Turning an Old Window into a Command Center

How’s everyone’s first week of the year going?  Honestly, I’m still trying to catch up from December!  My plan is to get everything caught up by the end of the week – we’ll see how that goes!  Since all the gifts I made for Christmas have been handed out, I finally get to share some of them here!  Today I’m going to show you how I turned an old window into a command center for my mother.  I really like re-purposing something not so useful into something that’s useful and nice to look at.  🙂

Albany, Georgia

Before I start my tutorial, I’d like to send love and prayers to Albany, GA.  They had a tornado and strong storms come through on Monday night and it is a mess over there y’all!  This town is 30 minutes from me and my in laws live there (they are ok thankfully), my husband and my mother work there.  There’s months of clean up ahead and any love, prayers, kind thoughts, or help you can send their way will be much appreciated!  Thank You!!

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Supplies

This is just a list of what I used.  You can certainly use what you have on hand to customize!

• old window – I found this one at a thrift store for $5.  Habitat has them sometimes, but they aren’t always wooden.
• chalkboard spray paint – I’ve done several smaller projects with one can of this even though it takes two coats.
• mirror spray paint – This is fairly pricey for a small can, but again I’ve used it on multiple smaller projects.  It doesn’t take much to get the effect.
• clothespins – I love clothespins!  They are so cheap and can be used for many things.
• mat board or card board –  I used mat board because I had a big sheet, but card board works too since it will be covered up.
• prints – The prints I’m using are from Hope Ink.  She has many beautiful prints to choose from and even some you can download for free.
• scrapbook paper – This is to hide the backing and make it pretty!
• staple gun and staples – To attach the backing
• e6000 glue – To attach the clothespins
• scrapbook adhesive – To attach the prints and paper.
• cup hooks – To hold the chalk
• mail holder – I found the one I’m using at CVS in their after Christmas clearance for about $1.50!

Painting

This window was used as a sort of picture frame for a puzzle I put together.  It had the phrase “live, laugh, love” in various places and some sea shells to match the beachy themed puzzle.  It hung on my mothers wall for years, until it started falling apart.  That was before I knew about e6000 glue and staple guns!

I gave the window panes a good cleaning with a vinegar/water solution.  Works just as good, if not better, as Windex!

Once it was cleaned, I taped newspaper over the pains I wasn’t painting.

I painted the mirror first, using the same technique for the mirror that I used on my cookie jar makeover.  Then I painted the chalk board.    I also realized the mirror technique I used before wasn’t going to work for the window!

When I wiped off the excess solution, I realized, hey, you can see whatever’s behind it – not the effect I wanted!

So, I cleaned it off and applied the mirror spray to the back of the window, which is what the can says to do anyway! That gave it a more mirrored effect, which you’ll see further down.

Adding the Backing

I added backing using the mat board to help hold the prints in place.  First I cut the larger mat board I had in pieces to fit the individual panes.  Since the frame was wider than the mullions, I needed to mark the center of my mat to be sure the print was centered.  I just slid it down slightly and made a mark on the back of the mat indicating the actual opening.

Next I attached the prints and scrapbook paper to the mat board with scrapbook adhesive.  This is a better adhesive for attaching photos and prints because it doesn’t mess up the photo paper.

Once that was done, I attached it all with the staple gun, which wasn’t easy!  It’s hard to get a level surface for the stapler when doing this, so it takes a few tries to get it just right!  I left the tops open, so I could add some sea shells or mom could add things if she wanted.

Decorating the Front

I painted the clothespins using brown acrylic paint and highlighted them with metallic lustre in gold.  The 36000 glue was used to attach them to the top.

Then I drilled holes so I could screw in the cup hooks and mail holder and it was ready for gifting!  Sorry about the dog food photo bomb!

Here it is hanging on my mom’s wall.

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I printed the calendar from my fabuless life.  My mom loves it, but she did ask where was the eraser for the chalkboard!  Haha!  That’s all for today, see y’all on Friday!