Sterilite Saves the Day

I'll have to admit, I've always hated those stupid plastic bins. You know the ones I'm talking about...they're a cheap, ugly storage solution to any clutter whether it's in your home, garage, classroom... When I was in college I refused to buy them and tried desperately to find any alternative storage solution that would be cute. Cue the kindling of my love for those stupid plastic bins. I've found a quick, easy way to make them super cute and resourceful.

You'll need:

• A ruler
• Scissors
• Scrapbook paper (cute ones to match your color scheme)
• Double-sided scotch tape
• Sterilite containers (comes in many shapes and sizes)

My journey began at The Container Store (if you haven't been I suggest you GO if there is one near you or at least visit their website) it changed my life and it will change yours too. Think of it as a Bed Bath & Beyond if all they sold was organizational items for every facet of your life. The only problem was everything I wanted for my classroom was way more pricey than I wanted to spend for my classroom (images of things getting lost, damaged, broken). I bought two Command hooks for $3.99 and made a mental note of this magical place for housewares then continued on to Target.

The Container Store has a 20% off sale going on right now. Look how adorable these containers are! BUT they sell each drawer individually and the large ones I needed were $14.99/drawer. 

At Target I needed a ton of bins. Luckily I had a Cartwheel which took 10% off of Room Essentials Storage bins. However I caution you to READ the labels because right now Target is carrying Room Essentials storage bins and Sterilite storage bins. The Cartwheel only applies if it says "Room Essentials"...tricky.

This bad boy is good until 8/15!

Learn more about Cartwheel here.

I wound up buying these:

Target Room Essentials Storage Cart

 Target Room Essentials Tubs & Totes

Target Room Essentials 6 Qt. Bins

Target also has a mobile coupon right now for $5 off a $25 back to school purchase. Text SCHOOL to 827438.

After you have your bins, measure out how long and how high your bins are and cut your scrapbook paper so they fit nicely in the front. I used my scrapbook stickers to spell out what was inside of each bin (so far I've only needed 4 sheets to spell out everything for my toolbox and storage bins). Use double sided tape to adhere each label to the front of each bin. These labels are easily interchangeable as your need for them changes and add some style/functionality to cheap storage solutions.

The finished product:

This final bin will be used for our class Independent Novel Journals which will be featured in my next blog post. Stay tuned!

With 15 days left until the First Day of School, please tell me I'm not the only one who is having trouble sleeping?!?!