I have to say that being “forced” to be extra thrifty over the past year or two because of a transition to double-self-employment has been a blessing in disguise. If you and/or your hubby are self employed and just starting out, you might know what I mean. You have to work A LOT, and the cash flow is pretty…. slow. It’s caused me to be extra careful with money and extra creative when it comes to finding solutions for problems. If I can make something new out of things I already have on hand instead of buying items, I’ll totally do it! Enter: this charging station & tablet holder that I made for our kitchen counter. I’ve wanted to create something to hold our phones and tablets while they’re charging (or while I’m using one or the other to view a recipe). This corner of our kitchen seems to be the spot where all of our electronics end up so I made a holder that looked pretty on the counter, but it’s still functional.
There are so many fabulous ideas on Pinterest for DIY charging stations! Unfortunately I didn’t have either the money or the materials to make any of the ones I saw. I thought: what do I have already that sides at an angle and would look pretty on my counter top? Then it hit me – an old photo frame! With a picture frame, a bit of cutting, some scraps of trim, a hot glue gun and some DIY chalk paint, I made this guy:
I think it looks pretty nice here on our kitchen counter and I’m loving how it’s keeping our electronics up and away from the rest of the counter-y stuff that can accumulate. Here’s how I made my recycled photo frame tablet & phone holder & charging station.
Materials:
- 8 x 10″ picture frame (find one with a good, sturdy stand so it’s not floppy and with a solid chip board backing)
- scraps of trim (I used quarter round, but any type of thin trim with a decent-sized ledge to rest your electronics on will work)
- thick cardboard (enough to fit in the frame)
- hand saw
- glue gun
- scissors or an x-acto knife
- DIY chalk finish paint
Directions:
- Gather your supplies and cut a piece of cardboard to fit inside the frame. Cut two pieces of trim with a hand saw that fit inside the width of the frame.
- With scissors or an X-acto knife, cut two notches on one side of the cardboard and the photo frame’s backing for your charging cords. Make them on the side that you want your cords to come in through the frame. I made them about 1/4’s and 3/4’s of the way down the side of the frame and about 1/4″ wide.
- Paint the trim pieces and cardboard insert with chalk paint & let dry completely.
- Insert the painted cardboard piece into the frame and secure well.
- Lay your frame down and place your electronics inside the frame to gauge where you want your little trim piece “shelves” to go. I ended up making my top piece of trim go a little higher than the center of the frame so that I had room for my tablet on the lower shelf and my phone on the upper shelf.
- Glue your trim pieces in place with a glue gun.
Voila! Your recycled photo frame tablet & phone holder and charging station is done like dinner. And, speaking of dinner, this also makes a nice tablet holder when you’re using your device to look at a recipe when your cooking in the kitchen!
Genius idea!! I might just make myself one! Pinning!
Thanks a bunch, Virginia!
That was so smart Christina. It turned out gorgeously! I’ll make sure to DIY this. One in our living room and two for the bedrooms.
Thanks a bunch, Pria! Yes, it would be great on a bedside table too.
This is genius! Love that it will fold flat and go in a drawer when not in use, thank you!
Thanks so much, Jules!
What a creative and useful idea! Just visited your blog site and enjoyed “getting to know” you. Penned your chalk and blackboard paint recipes for later use. Thanks.
Thanks so much, NormaJean! I appreciate you stopping by!
What a great solution to electronic clutter!Thanks for sharing!!
Love it, I will be making this for sure. Thank you for your great idea.
Great idea! I would love to know where your curtains came from in your picture,love the color of them.
Thanks, Dawn! I made the curtains myself and you can find the details here: http://thediymommy.com/sew-diy-grommet-topped-drapes-tutorial/
Thank you, thank you! I have been looking for something simple like this. Not only do I need one for charging station, but I love to watch crafting YouTube videos while doing my makeup and hair in the morning. This will be the perfect height to comfotably take a peek every now then. I’m thrilled I found this. Thanks again. Already pinned it!
That is so wonderful, Nancy. We are also fellow YouTube watchers while getting ready and doing house chores. Multitasking here we come 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by.
This is cool but with 5 people in the house and 7-10 devices this might not work for me…lol! It’s a great idea with a great start but I think I will have to build mine for a wall! I don’t see many of these that I like much but I really like yours!
Thanks, Shirley
Just saw this on “One Good Thing by Jillee” and love this idea! An extra bonus is that if you put this on your kitchen counter, your phone & tablet are up and away from any accidental spills. In fact, if your trim has enough of a lip on it, you can hang it on a nail and off the counter too. Great idea all around!