3 DIY Projects That Will Help Keep Your Family Life Organized

If you are like most moms you probably spend a significant amount of time and effort trying to keep your family’s busy schedule organized. When your days are full of activities, meetings, and appointments, keeping track of them takes some serious logistical forethought.

Real life happens in your home, so you need an organizational tool that meets your family’s needs and compliments your home decor and style. Today, I am happy to provide three DIY projects you can make right now to help keep your family life organized. 

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According to a recent home trend study, 68% of moms experience stress due to a disorganized messy home. Creating a family command center is a popular and customizable way to tame the clutter and keep life running smoothly.

Command centers and wall organizers serve many functions as a centralized place to collect mail, post lists, track dates for appointments, hold keys, and other useful household items. The possibilities vary depending on your family’s needs however building your own DIY customized command center or wall organizer is the easiest way to make the most of empty wall space transforming it into a functional area of your home. 

Custom DIY Projects To Maximize Organization

Repurposed Rustic Shutter Command Center

Add organization to your home with this farmhouse-style rustic shutter command center. Make it as wide or narrow as your space allows by adding additional shutters and then get creative accessorizing with various bins and baskets, a chalkboard, cork boards, and hooks.

via: Bless er' House

• Select two colors of stain or paint, one light and one dark. Brush on the lighter color stain all over two 5’ x 18” wood shutters then wipe it off, Next apply the darker stain on top and wipe it down to finish creating a weathered wood look. After the stain is dry attach the two wood shutters together at the top, middle, and bottom with metal mending plates. 

• Frame a piece of chalkboard plywood cut to size to fit the inside of a wood frame. Attach the framed chalkboard to the shutter with wood glue and small finishing nails. Add a cup-shaped drawer pull upside down on the frame to hold chalk. 

• Attach pre-cut cork circles or square pieces to the shutter with hot glue and small finishing nails.

• Hammer a few evenly spaced nails through the shutters then hang small baskets or metal bins from the nails to hold mail or other important papers.

• Lastly, add rustic-style hooks to the shutter along the edges or bottom.

Minimalist Wall Hanging Pocket Organizer

The “less is more” minimalist approach to organization can be captured with this easy-to-make DIY project not only looks great but is the perfect way to help your family stay organized.

Make each person in your family their own individual wall-hanging pocket organizer to keep their important papers, lists, and supplies, and hang the individual organizers on a wall in a gallery-style layout to create a visually appealing design.

via: Burkatron

The pockets can be customized by using different colors of thin leather or sturdy canvas for each person’s individual organizer. 

• Cut a piece of thin plywood into a 12” x 24” rectangle then sand the edges until smooth. Paint or stain the wood to match your home’s decor colors or leave the wood bare for a natural look. Drill two small holes at the top of the wood about 2” from the edge and 1” down then insert a leather cord or a string for hanging.

• Measure and cut two pieces of thin leather or canvas fabric into two 10” x 8” rectangles, lay them on top of each other, and stitch around the perimeter leaving one long side open. Stitch a line down the center of the pocket to create two individual pockets. Spread strong glue on the backside of the pocket, center it a few inches below the drilled holes then press it down onto the wood board. Repeat these steps to make a second pocket. 

• Consider adding a small strip of cork along the bottom edge of the wood by adding a bead of wood glue to the cork and then pressing it firmly down on the wood. 

Canvas Frame Command Center

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This gallery wall command center idea is a nice mix of style and function. It looks beautiful while being completely functional to keep the whole family organized.

These 8” x 10” canvas frames are a nice mix of style and function. Blank 8” x 10” canvas frames hold so much potential when grouped together to build a custom command center. The function of each canvas serves a specific purpose, becoming a complete operational command center once the individual frames are joined together.

Adjust the configuration of the individual canvas frames to fit your space, then once you find the right size permanently attach the canvases together by applying wood glue to adjacent sides, and metal brackets screwed into the backside of the frames. Here are some creative ways to customize each canvas to be used in your custom command center:

• Create a pinboard by cutting a piece of cork to the same size as the front of your canvas then use wood glue or hot glue to adhere it to the front of the canvas. 

• To create a chalkboard section for the command center, paint the canvas with two coats of chalkboard paint then let it dry completely before using. 

• Magnetic paint can be applied to create a magnetic section. Apply three coats of magnetic paint to the canvas and once it is dry use magnets to organize your papers or to post lists.

• Small storage cups or bins can help keep your space organized. Use tin snips to cut a small metal can in half vertically. Cover the outside of the can with decorative fabric or paper then use hot glue to secure the can to the front of the canvas to serve as a small storage cup for pens, chalk, and other miscellaneous necessities. 

