We were in dire need of a place to hang school papers/pending bills/kids’ artwork, jot down grocery items and daily reminders. I decided the back of our apartment front door would work well. It’s in a convenient location where we’ll see important items on the way out in the mornings. It’s metal, so papers and artwork can be hung with magnets. It doesn’t take up any precious wall space in our small apartment. Most importantly, it can be painted and easily primed back over when it comes time to move in a few short months.
Last week, our front door became our message center for less than $20. All it took was a can of chalkboard paint, a few handmade magnets and a store bought magnetic notepad basket.
First, I taped off the door into 3 sections.
My goal was to make the flat facade look like it had more character {since metal apartment doors lack that sort of thing}…without actually adding molding or trim.
Everett pretend painted with a dry roller before I opened the can of black chalkboard paint.
Then I went to work with my foam roller. It took 2 full coats of chalkboard paint…
…and another touch up coat in select spots.
I skipped priming the door prior to painting because the door was painted out in matte paint to begin with. If the door had been slick or shiny, I would have added primer first to give the paint something to stick to.
As for the peep hole, I stuck a wad of rolled up toilet paper into the hole before painting then removed it with tweezers once the door was dry.
I hot glued a few magnets that I bought at JoAnn’s {for less than $4} to the back of two wooden toy blocks. Don’t tell Layne and Everett I sacrificed two of their blocks for the message door!
One magnet holds Layne’s school calendar/papers and the other magnet holds Everett’s preschool calendar/papers.
I bought this magnetic wire basket at Target for less than $4 too. It came with a little notepad and pen. I tossed a few sticks of chalk into the basket as well.
It didn’t take Everett long to add his own artwork to the door. Layne was at school or I assume he would have gotten in on the chalk action too.
Four days later, our message door is coming in pretty handy. We’ve added a few grocery items, more kid artwork and a pending bill to the little metal basket.
Feel free to laugh at Everett’s very first preschool craft. I did. “I like balls.” I laughed until I cried. Then laughed some more. Then couldn’t breathe properly. I’m that mature. “I like sports” just wouldn’t have had the same effect.
Sorry, E, that one’s making it to your high school graduation party.
It feels great to have an outta-the-way space dedicated to important notes, daily reminders and funny kid crafts. It feels even better to know that when we move out in a short while, all I have to do is remove the magnets, wipe the door down and prime. Easy.
images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor, DIY, kid-friendly, organization