Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Frugal Mud Room Storage

Just in case you didn't see my guest post over at The Frugal Girls, I'm reposting it here for your viewing pleasure :)

I'm going to show you how we turned this...


into this.....


for a lot less than you might think!!

When we remodeled our laundry room and mud room, I knew I wanted some storage for the odds and ends that can be overwhelming to keep track of ~ hats, mittens, scarves, sunglasses, etc, but I wanted to spend as little as possible.  I remembered the set of bookshelves pictured above that just been sitting in the garage since we had picked them up at a yard sale a few years ago for only $1 and thought they would be just perfect!
The bookshelves were solid wood and in pretty good shape, but just needed a little updating.  We went to Home Depot to buy a little paint, and noticed they have an "OOPS" section for paint that was mixed incorrectly or returned by the customer.  We bought a small can of black paint for $1!
We painted the bookshelves and since I'm loving the vintage look lately, I used the palm sander around the edges to give it a more aged look (which you'll be able to see later).
So the bookshelves were completed for a total of $2, and remained empty for several months while I searched for the right baskets.  And search I did ~ at every retailer I could think of!  Unfortunately, baskets aren't cheap!  (I did look at various thrift stores, but the difficult part was finding 4 baskets that matched).  I found baskets I loved at Target, but couldn't believe it when I looked at the price tag and they were $16 each!!  Back to the ole' drawing board! 
Finally, we took a trip to IKEA where I found the lovely Agen baskets ~ they would fit perfectly; the only problem ~ they were white, not brown.  I bought 4 and unfortunately I don't have the receipt and they are no longer on the IKEA website, but I believe they were around $6 apiece.  I didn't love the white ~ but no problem.  Enter Krylon's Brown Boots.


For $2.99/can (I used about a can and a half) I was able to spraypaint the baskets to the brown color I wanted ~ and I don't think anyone would notice!!  Here's a comparison of the baskets, and you can also a closer view of the bookshelves...


What about the rest of the decor?


The white apothecary jar I found at a thrift store for $1.97 and spraypainted to give it a fresh new look.  The "M" monogram was a Hobby Lobby deal normally priced $5.99 but I had a 40% off coupon, so around $3.60.  As far as the stack of books, two were passed down from grandparents and one was a library buy for 50 cents, all tied up with a piece of twine.  The rest of the decorations were found "shopping the house," which is a great trick when you are looking for something new and don't want to spend any money ~ just move things from other areas of your home!

The grand total?  Less than $40 ~ less than what it would have cost to buy just 3 of those baskets at Target!!

Moral of the story?  When you are looking at a great deal that might look less than perfect, try to look past it's current version and think of the potential it may have ~ it could save you a lot of money!!



Linking to some of my favorites!

Visit thecsiproject.com


I am honored to be featured!

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is great. You have inspired me the last few months to really watch sales and use coupons more. I love the idea of the shelves with baskets for mittens and hats and things. We could use this in our Breezeway room(room between the garage and house.) Also thanks for talking about the book Pioneer Woman cooks. Our Library finally got it and I love it. I've made at least 5 things so far from it. I will have to get a copy for myself. Thanks!

~Beth D. said...

jealous! what great finds. thanks for sharing. i will be going garage sale hopping this weekend!

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Works very well, good storage and nice decorations.
- Joy

Kara said...

Wow! Great makeover for so cheap...love it! Yours turned out great and looks like it'd cost a ton more! I see 'trash' as 'treasure' a lot too!! :-D

Nicole said...

*GASP!* Of COURSE you can spraypaint baskets!!! Oh my lanta, why haven't I thought of this before?! Good gracious. Thanks so much for sharing. It looks fabulous!!

Angie @ www.ourjoyfulliving.com said...

Looks great.
Thanks for sharing
come visit me
www.ourjoyfulliving.com

Mikey Fuller said...

Love the transformation! The baskets look great--doesn't look like spray paint! Thanks for the lovely comments on my guest post over at Remodeholic! Now Following!

~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage

Tammy said...

Love a great bargain...you got a lot of them! I never would have thought of spray painting baskets. You will make me look at baskets differently now:) Love the whole bookcase! Good Job! Your newest follower. Hope you can visit me sometime soon.

Nicole@Thrifty Decorating said...

Wow...that's amazing! I would have never guessed that those baskets were spraypainted!!
Thanks for linking!

Pam @ Our Adventures in Home Improvement said...

Great job! I love the newly painted baskets. You did a great job. I'm so impressed that you did everything so inexpensively.

Thanks for sharing.

This is my first visit to your blog. I'm looking forward to following you.

Pam

Anonymous said...

I love that bookshelf ... I am looking for something very similar for the girls room, but can't seem to find anything. It is soon yardsale season, so I might have to keep my eyes open for something like it :)
~Kelly M.

Jo-Anna@APrettyLife said...

This looks great! I love spray paint!
Thanks too for stopping by my blog!
Jo-Anna

Unknown said...

Looks great! I love the pepsi crate!

I am having a giveaway on my blog. $40 store credit to get any vinyl decal from Urban Walls.Just leave me a comment telling me which is your favorite design to win.
http://houseonashwelllane.blogspot.com/2011/04/40-store-credit-from-urban-walls-to-get.html

Anonymous said...

I made the cinnamon rolls last week and loved them too. I froze some and made some for a bake sale. Thanks for the website info. Just wondering if you know when you'll be in MD again? We'll be going in May sometime, not sure of dates yet.

Janna Renee said...

Great Idea for organization!! Great blog too!

Anonymous said...

What an awesome redo! This looks great! thanks so much for sharing!

aggieam01 said...

ohmygoodness. This is so perfect! I have been looking for something like this for my entryway but would have never thought to use a bookshelf like that. It looks amazing!!

ArtfullyJune said...

Wow, great find and wonderfully frugal makeover. Looks great.

rachel said...

wow! you did a great job! I love your creative ideas!

Brenda said...

wow! that looks great! love the baskets! great work!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the color of the room, what color is it?

Adolf said...

I love the idea of the shelves with baskets for mittens and hats and things. ... bookshelveswithbaskets.blogspot.com

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