• Wrap strings of twine horizontally across the canvas at even intervals stapling each end of the twine to the back of the wood frame to create a space for to-do lists, pictures, or invitations. 

• Easily create a framed chicken wire section out of a canvas frame. Cut out the fabric center of the frame then use Modge Podge to seal and glue the raw fabric edges to the inside. Insert chicken wire in the open frame and staple it securely all around the inside of the frame. Then use small wooden clothespins to attach special things like pictures or ticket stubs to the wire for safekeeping.

• A fabric pocket is a handy place to tuck mail and other important papers. To make a fabric pocket measure and cut a piece of fabric that is two inches longer than the width of the canvas and the same length as the frame. Fold the fabric in half to create a long rectangle that covers half of the canvas frame. Staple the fabric along the sides and bottom of the canvas’s frame to create a storage pocket in the front of the canvas.

Sort through the areas in your home that would benefit the most from these DIY projects then pick the command center that will offer your family the best option to get organized. 

DIY Wood American Flag Sign

Are you looking for a great way to show your patriotic spirit this year but aren’t sure how? There are so many great US Flag DIY craft projects you could make that will solve this problem. No matter your skill level, you can create an amazing stars and stripes project that you can proudly display for all to see. 

DIY MINI WOODEN AMERICAN FLAG SIGN

With the 4th of July holiday around the corner, I was looking for a patriotic craft project to make in preparation for the upcoming holiday. This mini wooden American flag craft is super easy to make and only requires a few supplies to make your own. Follow this quick and easy tutorial to build your own wooden American flag.

This is the perfect DIY project to do with kids too, but adult supervision is recommended. Also, make sure to gather up your supplies ahead of time before you get started.

 SUPPLIES NEEDED 

• 15 wooden paint stir sticks  

• Red acrylic paint

• Blue acrylic paint 

• White acrylic paint 

• White acrylic paint pen 

• Wood glue 

• Painter’s tape

• Twine 

• Staple gun & staples

• Water-based spray paint sealer (optional) 

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. To get started paint 6 wood paint sticks red, and 5 wood paint sticks white. Let the paint dry completely. 

To lay out your American flag pattern place one red paint stick paint-side down on the top of a flat surface. Then put a white stick, paint-side down next to the first red stick. Continue alternating the red and white paint sticks using all 13 which will result in the rectangular flag body. Line up the short edges of the sticks on each side to make sure your flag is straight. 

2. Stick a long piece of painter’s tape down the middle of the upside-down paint sticks starting with the top stick and ending at the last bottom stick to prevent the paint sticks from shifting.  

3. You should have two unpainted paint stir sticks left. Take these two stir sticks and run a bead of wood glue down the center of each stir stick spreading the glue evenly with your finger. 

 

4. Place the unpainted stir sticks, glue side down onto the back side of the flag body about three inches in from each edge. Set something heavy on top of the glue-coated paint sticks and allow the glue to thoroughly dry before flipping the flag body over.  

5. Once the glue is dry, flip the flag body over so the red and white stripes are face up. Measure and lightly mark with a pencil a 4” (across) by 3” (long) rectangle on the top left side of the flag. Place the painter’s tape along the outside of the pencil marks pressing down to ensure the paint won’t seep under the tape.  

6. Paint the taped-off box-shaped section with two coats of blue acrylic paint and let it dry completely. After the paint is dry use a pencil and lightly mark on the blue rectangle where you will want the stars to be placed. (This area will be too small to fit all 50 stars, so just do your best to make them look evenly distributed.) 

7. Draw stars with the white acrylic paint marker on the marks you penciled in over the blue rectangle and let the paint dry.  

8. To hang up your mini flag sign, cut a piece of twine 16” long and tie a knot at the end of both sides of the twine. Flip your flag body over and place one end of the twine over the glued-on paint stick. Staple the twine to the paint stick. Repeat this step on the other side to firmly secure the twine to the flag. (the staples shouldn’t poke through the front if you staple on the glued-on stir sticks)

9. Optional Step – If you plan on hanging your wooden US Flag outside you will need to seal it so that the paint doesn’t wash off or fade from the outdoor elements. To do this take your flag outside or in a well-ventilated area and spray the entire front and back sides with a water-based spray sealer. 

Congratulations, you successfully completed this easy woodworking project and just made a pretty awesome American Flag! Now go show your patriotic spirit and proudly display it for all to see.