Heeeeeeeeeeey!!!
I’m Allison from House of Hepworths!
I’m so excited that Jen asked me to Guest Post today here at Tatertots and Jello!
Today I’m going to show you how to make this adorable
Magnetic Chalk Board Message Station.
My kids needed somewhere to keep their backpacks, school work, homework, library books, pens & pencils, notepaper, and all the little things they need to get themselves out the door each morning in an orderly manner.
I hung a coat hanger from IKEA on the wall for their backpacks, jackets, & lunch boxes, but I still needed somewhere to keep all their extra “stuff” organized. Up until this point they would just throw papers all over the floor.
Now when they walk in the door they have somewhere to put their “save” papers, notes to me, homework, etc.
Here’s how this message center came together…
I found this piece of metal on Craigslist for FREE!
I decided it would make the perfect message center because it was magnetic. From there I took it one step further and added chalkboard paint.
First I primed it with Rust-oleum gray primer:
I did two coats and let it dry a full 24 hours before I added the chalkboard paint.
Then I coated it with chalkboard spray paint. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t splotchy so I did several coats – I used the entire can of chalk paint.
Once it was dry I seasoned it. Basically just color the entire board, and then erase it.
The metal had three holes on either end already drilled in it, so I just used those holes to nail the metal to the wall.
Time to frame it out with moulding!
I measured the length and width of the metal board and then cut 4 pieces of moulding to fit around like a picture frame.
I used a nail gun to hang the moulding, but you can easily hang it with a few nails and a hammer.
Be sure to level your moulding before you nail it down! You don’t want to end up with wonky moulding!
When you hang moulding it doesn’t look so pretty at first.
You can use all sorts of things to fill these holes, but I prefer caulk.
Just squeeze it on…
And then smooth it out with your finger (wipe the excess on a paper towel).
Now it’s time for paint!
First you need to tape it all off.
Here’s an easy way to tape the corners of a project:
Take a piece of painters tape and fold it into a 90 degree angle. Then just stick it into the corners.
Once it’s taped off it’s easy to paint.
I used high gloss white paint.
Once it’s dry, take the tape off and add your accessories!
I love that the message center is magnetic as well as a chalk board.
I can write reminder notes to the kids as well as use magnets to hang all their papers and work that needs to go back to school.
I keep the chalk in the drawer of the little table.
And a few extra pens and pencils just in case…
I LOVE this Magnetic Chalk Board Message Center!
In addition to being totally functional and organized, it’s also just so cute.
*~*~*~*~*
Thanks so much Jen for letting me guest blog today!
In addition to my magnet chalk board project, here are a few other things I’ve created lately.
For full tutorials click on the image.
I’d love for you to come visit me at House of Hepworths!
Thanks so much Allison — I love your Message Station!!!
