If you love quick, easy and inexpensive Farmhouse crafts, then you’ve got to make one of these Dollar Tree Apothecary Shelves. I got everything from Dollar Tree, and spent less than $10! No matter what your level of expertise, you can make this classy, custom craft on the cheap!
So, I am obsessed with Dollar Tree Crafts lately! Dollar Tree has gotten wise to us thrifty crafters, by expanding their craft section. Have you shopped at Dollar Tree recently? You might be pleasantly surprised. So, with Farmhouse chic being so popular, yet so expensive, it’s no wonder people flock to make their own. For example, Amazon has a desktop apothecary drawer set which is slightly larger and costs $40. Of course, real apothecary furniture can costs hundreds and thousands of dollars. Naturally, you’re not going to get that quality here. But, if you want something cute and inexpensive, then this is for you. You can make a 9-drawer and still be right around $10 for materials.
This was so quick and fun. I don’t have a lot of time to craft, so quick projects that turn out amazing are just my speed. This one was done with only minutes invested. Waiting for the glue to dry made this project span more than one day, but I spent only about 10 minutes total of my time making it.
I’ve been re-doing my bedroom in farmhouse chic. I’ll be featuring all of the projects over the next few weeks, so stay tuned. For now, here’s how I made this cute little apothecary cabinet.
Materials list
Of course, everything is from Dollar Tree.
- 6 wooden block drawer units (or more, depending on how large you want to go). $1 each
My store didn’t have 6 of the exact same drawer, so I got 2 different ones. I noticed that they were slightly bigger, so plan accordingly. - Wood glue (had on hand)
- Drawer pulls (30 for $10.99 on Amazon) ~ $2.20 for 6
- optional: white chalk paint (had on hand from painting bedroom furniture)
- Total = less than $10.00
Instructions
- First, you’ll want to keep track of which drawer goes into which cube so that they fit well when you’re finished. Mixing them up might make some drawers not work as well. Remove drawers, set aside.
- Dry fit the outside boxes together. Then, using wood glue, glue the boxes together in the shape you want. Be careful to keep them upright the way drawers will go in.
- Clamp and let glue dry for 24 hours (or as recommended on product directions). Careful to place spanning (long) clamps only on box edges, not in the middle where wood isn’t as strong/reinforced.
- While glue is drying, you can optionally paint the drawer faces. When paint is dry, attach drawer pulls to back side of drawers (which become the front side). In other words, the cutout shape will become the back of the drawer.
- When glue is dry, optionally paint the outside of drawer unit. If there’s any glue showing, you can sand it off before you paint with fine sandpaper (100 grit); then wipe off any dust and paint. Finally, when paint is dry replace drawers with cut sides in.
- That’s it! Easy, right?
Conclusion
Pros: This cute mini apothecary shelf is perfect for farmhouse chic decor. You can use it to store small doo-dads, or just have it for show. It’s easy and cheap, and you’ll be proud to say you made it yourself!
Cons: The biggest challenge I had with this project was that the drawers and boxes were different sizes. Spend a little more time in store to try to get identical boxes and you’ll save yourself some obsessing about how this cute craft will go together.
In conclusion, this was a super quick project. It matches my farmhouse chic style perfectly. It can be decorated for various seasons, holidays, or whatever! Pop open a drawer, and stick in a succulent here, and a wooden bead tassel garland in another and voila! Of course, it was so inexpensive you can’t help but love it.
@gimmieblogSuper cute apothecary drawers from Dollar Tree stuff!! ##gimmieBlog ##crafts ##dollartreecrafts ##farmhouse ##farmhousedecor ##easycrafts gimmieblog.com♬ original sound – Gimmie Freebies