Oh how I wish I would have taken a before picture!! I’m so happy with how this dresser transformation turned out. Our little guy is obsessed with all things dinosaur and GREEN!
Room Makeover
Our little man still doesn’t really have a room. Well, he does…..he just doesn’t use it. Partly because when we moved into our new home, he was still nursing. His room kinda became “storage” and the furniture was slightly feminine. The girls decided they wanted the feminine furniture (more on that at a different time…one project at a time) so I moved those dressers to their room and their dressers to his (I still have to figure out the bed….). The girls will get their room makeover next. First, is dinos and green!
Dresser Transformation
This idea started because I started googling new drawer pulls. I wanted dino drawer pulls, but didn’t want to spend $13+ for EACH pull!!! Dax had a huge collection of $1.00 dinos from Walmart and The Dollar Tree so I thought why not give it a shot. If it didn’t work, I was out a whole $1….IT WORKED!!! Dax wasn’t ready to give up his play dinos so I did have to go out and buy new ones, but again…..$1 per pull instead of $13!!!! I also used some green and grey acrylic paint to spice up the previously plain white dressers.
How To Make Toys Into Pulls
I actually used two different methods.
SINGLE HOLE METHOD (knobs)
What you’ll need:
*Toy Dinosaurs (we got ours from Walmart and The Dollar Tree, but you can get the exact ones here on Amazon)
*Plastic Molly (or any expanding anchor for hollow surfaces)
*Screw
*Screwdriver
*Knife or Ice Pick
Simply make a small hole in the body of the toy dinosaur using a knife or icepick. Don’t make the hole too big or the molly won’t fit snug. Insert the molly into the hole. Use the screwdriver to attach the dino to the drawer from the inside. Screw down until tight just like you would a normal drawer knob.
DOUBLE HOLE METHOD (pulls)
What you’ll need:
*Zip Ties (I reccomend using long ones and trimming the ends when you are done. If they are short, you’ll have a hard time fishing them through.)
*Knife or Icepick
This method was a little trickier. I would have loved to do the same method as above. The problem is, the dinosaur bodies are curved……they don’t lay flat against the drawer. We played around with a few different methods and found this was the best (and easiest) way. The hardest part is fishing the zip tie through the dinosaur. Make 2 slits in your dino’s body. Starting on the backside of the drawer, guide the zip tie through the drawer and into the dino, out the dino and back through the drawer. Tighten the zip tie down. Done! Don’t forget to start inside the drawer or you may not be able to get the square end of the zip tie through the hole of the drawer.
Stay tuned…….The walls are getting a makeover next!!!!! I have the paint and I’m SO excited to get started on this project!!!
Awesome work!
You said you have the “pain.” Was that a Freudian slip for “plan”?
I love your creativity, drive, and perseverance. The finished product is definitely magazine showcase ready!
Author
I’m sure it was a typo, mom. I’ll fix it.
*****FIXED: it was painT
Author
thanks! We had fun creating!
Haha I love this! what a clever idea, and I love the ombre green. You could also cut the dino’s in half and face them outward! so many ideas – thanks for the inspiration!
Author
Hi! Yes, I thought about cutting to face them outward, but couldn’t figure out how to attach them without gluing them (since they are hollow). I think I’m going to do that on some bookends that won’t be pulled on.
Such a fun idea using toys for pulls! My son would absolutely love this. Thank you for the inspiration!
Author
Glad I could inspire you!! He loves it! I’m sure your son would love the idea, too =)
Oh my, this is so cute! My boys love dinosaurs as well.
Author
Do it!!! It was so easy and my toddler things it is SO COOL!!!! Little things that make our kiddos happy is so worth it!
This dresser is SOOOOO cute! I have those dinosaurs. Need to try this!
Author
I’m thinking I need to do some more projects with these dinos as I continue the room makeover!!!
OMG!! I love this idea so much. MIL bought my son a set of dinosaurs and honestly at this time he doesn’t care about them anymore 🙁 This will be a cool project for someone who is going for a dino theme!
Author
So many things you could do with old toys! So fun to repurpose toys!