A Puzzling Dilemma

Puzzles are a favorite Saturday afternoon activity for my family.  I love seeing my three girls, heads bent, chins cradled by little hands, curls bobbing about as they determinedly search through puzzle pieces. At those times I'm glad I took the extra time to create a special puzzle storage area.

Of course, it was as much for the sake of saving my sanity as it was to take care of our puzzle pieces. Nothing is worst than starting a puzzle, and discovering days later that you are missing the last 5 pieces because it has been knocked about while waiting to be completed! 

My storage solution? One puzzle storage box that holds 6 individual puzzles, an itty bitty box to catch any puzzle escapees until we figure out which puzzle it belongs to, and finally two pull-out shelf trays to hold puzzles-in-progress. The shelves come all the way out so they can be laid out on a coffee table with the puzzle atop while being worked on, and quickly stored out of the way when we need a few days break.

FASHION-ing The Box

I love the wooden boxes often found in craft stores, definitely practical. So I was thrilled to find this decent sized box on sale at Goodwill for a dollar! Of course, I want pretty as well as practical, so I'm sharing how I adding a little glamour to this plain Jane box.

Now, I realize that we see wood and typically think stain. Well I propose that sometimes we make life easy and think spray paint! I'm starting with a gorgeous metallic gold for the inside, so that every time we lift the lid off of this baby we get an eye full of pretty.

Next I'm using a reflective metallic silver spray paint all around the outside. I let it dry about 10 minutes before doing a second coat to ensure no wood is peeking through.

Finally I "age" the silver by lightly spraying my metallic gold around the edges. Keep a fair distance when spraying your gold tint so that it appears to fade into the silver. Let it dry, then use a clear spray to protect your finish and prevent the metallic paint from rubbing off onto little fingers.

Once it is completely dry. It's time for the bling! I confess, I'm adding hardware like it is a dress accessory. Purely aesthetic, this cabinet hardware costs $3 at Walmart, and I love the style it adds!!

It takes a few extra dollars and a couple extra minutes to add a little class, but I think it is well worth it!

In a matter of 40 minutes (give or take a few drying minutes) you've got a lovely glammed storage box! I love the way the wood grain shows through giving the effect a stain would, but with the benefits of spray paint.

FUNCTION

Fashion or not, if I had to choose, function would win out every time. Boy, I'm thankful I don't have to choose! *wink*
Inside this box, six $1 plastic pencil holders do a stellar job of storing one puzzle apiece. 

FAUX TIN Box

I spied an incredible metallic tin set on Pinterest and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. I thought perhaps I'd experiment with turning this little cardboard box into a knock-off version of that. I figured if it turned out well, I'd do a trio of varying sizes for my office area...

...Well? Not half bad right? This little box was a great trial run to help me work out the kinks before attempting my knock-off tins. You'll have to wait for the tutorial on that one! But just to give you an sneak peak of my materials...

This little box makes a great place to stash the random little puzzle pieces that somehow managed to escape. I usually find them while vacuuming, and not always able to determine which puzzle the piece goes with, this allows me to store them until needed...then if we discover we are missing a piece or two to finish up a puzzle, we check the little box for any missing pieces.  

I may love beautiful things, but decorating always serves a bigger purpose in my house, and my little puzzle storage area is no exception! 

Click here to see the entire bookcase makeover and links to the other clever storage solutions!

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