Wednesday, July 13, 2011

DIY Closet Size Dividers








When I was over at a friends house looking at her baby's nursery I saw in the closet clothing size dividers. She told me she got them at Babies R Us for $10- so I checked...sold out in blue AND green. Well, not to be discouraged I figured it was something I could make myself on the cheap- and I did! I picked up my supplies- blank closet size dividers (eBay seller, $5 for 20 of them plus free shipping!), scrapbook paper (5 for $1), vinyl sheet for the letters (already on hand), Mod Podge, some scrap cardboard, and a foam brush.


I started by tracing one of the blank dividers onto the cardboard to make a template. The edges are raised, so I wanted the scrapbook paper to fit down into the insert. By making my cardboard piece to fit, all I had to do was trace it 16 times to make the set. This took some trimming of the cardboard to get a perfect fit...and I may or may not have wanted to chuck the whole thing out the window and just cough up the $10...but I'm too proud and far too cheap for that, so on I pressed.

Once it was a perfect fit I traced and cut out my scrapbook paper. I made a bunch of them, and I made sure to flip my template over so that the animals on the paper were right side up on each side of the divider.


Once they were all cut out I busted out the Mod Podge and painted on a thick layer. Then I adjusted the paper to fit the opening and let it dry. Note- in 90 degree heat and high humidity Mod Podge dries QUICK. Like, I wasted a circle because I took the time to pick up the camera to take this action shot and it dried in place- insert curse word *here*.


Then I busted out my Cricut and cut out the labels for the dividers...I chose to go with Newborn, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12, 18 and 24 months.


Yes. I'm anal retentive and ridiculous.


The pre-packaged ones come with 5, and I wanted more so I made more. We have not even had the baby shower yet and already I have two Rubbermaid totes of clothes for our little guy- I want to be able to see what we have and what we need quickly. It only took one 12x12 sheet of vinyl (a 12x24 sheet is $1.89 at Expressions Vinyl) to make all of my labels, and about 20 minutes of cutting time. Once they were cut off, I peeled them off and stuck them on. I made my letters one inch in size, so you could easily see the sizes inside of the closet. Because they were vinyl and self stick, I didn't need to worry about gluing them down. Then I added a coat of Mod Podge at the top to seal everything in and they were done! Now, we just need to get hubs to clear his junk out of the Bean's closet, and I can get to work painting and organizing. Here's hoping it won't wait until after the little guy arrives??


26 comments:

  1. These are so great!! A close friend of mine is expecting a baby girl next year and I'd love to include this with the other goodies I'm making for her and the baby.
    What did you use to make the 3 dividers that weren't included with the set? chipboard or something else?
    Thanks so much for sharing!!
    ~Lisa
    Lisa's Craft Blog

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  2. Your dividers turned out awesome! I have wanted to make these for a while but didn't know where to get the dividers. I should have thought to search EBay! Thanks for sharing how you made them. I stopped by from Think Pink Sunday :) AJ@queenofmynest

    ps. Pinned

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  3. Just found out I am going to become an actual Great Aunt, not just the great aunt I always thought I was, but now, it will be legal . . . :0}

    Saw your link on Chef in Training . . thanks . . this will make the PERFECT Chrustmas or shower gift.

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  4. Thanks for the sweet words, lovelies! Paula Im sure you'll be a terrific Great Aunt!

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  5. Very cute. I have 8 children and some share closet space, so these would be well-used at our house. I found you on Made by ME link-up. :)

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  6. this is such a fantastic idea I'd love it if you'd add this to my link party at http://raegunwear.blogspot.com

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  7. This is really cute...I don't have little ones but I could make these for a gift. Would love it if you would link this up to our Rockin' link party going on now at RoCa and Company. Here is the link: http://rocaandcompany.blogspot.com/2011/11/you-rock-10.html. Come and show off what you got. Hope to see you there...

    Remember...YOU ROCK!!

    Carmen @ RoCa and Company
    www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com

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  8. cute cute blog... I found you on the link parties. I am your newest follower.. If you would like to check out my blog to that would be so great, and follow me back and facebook too. I will be doing free giveaways here shortly on clothing and mineral makeup :)

    -Thanks
    Brooke
    blushboutiquestyle.blogspot.com

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  9. I have seen these before....great job!!
    Thanks for sharing at Show & Share!

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  10. Love these! We just found out that we are expecting our first child, so I am looking for all sorts of baby ideas! I found you through Flamingo Toes Think Pink Sunday. Thanks for sharing this idea. :)

    Whitney @ grassrootelegance.com

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  11. I love this project and just ordred the dividers! How well did the scrapbook paper stick to the plastic dividers with the modg pog? I heard it will start to buckle and pull away when you put them on the rods because u need to bend them.

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  12. I move mine all the time and have had no problems with it peeling or buckleing. I coated the edges really well to seal them, and it seemed to work really well. My mom has a set and hers are also still good to go!

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  13. Everyone has the lids to sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, and dip plastic containers in their cupboard. Cut those up to mimic the store bought dividers shape. Save yourself $10 instead of buying them online.

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  14. Cd's And DvD's make good dividers

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  15. Love your blog! I found it while looking how to make dividers for my sister and stayed on it to read all about your DIY projects. :) I am trying to figure out how to make the dividers without having to buy the ones from ebay. I like the CD/DVD idea, but I don't know how you would get them on the rod without having to cut (aka crack) the entire thing. I wonder if I just made them out of cardboard, if they would hold up as well?? Hmm...looks like I'm going to be crafting for a while until I can figure it out. Love it! Thanks!

    April
    PS. Pinned

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  16. I also didn't like that they were hand-written. I thought they made my filo look messy, Plastic Divider

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