52 Be Inspired: Stylish Storage Box Update

Although I have been known to splurge on storage from time to time, I typically try and find it as inexpensive as possible.  Whether that be searching for coupon codes, scouring eBay and Craigslist, finding alternative comparable options or DIY'ing my own version... there are many ways to snag storage on a budget.  What can I say, I like storage!  But I like pretty storage even more!

One set of storage boxes I have been lusting after for awhile now, are the Kate Spade stacking boxes.  Heck, I have even been tempted to splurge on something grand in the store just to take home one of the gift boxes... but then my senses kick in.

What is it about the boxes that bring stars to my eyes?  The combination of bold colors paired with pretty gold details were the key ingredients.

As I mentioned here, I am scheming up a little craft cabinet for my kiddos.  Being a creative myself, I always encourage my boys to grab markers, coloring books, paints and pipe cleaners when the mood strikes.  We have little craft stations all over our home, and they are slowly getting out of control.  I am pretty excited to put everything in one easy to access cabinet, but all of those details to that project will be in an upcoming post once it is complete.  However, heading into the project I knew I wanted to add a couple more storage boxes.

Photo boxes have always been my "go to" storage solution for just about everything.  We use them for small games, cords, photos and even storage galore in my studio.  And I can typically find them relatively cheap.  Michael's often sells them for $2-4 each, depending on sales and coupons, so I picked up three in a solid white finish.

Once I returned home, I dug through my craft paints, color testers and touch-up paint jars to find a few colors I thought would be happy in our living room.  I had a little too much fun finger painting to test out the color combos prior to committing to anything on the boxes themselves.

Because I live with all boys, I rarely get to use pink, so I snuck it in on one of the boxes which will ultimately live behind a cabinet door.    Hey, a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

I started by removing the label plates off of the front of the boxes.  We need to store the boxes the long way, so I would have to re-add them to a different side.  Then, using a craft foam roller I rolled the paint onto the exterior of the boxes.  The paint coverage was not all that stellar; two coats plus touch ups were required.

I noticed that the paint really needed to cure before I could move forward.  Some paint cured faster than others {an exterior paint from our touch-up jar and the craft paint adhered much better than regular wall paint}.  My guess is a little primer would really speed up that curing process.

So I waited a few days quite impatiently, but I know it was worth it.  Already so pretty!

A few weeks ago, Dina from Honey & Fitz shared some gold tape she used to update photo frames.  The second I saw the tape, I knew I could think of 1,001 uses for it, and I ordered the 1/2" gold tape from Amazon.

Using the edge as a guide, I wrapped the lip of the box cover with a the gold tape.

And spray painted the silver label holders with my favorite gold spray paint.

And the boxes were now bright, bold and colorful!

I popped them on the shelves in the future craft cabinet, just to stand back and admire.

They are fun and playful and what I really love most is how the gold reflects differently depending how the light hits it.  Apparently I also love shiny things.

And that wraps up another episode of High/Low Storage. 

Who else loves shiny, happy storage?  Have you been making over any decorative boxes lately based on something high-end and out of budget?