Pinterest Project #4 - Completed!

Here it is -- the fourth DIY project I've made using Pinterest as inspiration!

My lovely daughter introduced me to Pinterest not too long ago, and while I don't browse it every day, I have managed to pin about 75 DIY projects onto my board.  (I also have a recipe board, a sewing board, and a 'words to live by' board, and sometimes the things I pin get put in the wrong place!)

But what is the point of pinning things to a board if you never go back and use them?

I've tried a few recipes, and have played around with some jewelry ideas, but I am really having fun with my DIY board.

Just a few weeks ago, I made this denim organizer...

And, although I haven't blogged about it, I did two other things:  I 'rolled' newspaper bags (so they pop out like baby wipes), tucked them into a empty bread crumb can and put it by my front door. Now I have a bag handy every time I walk the dogs.

Doggie 'doo' bags, ready to go!

And I followed someone else's instructions on how to create inexpensive 'foamy' soap using empty pump dispensers from a popular bath and beauty store.

One bottle of Suave bath wash = 4 bottles of foam soap!  All for $1.29!

But then I found an idea I could get my dear husband (d.h.) on board with helping me make -- a charging station for the phones and gadgets in the house.  All of us were trying to use the same outlet to charge our phones, and it was near the stove, which always made me nervous that I would spill something on the equipment.

I started with a decorative box that I found at Home Goods.  It's about 12 inches long and four inches high and wide, with a 'flap' style lid that has magnets in it to hold it closed.  It is made of very sturdy cardboard.

I found a strip extension cord in the house that was the right size to fit into the box.  My d.h. did a little tweaking to the cord -- he took it apart to clean (who knew that dust bunnies could make their way into a strip extension?) and decided to replace the electrical cord to make it longer.  That required about 15 minutes of work with a soldering iron.  D.H. has a set of large round bits for his drill, and found the one big enough for a hole that the plug could pass through.

I was worried that the cardboard wouldn't hold up to the drill, but the bit cut a clean hole. 

 The strip extension cord fit into the box nicely.

Since the strip had six outlets, we measured, marked and drilled six smaller holes on the back of the box for the charger cords to thread through.

The holes made by the smaller bit weren't quite as 'clean,' so I had to use an exacto knife to trim away the edges of the paper.  Plugging in the chargers took just a minute.

Three phone chargers, and my camera battery charger, plugged in.

I cleared off a space just inside the front door the house, and we were in business!  

The Electronics Docking Station, in use. 

The charging station is up and running!  When the phones are not plugged in, I tuck the cords behind the box, and it looks tidy.  My sons even recognize the value of having the cords corralled, and soon after I took this photo, the ipod charger was plugged in.

Follow me on Pinterest to see these and other projects I hope to get to make soon!