How to Make a Teacher Desk Organizer

Okay, so for those of you who read my blog, you know I really can't resist trying these really crafty teacher ideas.  I may be late to the party, but I saw a few of the desk organizers made out of the small gray plastic toolboxes and thought they would be awesome!  I am toying with ditching a traditional desk this year, and was wondering where I would store all that junk that gets lost in a desk.  Also, my home "office" is a kitchen nook, and you don't even want to know how junked up the counters and drawers get.  I thought this desk organizer might be the answer to my prayers.

How To
First, take a trip to the hardware store.  You need the toolkit and spray paint made for plastic.  Although the paint said no sanding, I still sanded just in case.  Couldn't hurt, right?

Tip:  If you are not a good painter or are new to spray painting, spray painting outside in the wind is
NOT a good idea.  Don't be so anxious to get it done that you have to buy twice the amount of paint!

I decided I wanted to paint my drawers as well, but that is completely not necessary.  It does make some of the drawers stick a bit, but with use the paint on the tracks will wear off.

Allow the paint to dry completely.  Again, patience.  Wait!

Once the paint dries, you just assemble it.  Since I painted my drawers, I Mod Podged my labels on.  If you leave the drawers clear, then you can attach the labels inside the drawers.

Once you have your labels on, you are all set.  Now you get to the fun part - cleaning up your clutter!  (Okay, for me, there is just this great sense of relief when I clear up a bunch of clutter that has been bugging me.  Anyone else?)  It is just amazing how much you can fit in these!  They do make other sizes of the toolboxes as well, but I
felt like this one would be enough.  If I taught primary, I might want more drawers - I don't use a lot of stickers and things on a regular basis.

If you like my labels, I made them with Cherry Workshop's Summer Backgrounds Stained Glass Digital Paper and KB3's AlphaBasicSans font.  Both can be found on TeachersPayTeachers.

What is your best classroom organization tip?

Amy