It’s Friday!! {happy dance!} It feels like I’ve been waiting forever to share my finished girly command center with you all!! I’ve been frantically trying to get it done the past week. You know when you have a project your working on but it just keeps taking forever, or little things will come up that you have to change over and over? That’s been this command center. But boy, I am beyond excited to have it done so we can start using it! Now, for a beautiful before and after (If you read my Tour Through Blogland, you might remember the “before” picture):
How glamorous is the after?! Ahh, gold, how I love thee. But, the before is seriously pathetic, right? I mean, you guys, my humongo calendar was TAPED on the wall. Quite obviously we were in desperate need of SOME sort of organization. And, our mail always looked like this:
I’d have little “neat” piles on the counter or table of mail that we’d need to file or send or something. Well, not anymore! I got to work figuring out what to do on that sad little wall. I’ve been kind of obsessed with chalkboard lately (and gold, obviously!) so I went with the traditional black chalk and painted a few coats of that on the wall. Now, for the organizational part!
I had bought an old window at a yard sale a few years ago, and it was hanging as is in our guestroom. I was putting things away in there one day recently when I happened to look at it. Hello, light bulb! It’d fit perfectly on our wall behind the backdoor, and I knew just what to do with it. Here’s what it looked like before:
First things first; sanding this bad boy down and cleaning it up. It still had shards of glass around the 2 windowless edges that I had to carefully chisel out. The other 2 pieces of glass were a mess. Aaaaand the sanding. It. took. forever. This window is seriously OLD, and still had plaster or something all over the front of it that was impossible to sand off.
The wood was splitting terribly. Finally, after at least 2 hours of sanding and my arm ready to fall off, I decided it was time to borrow an electric sander. I’m thinking it also might be time to invest in one! I finally got it all sanded down and ready to paint.
I was going to paint the window frame white, but thought some color would be more fun. And since I will probably be the primary user of this command center, I wanted a girly one! I went with Folk Art Chalk Paint in Vintage Mustard. I kind of love this paint, it’s the third project I’ve used it in recently! I gave it a good sanding once again to distress it after it was all dried.
Now time to add the fun organizational pieces. I’m weird when it comes to my calendars. I like being able to look months ahead and schedule things early. So, I didn’t want a dry erase one. I opted for just a boring paper one that I can plan ahead on. I also knew I would need a menu board. I’ve been telling myself I’ll menu plan for months, and still haven’t. I’m hoping that having a place to write out our meals will help? We shall see! With one of the glass panes, I wanted to turn it into a “list” board for groceries and other things. I glued scrapbook paper to the back of the window to make it look pretty. Lastly, we needed somewhere to sort all that ridiculous mail that piles up, so we came up with little mail sorters. But, wait until you hear how we made them!
All we used was a shoe box! I cut it in half, and then David measured and cut across the corners. I added some pretty paper, washi tape, and a label. I just hot glued the bottoms and sides inside the window frame. SO easy! And, free. Woot woot, that’s what I’m talking about!
Here’s a close-up of the command center details:
Does anyone else have a list devoted to just Costco? It’s totally necessary.
I glued on little painted chipboard letters for my menu board, and we also used gold hooks for the calendar so I can easily change it out each year.
And, one of my favorite parts; my pen holders. Do you recognize where they are from?
Yep, you’re right, they are the letter holders in Scrabble! I bought a bunch and used them in our wedding a few years ago. I happened across them the other day and totally thought they’d be perfect to hold pens and chalk. I spray painted them gold. Of course! And the price? Free again.
I got this cute little sign from Michael’s on clearance for $2.50. I thought it was so perfect for this spot, since I’m a complete procrastinator.
I’m so incredibly happy with how this all turned out. And, David actually likes the gold too! I’m all about functional. Because this is behind our backdoor though, we unfortunately couldn’t put any hooks for baskets or other hanging items. However, I envision as our family grows possibly adding more to the lower portion for the kiddos. And I can totally see Jade sitting on the floor loving all the pictures she can draw with chalk on the wall!
