IHeart: Painted Magazine Files!

This weekend I spent a bunch of time being a mom.  I even made the kid's breakfast and it wasn't out of a box in the form of cereal or a waffle {for those that know me personally, you know that this is a really big deal}.  And I also worked on new binder printables.  And in-between all of that, the hubs and I managed to partner up to finish off a project or two! 

I know some of you may be here today excited to see the grand reveal of my new desk, no worries my friends.  Hopefully it will be wrapped up before the end of the week.  There are just a couple finishing touches left...

I am, however, popping in to share one of the projects that I did do for the desk space!  A quick and easy project that anyone can do to customize generic office storage.

I started out with some plain green magazine files I found for $5 each at my happy place, Target.

I am really into stripes lately and thought striped magazine files would add some visual interest to the space.  All I needed for this project was a roll of 1" painters tape, a sponge brush and some leftover paint from a previous project.

To begin I taped the bottom perimeter of the magazine file to give a starting point. 

I used small pieces of tape as spacers to ensure a perfect pattern.  Here it is all taped up:

Times two:

Then, just using my foam brush, I painted in the stripes with Behr's Burnished Metal paint.

I used a small craft paint brush to edge in around the label holders.  After two coats of paint came my favorite part... Peeling off the tape!

Super cute.  I guess I forgot to mention why these two magazine files are so important in the first place.  One is to hold my most favorite Better Homes and Gardens "Storage" magazines and the other is to hold recent catalogs.  I keep both right within arms reach when working on projects for ideas and inspiration.

But again, you wouldn't know that by looking at these gems.  That's why labeling is key!

I am so smitten with how they turned out.  And to think, I have seen similar styles run around $18 each.  That's a $26 savings I can live with!

And the concept works great with all sorts of blah office supplies.  Painters tape, vinyl or stencils all can give you a custom look that you are after!

I also started playing around with lining the drawers with wrapping paper and updating the hardware....

More to come throughout the week as I give you live play by plays of the desk moving in progress!

What did you paint this weekend?  Did anyone take 15 minutes to organize, and if so, what did you accomplish with a smile?