germany). Depending on the size of your dresser and your storage needs, you will need between two and five of them. The only problem is that the set consists of two different sizes - they are the same height, but not the same width (one fits into the other) - and you need Knuffs that are exactly the same.

You also need a board that is the length of your dresser. Do you see the arrow in the photo above? That's how wide your board must be. When you are at the home improvement store, pick up some wood glue. Then the fun part: Choose a paint that you like, either it should be the same as your dresser's paint or a pretty contrasting color. I went with creamy white.

So let's resume:

• 2-5 Knuff magazine files
• board
• wood glue
• paint
• wood trim (as long as the board - I used two leftover pieces I had at home)

For my dresser I decided to use four magazine files that I put together in twos, with a gap in between that I could also use for storage. In total, there would be three compartments on each side of the dresser.

How to do it:

First of all assemble all of the parts on some newspaper to see what it would look like. Then apply wood glue on the small part of the magazine file. Put the board on top and secure it with a clamp. Repeat this step for each of the magazine files.

Apply the trim to hide the gap between magazine files and board. You can also fill the gaps with filler if that's important to you (I filled it with some paint later). Now is also the time to sand down any sharp edges.

This is what it looks like after drying:

And after painting:

This cute embroidery hoop was a present from Jess at Spool and Spoon, and the photos were taken in Scotland - isn't it magical?

Without meaning to sound conceited, I really really love this project. Moreover, when our super handy neighbor came over he gave it his seal of approval. That's a win, right?

 What's your favorite repurposed item in your home?

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