Ok, how about one more look at the before and after? Ah, I’m in love! I actually stop and smile every time I walk by. What makes me the most happy is the price tag. I had almost everything on hand with the exception of the paper, calendar, and sign. Cheap = happy mamma!
I hope you have a fabulous weekend, friends!
Do you have a command center in your home? What elements are important to have in yours?
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I live everything about this. The window, the gold, the chalk board everything! Great job, thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks, Sarah! I’m just loving gold lately, and it turned out nice against the black chalk. Thanks for stopping by today! Have an awesome weekend 🙂
Amanda I love it! The gold looks so good with the black chalkboard wall! And you can’t beat the price! Great job lady
Sydney @ Tastefully Frugal recently posted…Friday Pie Day… Our 1st Official Pizza
Thank you, Sydney!! The price is definitely pretty darn good! Have an awesome weekend! 🙂
That is great, you are amazing girl:)
Thank you, Mimi!! 🙂
I love the makeover!
Thank you, Sherry! Happy Friday! 🙂
This is absolutely gorgeous Amanda!!! LOVE the chalkboard the old window, the pretty details … it’s all PERFECT!!!
Kristi recently posted…Favorite Things Friday
Thank you so much, Kristi! It’s most definitely a huge improvement from before! Have a great weekend! 🙂
Love it Amanda! Perfect way to stay organized!! Those letter holders are perfect pen holders 🙂 Great job!
Kendra @www.joyinourhome.com recently posted…Sour Cream Cut-out Cookies
Thank you, Kendra! I originally bought a cute pen holder in the dollar bin at Target, but I ended up just using the letter holders instead! Have a great day! 🙂
Your command center is awesome! I can’t believe you made shoe boxes and an old window frame look sooooo good! Talent, lady! This makes me want to get organized 😉
Thanks Amy!! Ha, the pretty paper and washi tape sure dress it up doesn’t it? 🙂 Being organized feels SO much better! Thanks for visiting, hope you have a great weekend! 🙂
I LOVE this! I’m totally going to have to steal this idea and make one for my house. Except it will be in all pink of course! 🙂
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Thank you, Rachel! You should definitely do this, it’s SO nice being organized! And I bet pink will look so great! Thanks for stopping by today, have a great weekend! 🙂
it turned out gorgeous!! Love, love, love, love, love, love, love! Love the functionality! I really need to do this soon! I’ve been mulling it over but now I’m excited to get started!
Shelly recently posted…$1 Pumpkin Jar Candleholder or Place-Marker {How to Decorate for Fall on a Budget}
Thanks Shelly! I’m all about functional, and this totally fits the bill! You should totally do one, I bet with your talent you could even make your own gorgeous window! 🙂 Happy weekend!
Looks so great Amanda! I’m inspired! 🙂 Never would’ve thought to use a shoebox! Genius 🙂
Thank you Megan! We totally got lucky with the whole shoebox thing, I didn’t know if it’d work! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great weekend 🙂
Oh my gracious. This is so cute! Using an old window was such a perfect idea! And as a girl who menu plans it’s a great way to keep yourself from getting stuck in a recipe rut. We notice when we don’t menu plan that we get reallllllly sick of pasta after awhile cause it’s the easiest thing to make!
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Thank you so much, Meaghan!! Yes, I really need to start menu planning desperately. I think my hubby is tired of having the same meal every other night. 🙂 I just get lazy! Thanks so much for visiting! Have a great weekend 🙂
Could you go into more detail about how you adhered the mail sorter boxes to the frame? I’m having a tricky time with the cutting and gluing.
Thanks!
