How to Make Dollar Tree Storage Bins Look Like Pier 1

How to Make Dollar Tree Storage Bins Look Like Pier 1

Turn cheap Dollar Tree storage bins into lined woven baskets that look like they came from Pier 1. All you need is some fabric, rope, and a glue gun.

The kitchen is the hub of our house. This is evidenced by the hodge podge of things you will find in my kitchen on any given day. It is near impossible to keep counters cleared off, so I’ve stopped fighting it and have hunted for practical counter top storage solutions.

After a couple of failed attempts, I decided to go the DIY route and bought some Dollar Tree storage bins. I bought them at the same time as the Dollar Tree baskets I spray painted for toy storage a few weeks ago and was on a mission to transform them into something pretty.

Looking for more creative storage ideas? Check out my post on how to upcycle cereal boxes into knock-off Pottery Barn paper bins.

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Our kitchen storage dilemma

We enter our house from the garage into the kitchen, so it is the first stop when we get home. It is not uncommon to see backpacks and jackets strewn across our kitchen island in the afternoon. You will most definitely find junk mail and school books stacked on our peninsula.

I’ve tried designating homes for these things—drawers, cabinets, the trash—but my husband, Steve, has this weird thing. Once he sits something down, that is its new home. It will stay there for the rest of our days.

Let me explain

We have two boys, so anytime our oldest outgrows clothing, we pack it away until we can hand it down to our youngest. One day Steve decided it was time to move up a size for my youngest, so he got out all the boxes and bags of clothing. He spent the afternoon sorting through the clothes, pulling out the items we needed.

He put the too-big sizes back for another day. All the “new” clothes had a stale smell that only comes from sitting in a jumbo diaper box for 2 years, so he washed and hung everything. Don’t get me wrong, this is all great.

But guess where those boxes are still sitting a month later?

Their new home is on the floor next to the toy box in my son’s room. Sorry son, these are a part of your room décor now.

Yes, I could put the boxes away. I could also sweep the floors, but leave the dirt pile for him to pick up. Maybe mow the lawn but leave the mower outside for him to put away. Or I could cook dinner but leave all the dishes out for him to clean up.

Strike that last one. I do that on a semi-regular basis.

But you get my point.

Back to the Dollar Tree Storage Bins

Things are left in the kitchen and they stay in the kitchen. I can try moving it, but it always finds its way back to its counter top home.

If I can’t put this stuff away, I decided to get some counter top storage to at least make it less cluttered. I found these blue plastic bins at the Dollar Tree, but the bright blue didn’t go with my color scheme. I wanted a lined bin with a woven look.

To start this project, I took some fabric that I had on hand and fitted it to the inside of the bin.

I had a yard of fabric but I only needed half of that for the size of my bin, so I cut it down using my rotary cutter. This cutter saves so much time. I folded my fabric over a few times and it cut right through it with no effort.

Next, I placed the fabric into the bin and cut off the excess fabric, leaving enough fabric to have an overhang to cover the lip of the bin.

Pull your fabric over the top and glue it to the underside of the bin, making sure you leave enough fabric inside the bin to reach the bottom. Any extra fabric overhang is fine because the rope in the next step will cover it.

As you glue the fabric to the bin, the fabric inside will start to bunch up. Every couple of inches, fold the fabric over to form a pleat and glue it down.

If you want to secure the fabric to the bottom of your bin, put a few drops of glue at the bottom before you finish gluing your rim and press the fabric down.

Once you finish the rim, it’s time to do the outside. My bin was 7 inches tall by 11 inches wide and 50 feet of rope was more than enough to cover the outside. I used Manila rope, but Sisal would look great too.

Take the end of your rope {there’s a pun in there somewhere} and glue it under the rim of the bin. Wrap it around the bin while gluing it every couple of inches. Hold the rope in place for a few seconds to allow the glue to dry.

Continue this until you get to the bottom of your bin. If you have extra rope, you can either cut it off or use it to cover the bottom of the bin.

These Dollar Tree storage bins are the perfect size for an entry way. You can toss in car keys, mail, and the random paperwork that accumulates throughout the week. They are also great for a bread or fruit basket. Or try them out as bathroom storage for rolled up wash cloths or even toilet paper rolls.

No time to make your own? Here are some great alternatives:

How are we using our Dollar Tree storage bins? It has a new home on our kitchen counter.

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Original article and pictures take www.busybliss.com site