Back to school style guide: DIY farmhouse organizer display for school supplies + more

Hey friends, so glad you could join in on this fun project today! Who’s ready to get back into the swing of things? Summer is such a fun time for the kids and being more relaxed on our schedule has definitely been a good time. But, there is something refreshing about going back to a regular schedule, having the kids get back to a normal sleeping schedule and getting this house back in order. I love summer but I can’t imagine winging most days all year long. It really sounds tiring, if you ask me! Well today, I wanted to share a really easy DIY organizer perfect to keep your supplies a little orderly and still pretty, and easily customized to whatever you want to use it for. I show 2 ways I would like to use this, but the choices are pretty much endless.

I was so excited to put this together because I bought 3 of these galvanized tin cans a few months ago and used them to hold faux greenery and one that held some controllers in the family room. But if you follow me at all on instagram, you know I like to change things around regularly and these were just sitting stacked in the corner of our living room with no purpose for the last 2 weeks. Until, a light bulb finally popped up and I just went for it!

My sister told me these are still at Michael’s and are super discounted which blows my mind, because it was already on super sale to me when I bought it. But you can use any rectangular shaped can, basket or whatever you’d like to use. You know my house is small, so I set up shop right in between my living and dining room. This easel lives in our garage where we’ve created a little play area for the kids. It’s not camera ready and Idk that it’ll ever be (LOL) so trust me, you can thank me later!

Items used:
– 3 galvanized rectangular cans with chalk board paint on the front
– 4 wood pallets
– off white chalk paint
– 1 clothes pin
– 1 cardstock paper

Tools used:
– jigsaw
– sander with 100 grit
– hammer
– 12 1 inch nails
– 3M 110 Double-Sided Foam Tape
– hot glue


First I joined the wood pallets together by lining up 3 pieces and joining them with another wood pallet that goes across the back on both ends of the wood (about 2 inches away from the ends) and nailing each piece with 2 nails, making it a total of 12 nails. I’ve done this same base in these DIY projects found here and here. Can you tell I love love wood pallets?!

Then I used my jigsaw to make the ends more uniform and sanded down the whole front and edges to give it a pretty smooth surface. Wiped it down, and painted it with the off white chalk paint. You can end with a wax on top or polyurethane but I was in a rush so left it as is. It will do for now;) But, I’ll probably go back and do this step some time soon.

Lastly, this part is easy, I added the 3m strips to the back of the can and stuck them straight on to the wood. These particular ones can hold a few lbs but if you think your kids might try to hang on them or something crazy like that (which might be the case for my kids), I would recommend doing something more permanent like screwing them into the wood. If I decide to commit to using this for supplies, I will definitely screw them in! For now, I’m just not ready to drill holes into my galvanized cans! Anyway, the cans are spaced out about 5.5 inches from each other. It seems to be a good amount of space between each. Then use hot glue to glue your clothes pin to the top of the organizer and that way you can label this organizer whatever you’d like! Today I’m sharing it as a supplies organizer, but can be customized to whatever you feel!

Some ways I would totally use it is a bathroom organizer, for school supplies, a makeup organizer, for office supplies for the desk area and my personal favorite, a mini herb garden in the kitchen. Here’s an example of it but clearly those aren’t herbs nor are they real;P. But you get the idea!

So, what do you think of this super quick DIY organizer? It definitely has a farmhouse style feel that we all love right?! I would recommend hanging it on a wall. I haven’t committed to what or where I will actually be using this organizer. So, for today I have it leaning. Hope you enjoyed and found some ideas today to kick off the new school year as you get back into a routine and try to get and stay organized! Have a wonderful week! Here’s to another awesome school year!

---

See what #BackToSchoolStyleGuide my friends are sharing on their blogs:

1. Primitive and Proper

2. Simple Stylings

3. Restless Arrow

4. design Post interiors