Sure, Lori! Because that window pane had no glass, I cut cardboard to fit inside snuggly behind the frame. I hot glue that in the back so I could attach the shoebox sorters to the front of that cardboard. For the bottom sorter, I just put a little glue on the outisde of both sides of the shoebox, and quickly just placed it in so the glue would stick to the sides of the frame. Since normally mail would fall out the bottom without some glue, I used the bottom part of the window frame to hold the mail since it can’t go anywhere else! I did the same with the top, but instead I put a line of hot glue on the very bottom of the inside shoebox sorter, which would be touching the cardboard. I quickly pressed and held that to the cardboard where I wanted it. The little line of glue will help keep any mail from falling out the bottom. I then did the same and put a little glue on either side of the shoebox and pushed it into the sides of the window frame. I hope that wasn’t MORE confusing, please let me know if you need more help! I’d love to see a picture of your finished product if you’re doing something similar! 🙂 Good luck!
Thanks for sharing and linking back to the #WWDParty.
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Thanks Antionette! Have a great week!
I love how you were able to create a high-end-style command center on the cheap! Great job!
Seeing this makes me realize I don’t have to buy a command center – I can make one. 🙂
Found you at Hit Me With Your Best Shot.
Kim {Pinspired Home} recently posted…Menu Plan Monday and Garden Update: 9/22-9/28
Thank you, Kim! You totally don’t have to make one, it’s so easy! Just takes a little time. And sometimes paint. 🙂 So glad you visited, hope you’re having a great week!
Oops, I mean you totally don’t have to BUY one! You totally SHOULD make one. 🙂
Amanda the transformation is amazing!! I love how it turned out. I absolutely love old windows too. Nice work incorporating those scrabble letter holders. Nice work!!
-Shonee
http://www.hawthorneandmain.com
Shonee recently posted…DIY Fall Wreath for FREE
Thank you, Shonee! Those scrabble letter holders have been sitting in a bag for 3 years, I’m glad I finally put them to use! Thanks for visiting! 🙂
This is so cute! I definitely need a command center re-do!
chanelle recently posted…100 Healthy Ways to Detox Your Life!
Thanks Chanelle! It was pretty easy to do, and it’s SO nice being organized finally! Have a great rest of your week!
I love this idea! I’m kind of halfway there with a blackboard painted door but need to bit a bit more thought into making it very cool like this! X
Thank you, Melanie! Have a chalkboard wall is awesome, I love it! And it’s so great to be organized, you’ll be so glad you made one! 🙂 Hope you have a great rest of the week!
I just love being organized, so I am obsessed with the idea of a command center! Definitely something I need to make soon. Thanks for sharing this idea at Hump Day Happenings!
Jenna @ A Savory Feast recently posted…Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze {Fall Welcome Week}
Thanks, Jenna! I love being organized too, it keeps me sane! 🙂 Thanks for visiting, happy Thursday! 🙂
Such a great idea – and love that chalkboard wall!
Visiting from the Inspire Me Please linky…
Rhonda @ home.made.
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Thank you so much, Rhonda! I love it, too! 🙂 Hope you’re having a great Saturday!
I so need one of these…it’s perfect! Has everything I would use 😉 Pinning it!
Thanks so much for linking up at Teach Me Tuesday last week. You are very much appreciated. Hope to see you again this week. Starts tonight at 8PM CST.
Have a great week!!
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This is gorgeous! And so functional! I wish I had a spot for this in my house. That chalkboard wall really kicks it up a notch too. Projects made with materials lying around the house are always the best. 🙂
Thank you so much, Lauren! It is SO functional, I’m adding stuff to my lists and calendar all day long! I love the chalkboard wall too, it’s one of my favorite features! Thanks for visiting, hope you’re having a great week! 🙂
What a great command center!!! Love it 🙂 Pinned!
