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April 25, 2013 | 18 Comments

Organize Your Books with a DIY Book Crate

by Allison McDonald mod podge book crate craft for kidsI have been on a spring cleaning kick and when I was given the opportunity to make something for a sponsored campaign with  Mod Podge Washout and Apple Barrel Paints I knew just what I wanted to make. While cleaning I found myself shocked by how many books we have. There are stacks everywhere and out shelves are full too. I know some of you have the same problem trying to organize your books.

I wanted to make something useful that could help me teach my daughter to care for her books and that could make spring cleaning more fun. Now when my kids see the crate they are much more apt to put books back in it then back on the pile on the carpet. Having my daughter help me make this was really an important part of her taking ownership of keeping her books in good condition and so far it’s been working great. Here is how we made ours. I hope this helps you to organize your books.

Build a Crate to Organize Your Books.

  1.  Gather your materials. You will need a wooden crate, Apple Barrel paint, some foam brushes, drop cloth, Mod Podge Washout, some scissors, a dish for paint, and an old book you don’t mind cutting up.book crate mod podge
  2. Start by choosing which color to paint with. book crate box
  3. Paint your crate. One thing I love about acrylic paint is how fast it dries. I am so used to kid paint which takes forever. If you have an older child while they paint you can cut out the letters. But if your child is going through the “Let ME decorate the house aka draw and paint on things” stage wait until they are done. book crate 4I had to put the camera down too because she got too much paint on her brush and it splattered on me narrowly missing the camera. It washed off me no problem!book crate
  4. I doubled up the pages and drew the letters in pencil. book crate 7Cut and use the bottom letter so there are no pencil marks. book crate for book organization
  5. When the crate is dry it’s time for Mod Podge! The great thing about this Mod Podge Wash Out is that even if it’s dry it will come out in the wash. I have ruined plenty of clothes while crafting so it’s exciting to find a product that my kids can use and I don’t have to be right behind them wiping things up and off them. book crate organizer for children's books
  6. Start with a thin layer on the section where you are going to add the letters.book crate organizer for kids Add a letter and go over with more Mod Podge. Repeat for each letter.  As my daughter was doing this she was very angry that her initials were not being used. At 2 she can not read and while she recognized the letters she didn’t know why I’d chosen those. I felt terrible. In all my prep I didn’t explain to her what the letters said. So we took some time talking about it. book crate organizer kids room ideas
  7. After the letters are on add a layer or two of Mod Podge all over the crate. This gives the crate a finishing touch and helps smooth out any rough parts.  Let dry completely ( overnight is always a good bet) and add some books!book crate 1
  8. Since we made this our book crate has not budged from the hearth. But, it would look great wherever you choose to organize your books. She picks out books to look at alone, ones for me to read and my favorite ones for her brother to read to her after dinner. book crate for kids

We hope we inspired you to organize your books! Need books to put in your book crate? Check out our long list of book reviews .

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This post was written as part of a campaign with The Blueprint Social. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: For Parents, Organization, Preschool Crafts | 18 Comments

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18 Comments

  1. Iam says

    April 25, 2013 at 10:55 am

    i love how personalized this book storage is :))

    I specially like the READ label 🙂

    Good jOb!

    By the way, whats fonts did you use for the “modgepdoge BOOk CRATES” caption for the first picture of this post? 🙂 I love them!

    to Iam" aria-label='reply to this comment to Iam'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      April 25, 2013 at 9:39 pm

      The mod podge is Bruno Book and the Book Crate is in Scetch Block

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  2. Susan says

    April 25, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    Love this idea……will incorporate it into my classroom also. The kiddos can paint the crates.

    to Susan" aria-label='reply to this comment to Susan'>reply to this comment
  3. Amy Anderson says

    May 2, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    Aw, this is so cute – your little one and the crate!

    to Amy Anderson" aria-label='reply to this comment to Amy Anderson'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      May 3, 2013 at 7:03 am

      Thanks Amy!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  4. Meeghan says

    May 31, 2014 at 4:02 am

    Thank you for posting! I pinned this to my board for children’s books…it is a great idea.

    to Meeghan" aria-label='reply to this comment to Meeghan'>reply to this comment
  5. Roberta says

    January 15, 2017 at 11:40 am

    Great way to store books! I am sharing this on Pinterest.

    to Roberta" aria-label='reply to this comment to Roberta'>reply to this comment

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