Thrift Shop Challenge: DIY Book Bin

I’m so excited about today’s post because it feels like a throwback to when I flipped furniture all the time. Except for this time, it’s with a little twist. If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve joined an amazing group of ladies for the Thrift Shop Challenge. When I was asked to join, I didn’t even hesitate.

What exactly is the Thrift Shop Challenge?

Every season a group of bloggers head to their local thrift stores to find the perfect piece to transform for their home. It can be home decor, a piece of furniture, items that are used in a whole new way, etc. We transform our pieces and share them on our blogs for all to see.

And then here’s the best part. We invite you to join in! We want to inspire you to head out to your local thrift shops to take on this challenge yourself. This is such an amazing and fun way to decorate your home on a budget. And if you do join in, share your picture with us over on Instagram, use #thriftshopchallenge, and you can even tag me. I seriously can’t wait to see what you find!

Today kicks off the fall Thrift Store Challenge. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to see what the six other bloggers created for this challenge. Meanwhile, let’s jump into what I transformed for this challenge.

How to Create a Book Bin

I went into my local Goodwill not having a clue as to what I would find. I’ve found that if I go in looking for a particular item, it’s not going to happen 99% of the time. So my game plan? To see what caught my eye and inspired a flipped. I just about always head to the furniture first and that’s when I found this small bookcase within 5 minutes of being in the store for only $5.99. I had the perfect plan for it!

Ever since I organized Oliver’s toys in his playroom, I’ve wanted a way to display seasonal books where they’re easily accessible for him. That’s when I knew this bookcase could be used just for that reason but by making it even more functional and easy to use. The makeover on this bookcase was a breeze and one you can easily do as well if you’re looking for a way to store books.

Materials Used

halk spray paint in White Matte
Clear spray paint in Matte
4 wooden legs
4 metal table leg plates
Drill
Stain in Flagstone
Mod Podge
Scrapbook paper
Small paintbrush

The How-To

I gave the entire bookcase a good cleaning (thankfully it wasn’t too bad) and decided to give it a fresh coat of paint. I placed it on the backside since that will become the bottom of the book bin. Using chalk spray paint, I gave it two coats of fresh white paint followed by a clear coat.

This was the first time that I used this type of spray paint and I’m officially a fan! It allowed for bare minimum prep, dried within minutes, left a pretty matte finish, and provided great coverage. The only part I didn’t spray was the inside and you’ll see why in a minute.

While the paint dried, I applied the stain to the wooden legs. I ended up going with Flagstone. The same stain I used in our laundry room closet makeover. It’s a stain color that I recently discovered and love!

I attached each leg to the corners of the bookcase. Remember, the back of the bookcase is now the bottom. To attach the legs, I screwed a metal leg plate in each corner making sure the sides were flush with the sides of the bookcase. Once attached, you easily screw the table legs into the plates.

The last step is attaching the scrapbook paper on the interior sides of the book bin. This is a fun way to add a little personality and color! Working one side at a time, apply mod podge on the side you’re applying the paper to. You’ll then place the piece of paper on the glue (cut and measured for the perfect fit) and apply mod podge on top of the paper to further seal it. This is repeated for each interior side.

This project was completed and placed in Oliver’s playroom all in the same day! Talk about a quick thrift store makeover. It was so precious seeing Oliver wake up from his nap discovering his new book bin. And that whole thing of making books more accessible for him? Well, my friends, he couldn’t get his hands on the books fast enough.

It’s the perfect addition to his playroom and I’ll be able to switch out the books seasonally, add educational books, and his favorites. It can also easily be placed in his bedroom if he wants it in there instead.

So, there you have it! My $5.99 thrift store find flipped into a custom book bin for our whole family to enjoy. I can’t get over how cute it is! Now, are you ready to see what everyone else created? You’re going to love what everyone else came up with and will inspire you to go running to your closest thrift store to see what you can find. Remember, to use the hashtag #thriftstorechallenge over on Instagram and tag me so that we can see it and share some in our stories.

Check Out the Other Projects

Amber Oliver – How to Turn Dresser Drawers into Shelves
At Charlotte’s House – Flea Market Mirror Makeover
Green with Decor – Painted Christmas Village House
Love, Create, Celebrate – DIY Wooden Spoon Rest
Love & Renovations – Little Tikes Toy Makeovers
Small Stuff Counts – DIY Pegboard Broom Organizer
Within the Grove – DIY Book Bin

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