Charging Station - Toy to Function

Charging Station - Toy to Function

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This was a fun project!! In the midst of all the demo and mess going on at the little brick house, I needed something to paint and make pretty!

This is how we've been charging all of our devices since we moved in... nice, right?!

Charging mess on the island

We just didn't know the best place to plug in and charge everything. I just couldn't take the cords anymore! If you know me, I want ALL the cords hidden if at all possible!

Searching Pinterest for inspiration... I figured out that I needed some kind sort of box with either a lid or a drawer. Now, I was on to the hunt... I went to 2 local thrift stores and Goodwill came in for the win!

I scored this funky little Dora the Explorer checkers and chess game for $2.99! 

Dora the Explorer checkers and chess game

Not that it could've been used as that, because the packing tape all over it ripped the cardboard stickers right off. 😜  But, this was PERFECT for what I needed!

Dora the Explorer checkers and chess game w/drawer

I ripped and scraped all of the cardboard stickers off.

Scraping cardboard sticker off

Ripped cardboard sticker off

Then I mixed up some chalk paint with some paint samples that I had on hand.  Here's my DIY Chalk Paint Recipe.

What's so nice about chalk paint is, you don't have to sand or anything.  It sticks like glue and has a nice matte finish.

Painting drawer with chalk paint

The coverage was so good, that I only needed 2 coats! Sweet!

Once the entire thing was painted, I decided to accent the top and inside the drawer with an antiquing wax.

Dark Antiquing Wax

I really like Valspar's Dark Antiquing Wax. It's available on Amazon, or you can pick it up at Lowe's like I did. 

You just brush it on and that's it.  It has such a nice hard finish. You can do one coat or multiple, depending on how dark you want it.  I was going for a lighter look.

I taped off the inside of the drawer and just brushed it on. For a lighter look, I barely dipped my brush into the wax and then dabbed most of it off on a paper plate. If I needed more, I used what was on the paper plate before dipping back into the can.

Oh, the satisfaction of peeling off the tape. I love it when the line comes out crisp. 😍

Peeling tape off of inside the drawer

I forgot to mention, that Hubby helped me drill a hole in the back of the drawer and the box to fit the power strip cord through. You kind of need power for a charging station. 👍

So, the last step was to install the power strip.  I had this one in our box of power strips.  Yes, we have a box of them.... When we moved, I collected them from all over the house and packed them all together!

This one is nice because it has a long 6ft. cord. Here's one like it on Amazon, Power Strip.

Measuring power strip for charging station

Of course, you need to make sure it fits your drawer. Yes, it fits... just barely!

Now to attach it.

Attaching power strip to charging station

Finding the right screw, the right length, and the right size head on it. 👌

Then you just plug it in and set it up!  We are thrilled with ours!!  Everything is nice and tidy. 😍😍😍

Charging Station Finished - side view

Charging Station - front view

Charging Station Finished - Drawer Open

Soooo nice! I love the drawer and how we can feed cords through to set our iPad, iPhone and watch to charge on top.

Charging station finished - iPad & watch charging w/drawer open

Charging station finished - iPad & watch charging

This is perfect! So much better!

Blessings!!
Lori

Dora The Explorer Game to Modern Charging Station

2 comments

  1. Did you sand the paint off of the top?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jordan! Nope! When you use chalk paint, you really don't have to sand a thing! It sticks like glue!

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