Ugly Magazine Bins…Transformed

Among the stuff left behind by my parents when they retired to Minnesota were a bunch of plastic magazine bins. My dad used them in his office to store scratch paper, user manuals, and software floppy disks. Old school but effective (he was a pretty organized guy).

But these burgundy-colored plastic boxes with scribbled labels stuck on the side were pretty ugly. Normal people might have just tossed them in the garbage. But I was ready to send them to the thrift shop. Someone might want them. 

And then, inspiration… 

They sat there a while, waiting for me to donate them. I don’t know what came over me, maybe a whisper from my dearly departed Dad - keep the bins! I got an idea that these would be a great solution for my storage dilemma.

I was moving to a much smaller place, and despite my best downsizing efforts, I still had a bunch of children’s paperback picture books I wanted to keep. (I’m a librarian, after all.) The only place to keep them (other than stuffed in a box in my closet) would be on the few book shelves I had room for. But I didn’t want those to be cluttered with thin, wobbly paperbacks. It clicked with me that the bins would work great for these books.

So I set out to transform them into stylish storage for my shelves. I scraped the labels off (quite a bit of scrubbing), cleaned away all the gunk with Goo-Gone and gave them a bath in my kitchen sink.

So much CUTE scrapbook paper

I couldn’t settle on one print so I picked a bunch with more or less complementary colors. (Really just whatever struck my fancy.)

I measured and cut the pieces to fit the face-out side of the bins. You might feel the need to cover the entire bin with paper, but it’s really not necessary. Only the fronts show on the shelf, and the burgundy color of the bins actually worked nicely with the colorful paper.

Attaching the paper

I applied Mod Podge to the bin, not the paper. I attached the paper and let it dry thoroughly. It actually turned out to be days before I had a chance to get back to it. I think letting it dry thoroughly before adding the top coat is key. Not days, necessarily, but certainly hours.

Later, I applied the top coat of Mod Podge (gloss finish) and let this dry thoroughly.

Finally, I applied some touch ups where needed, but I didn’t bother giving them a full second coat. They didn’t need it!

Voila!

The result is a perfect storage solution for my shelves. I was able to save most of my favorite children’s picture books and keep them accessible, without cluttering up my shelves.

Okay, you might think my shelves are still too cluttered by today’s standards - minimalist, color-coded or whatever your preference is. But I like the variety and (okay, I’m going to use this word I love) juxtaposition of the things I’ve collected over the years. You do your shelves your way, of course!

I’m really glad I gave these bins a second look. While someone might’ve snatched them up at the thrift shop, they could have easily ended up in the thrift shop Dumpster. Instead, I have some cute bins to organize my stuff. Thanks, Dad!