I made some decorative storage items

I've done this before. We have several items of furniture in our humble abode that are decked out in this manner. This idea began with a few very cool vintage books of Japanese fairy tales that I found at my local thrift shop. I couldn't read them but I so enjoyed the whimsical pictures. We had a bed that was ugly but very useful in a small house. We craigslisted a queen captains bed that had a long storage compartment up the middle and 6 drawers on each side. A storage lover/needer's dream. If only we can learn to use the darned drawers (see clown car post for more on that!) But, as I said, it was hideous. It was the epitome of 80s furniture but had none of the cool factor of some of my beloved 80s crafts. We painted a dresser last year and the first coat was fun. The 5th was not. Alas, there go my dreams of furniture refinishing! So, short of painting the bed, I saw potential in the aforementioned books. I used an exacto knife to cut out the pages and then I used spray adhesive to cover the surface of the bed. Joe did not want a "shiny" bed so I used clear cover adhesive (the kind you use for book covers and to line drawers with...an easy Target find) to protect the pages. I nailed the ends to ensure it would stay. I probably should have used something thicker but that was the easiest to acquire with the least amount of effort. I was tired after 3 nights of gluing and anxious to have a finished product. But- I have only had to patch one area (the corner of the bed) in the year we have had it. After this was done, I used some old science textbooks to cover the kids bookshelf. Six months later...we needed a shelf in the bathroom and I found a sick gardening book with brightly colored flower photos at the thrift shop. So, another addition to the book covered family. Welcome, sweet and happy shelf. I did use vinyl to cover this one since it's going to be used in the bathroom and I was worried about moisture. 

Since it was getting late..around midnight...and I was very hungry after covering and installing the shelf, I was eager to do more! I buy greenies for my dogs (they have excellent teeth, according to the vet). They come in the most fantstic cardboard boxes with a plastic lid that I find difficult to throw away. I had 4 of them cluttering up the house in anticipation of future use. So, I decided to cover them. I used the flower book for one, an old childrens Golden Book about animals on another, and some pages from my daughters' coloring books. I find it hard to throw these colored pictures away and thought this was a perfect way to keep them without completely covering up the fridge. I used clear cover to protect the pages. I traced the bottom of the box for a template and cut the clear cover slightly larger than this. I measured the sides of the box and cut a strip of clear cover to correspond. I applied the bottom and then wrapped the larger strip around the sides.