My 3 year old is a lot like most 3 year old girls, obsessed with all things dressy, and sparkly, and princessy. As the tutus and crowns started to pile up, I found myself needing a good storage solution. Her dress-up box was bursting at the seams. Of course, I started by scouring the internet. After checking out all of the options, I decided that DIY was the way to go. I found examples made out of old entertainment centers and dressers. Despite my best Craigslist skills, I couldn’t quite find anything that met all of my criteria. Then it hit me! The perfect piece was already in her room. Her bookcase was exactly what I was looking for and it didn’t involve adding another piece of furniture. Except it created a new problem: book storage.
The hubby and I hit up Lowe’s for some supplies and got to work. We started by taking out a couple of shelves in the bookcase. This ended up being tougher than we originally thought and required taking one side off, but we made it happen. We then cut a hanging rod and attached it inside. The rod doesn’t match, so I may eventually paint it or cover it with contact paper. The finishing touches included adding a mirror and a few knobs to hang jewelry and other items. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!
Next, we had to address the book storage issue. Pinterest gave me plenty of awesome ideas, but the winner was to use crates. It was perfect as I already had two crates and they would fit well under her window. All I had to do was paint them and add casters. A couple of cans of spray paint and some last minute Hobby Lobby decorations later, and we were in business! I actually ended up liking these even better than the bookcase which always looked messy. And Etta Mae loves being able to push her books wherever she feels like reading.
We have had so much fun watching Etta Mae dress up and be creative!