Please stop by my Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and share this. Everyone will love it, too. We are LIVE right now 🙂
Thank you Sinea!! I so appreciate the pin, and for your visit! Have a great week. 🙂
Beautiful job Amanda! You were featured this week on Creative Spark Link Party! Hope you stop by to see your feature and link up again! http://bit.ly/1pFy5yI
Michelle from Weekend Craft recently posted…Creative Spark Link Party #22 and Giveaway
Thank you so much, Michelle!! I will definitely be by to link up again! 🙂
Very cute and functional! I love cheap projects, too. Great job. Thanks for sharing at On Display Thursday!
Thank you, Leia! I’m all about cheap and functional, too! They make the best projects. 🙂 Hope you’re having a great week!
:Looks lovely as well as functional. I really love the gold dots.
Andrea @ This Pug Life recently posted…Strut Your Mutt St. Louis 2014
Thank you, Andrea! Me too, the little pops of gold are my favorite! Thanks for visiting, have a great week! 🙂
This is literally the cutest thing ever! That gold! Ah! The polka dots! Ah! The chalkboard! Ah! I also love that the sign at the top says procrastinate later. So awesome.
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Thanks, friend! The gold polka dot paper totally had me too, I knew I needed it. And the sign is totally my new favorite, too! Thanks for visiting today!! 🙂
I love this. I like that the window frame didn’t have to be “rustic.” The yellow against the chalkboard wall makes me happy 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Think and Make Thursday!
Karisa | Petite Modern Life recently posted…Think & Make Thursdays Parté 1
Thank you, Karisa! I love the color, too! I was just going to do white, but thought some color would be more fun. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Can’t wait to link up again next week! 🙂
Oh I really like the menu board! Nicely done all around. The saying is good too. (o:
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Thank you so much, Aspen! The saying is totally perfect, and a good reminder! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
This is fantastic! I so need something like this, I too currently have our calendar taped to the pantry door. Would have to adapt something to go on the door but definitely going to make it girly. The girliness is greatly outnumbered in my house with 2 male dogs and 2 male humans and little ole me.Thanks for the great idea!
Renee recently posted…DIY Christmas (or anytime) Gifts for Dad
Thank you so much, Renee! Ha, it definitely sounds like you need some major GIRLY in your house!! And, I think a girly command center is totally what you need! 🙂 I so appreciate you taking the time to visit!! 🙂 Have a great week!
Another amazing project, which I am totally going to pinch few ideas from! I love how certain sections are wipeable!
Thanks for linking up at the Talented Tuesday Link Party 🙂
Natalie @ Threads & Bobbins recently posted…Talented Tuesday Link Party – No.9
Aw, thank you Natalie!! The wipeable parts are the BEST! It makes it so much easier to change stuff and erase for the next week. 🙂 Thanks for visiting! Happy weekend!
I love being organized, so the idea of a command center makes me ridiculously happy. Yours is super cute and functional. I love the “Live now. Procrastinate Later” sign too!
Thanks for joining us for Hump Day Happenings! See you next week.
Jenna @ A Savory Feast recently posted…Top 5 Posts of 2014
Thanks, Jenna! Me too! Command centers are so awesome, and it feels amazing to be organized. 🙂 Happy weekend!
I love it! Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you taking the time to stop by our party. We love partying with you! I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls
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Thank you! I’ll be at the party for sure!
Seriously one of my favorite projects! I love it! So clever using scrabble pieces as pen holders – they are perfect! Thanks so much for sharing at Talented Tuesdays!
Amy@HomeRemedies recently posted…Top 10 Posts Of 2014
Aw, thank you Amy! The scrabble holders are my favorite part. I even added a few magnets to the back of some extra ones I had and put them on my fridge to hold more white board pens! Multi purpose. 🙂 Thanks for visiting, friend!
great idea! you know what I love most? the shoebox letter holders! a stroke of pure genius! those things are so flippin’ expensive to buy! I’ve been looking for an idea just like this one for MY backdoor! I have many old windows, and I am all over this project! thanx!
Thank you so much, Debra! I think that’s my favorite part, too! 🙂 I love easy and cheap hacks that work well! So glad this could inspire you!