Organize Your Craft Room With An Apothecary-Style Shelf DIY

Anyone with an arts and crafts room knows how important it is to keep your space spic and span and free from clutter. Working with different materials can quickly result in chaos, so having a good system of organizing your paints, ribbons, and supplies is essential for a conducive and creative workspace. If you're looking to bring order to your craft room, YouTuber @CreativeontheCheap adds to a growing list of easy and affordable Dollar Tree DIYs with an apothecary-style shelf organizer made from several mini wooden trays and wood planks. The number of cubbies can be customized, as can the horizontal or vertical orientation of each wooden box.

This DIY calls for as many Dollar Tree Crafter's Square Rectangular Wooden Crates as you need — enough to form your desired number of cubby rows and columns. Arrange the boxes to form an apothecary-like cabinet and glue them together with a strong adhesive. Given wood's different moisture content, we suggest using glue specifically designed for wood, like Gorilla Ultimate Waterproof Wood Glue or, if you are using a glue gun, the Surebonder Wood Stix from Amazon. Clamp the boxes together with clothespins as they dry. To prevent the contents of each shelf from falling off, create a protective lip by gluing a wooden strip along the bottom of each row to act as a trim.

Want to give your shelf a rustic look? We suggest staining the shelf but avoid using too much staining product to prevent it from running down the wood and causing streaks, which will give your project a messy and amateur look. The trick is to use a small folded piece of discarded cloth and dip the tip about ¼ of an inch into the can of stain before evenly dabbing the wood in small sections at a time.

Enhance its rustic vibe even further by adding bronze or metal label holders — these Qjaiune Library Label Holders can be screwed on or pasted onto the shelf's wooden lip. For a more contemporary look, use any paint color that will suit your craft room, or simply leave the wood as is. You can even line the backs of each shelf with patterned paper, gift wrap, or leftover wallpaper. The finished shelf can now hold paint bottles, glitter, ribbons, or any other arts and crafts supplies that can fit into each cubby.

You'll find that this versatile project can easily suit multiple purposes around the house as well. Make one for your kitchen to hold spice bottles or condiments, or turn it into a tea sachet organizer, which will certainly impress your guests who come over for tea. Hang one at the entryway for family members to deposit their keys in. They also make a great display shelf for a collection of figurines or collectibles.

Handcrafted gifts are tokens of thoughtfulness and creativity, so consider this shelf as a great gift box to offer to loved ones. If you find boxes that are deep enough, you can craft a shelf for holding a set of small espresso cups, which makes for a creative housewarming gift. Tuck some folded baby socks, onesies, and baby shoes in each cubby as a gift to a newborn. Fill it with envelopes, notepads, and stamp pad sets to offer to a stationery-obsessed friend.