Make a Counter Top Phone Charging Station & Tablet Holder from a Picture Frame

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Paint the trim pieces and cardboard insert with chalk paint & let dry completely.
4. Insert the painted cardboard piece into the frame and secure well.
5. 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.
6. 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!