51 UHeart Organizing: File This Project Away To Do Someday!

More proof coming your way today, that organizing doesn't have to be expensive to be stylish!  The lovely Chelsea, from Two Twenty One is here today to show us how she took a standard blah filing cabinet and made it a major "Wow" factor that looks like a bajillion bucks!  Here she is now...

Since the monthly organization challenge for the month of January is home office, I thought I'd share my stenciled file cabinet.

I've been working on my home office makeover for, oh, over a year now.  To say it's slowly coming together is an understatement.  {These things don't happen overnight you know.}  Well, a couple months ago I finished one more project on my to-do list, stenciling my file cabinet.

I started with a dull, greenish/tan file cabinet, which I scored for free. It's super boring and kind of an eyesore, no?

I painted it with white latex paint, and it sat for a year, waiting for more to happen to it.  I contemplated painting on some stripes, but when I came across the Rockin' Roses Damask Stencil by Royal Design Studio I knew it was perfect for the file cabinet.

Stenciling the file cabinet was pretty easy.  It probably helped that I was able to roll the file cabinet over so whatever side I was working on was facing upward.  I started by taping the stencil in the middle of the the long sides.  Adhesive spray wasn't necessary with this project, so don't worry about that.  In addition to the stencil, I used a foam roller, a sample of latex paint {Valspar's Gravity}, and a paper plate covered in foil as my paint tray {super classy and professional}, all things I already had on hand.

I positioned the larger stencil in the middle, and I used the smaller stencil to finish the ends of the tall sides.  The stencil registration system made it easy to match up the pattern.  The large stencil was all I needed for the top of the file cabinet.

I wanted the handles to stand out a little, so I covered them with painters tape before stenciling.

The stenciling itself didn't take very long.  I found the key to effective stenciling was using just enough paint.  It's better to go with too little paint and do a second coat than go with too much paint on the first run.

Don't want to invest in a stencil?  You could easily create some fun designs {stripes, zig zags, diamonds, etc.} with painters tape.

Some people have asked me how well the paint has held up, and I'm happy to say that the paint has held up very well.  The key is giving the paint enough time to cure before placing items on it.

I love how the file cabinet turned out.  Now having to file paperwork won't be as boring because I'll be looking at this pretty little thing.  Isn't it crazy what a little paint can do to transform a piece of furniture?

And because everyone loves a good before and after.  Here you go!  Doesn't it look ten times better?

Have you stenciled a piece of furniture before?  Do you have a less-than-pretty piece of furniture you'd like to stencil or paint?

"Hey friends!  I'm Chelsea from Two Twenty One!  I'm a twenty-something living in Indiana with my husband, Brad, and our crazy mutt, Jack.  My loves are photography, travel, DIY projects, baking, wine, sarcasm and my iPhone.  The husband and I are attempting to make our home a little less cookie cutter and a lot more awesome.  My little slice of the internet, Two Twenty One, is where I share my latest home improvement projects, furniture makeovers, crafts, recipes and home & seasonal decor ideas.  I am beyond excited to join Jen and the rest of the IHeart Organizing team!"