Laundry Room Gallery Wall - Part 1

Today’s the big day!! It's time for the latest edition of #SwapItLikeItsHot. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, #SwapItLikeItsHot is where a bunch of bloggers (more than 35 of us this time) all go out to a thrift store in their area and spend $10 or less. Then, we MAIL what we find to another blogger who is challenged with repurposing or making over whatever they get.  This entire week all of those bloggers have been showing off their reimagined masterpieces (links to all the the bottom!) and today the last five are up including...

The Charming Farmer / Primitive and Proper / A Designer At Home / BrePurposed

Home Made By Carmona / Domicile 37 / Evey's Creations

This year my "junk" came from Evey from Evey's Creations. When it arrived my kids thought it was an Amazon surprise for them. Nope, sorry kids. Just junk for Mama. :)

My package contained two things. A small oval wood plate and six matching floral prints. I think.

These lovely floral prints are printed on a type of board, are backed with green felt, and are quite heavy. I think they might have something to do with placemats? I really have no idea. However, I do know that I actually really like them and want to use them just as they are in my daughter's room! Shhhh... don't tell anyone. I'm supposed to reimagine these but I don't want to destroy them. So until I figure out what that means.... on to the wood plate.

Ah, here it is. My first plan was to make this into a small tray using leftover cabinet hardware I had laying around.

So I began by sanding the entire thing.

Then I drilled some holes where the hardware should go and promptly after the holes were made I changed my mind. :)

You see, I've always loved the look of hand-painted old farm-ish signs and decided I really needed one of those more than I needed a tray. And, like I said, I decided that after I drilled the holes. Genius really.

So I painted the whole thing a bright teal and traced the outline of Florida on top avoiding the new holes which add character. Yeah, that's it.

Then I filled that in with black craft paint and added a white heart in the general area of where we live. And since I already had 4 holes just hanging out, I decided to string some ribbon through two of them for hanging.

Tah-dah. Then, I was like... where can I hang this? I know, the laundry room! It's quite ugly in there at the moment.

See what I mean?  Since day 1 I have been planning some sort of hinged panel to cover the breaker box and thought my new sign would be right at home in here.

So I ran around the house and collected things to hang on the wall with my new sign that would make me a less grumpy Mama while doing laundry.

They include... baby shoes (My kids are 8 and 6 and I'm still hanging on... it's cool. They're adorable. I can't get rid of them), a couple photos, a small vintage plate, a J for Jamey (the hubs), and an arrow I got at Hobby Lobby a while back but never found a place for. Then I arranged everything out on the floor and took pictures of my feet.

After that, I promptly Photoshopped my laundry room because I'm not quite ready to tackle an entire room renovation at the moment (slow it down, Sarah). It was only supposed to be a plate! You see what DIY does to you. It's a snow ball I tell ya. :) That's why this post is titled "Part 1". Part 2 will be when I actually paint that wall and hang everything.

But for now I have a plan and a really cute new sign to add to my 'gallery de laundry' when that day comes. I might even clean up that paint tray! Maybe. Now go swing by The Charming Farmer and see what magic Meagan created with the crap I sent her. Please head over to the other awesome bloggers that played along this time and see what kind of creativity they unleashed. 

MONDAY

Hearts & Sharts / 58 Water Street / I Am a Homemaker

Prim and Propah / Create & Babble / Windgate Lane

Gourley Girl and Guy / Dogs Don’t Eat Pizza

TUESDAY

Confetti Style / Blue i Style / Polished Habitat

Two Purple Couches / Run to Radiance / Restoration Redoux

Confessions of a Serial Do-It-Yourselfer / Our Southern Home

WEDNESDAY

DIY on the Cheap / Prodigal Pieces / That’s My Letter

Southern State of Mind / Roadkill Rescue / Always Never Done / Year of Serendipity / Casa Watkins

THURSDAY

Two Thirty-Five Designs / Finding Silver Pennies / Ciburbanity

The House of Wood / Decor Adventures / Bright Green Door

FRIDAY

While They Snooze / The Charming Farmer / Primitive and Proper / A Designer At Home / BrePurposed / Home Made By Carmona / Domicile 37 / Evey's Creations