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Sunday

DIY Tutorial: Making a Charging Station

I love my Blackberry, I love my digital camera, I love my bluetooth, but I can't stand all of those ugly cords hanging around. I've been looking at charging stations, but they're so dang expensive.

Here are a couple I've looked at:

Bedford Smart Technology™ Recharge Station
Pottery Barn $79
deluxe valet
Red Envelope $89.95


I really didn't like those prices.  So I recently found this jewelry box at Goodwill and thought that it would be the perfect solution to my problum.



First, I sketched out where I wanted the opening for the cords to go.
Currently I don't need the opening to be so big, but I'm trying to plan ahead.
I'm not sure what electronics will be added in the future, so I made the opening big to accommodate anything.



Next, I wanted to remove the wood directly below the cover to make room for the jigsaw.
The space also needed to be cleared for the power strip.
I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to remove.
I used a hammer to remove the small wood piece.



Then I was able to punch out the bottom piece with my hands.



Now there was plenty-o-room for the power strip and cords to go.



Next I drilled 2 holes in the top so that the jigsaw blade would fit.



Just in case you haven't read my previous posts, I'm blessed to have a boss with a contractor hubby who lets me borrow his tools.
I used his jigsaw to cut out the rectangular piece.
Yummmm!! Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE power tools???



Then I used my chisel to even out the edges.



And used the chisel again to take off the front panel.



I removed the hardware from the front and filled the holes with wood filler.



I turned it over and found the center point to drill my hole for the extension cord to go through.



I used my drill and new attachment to make the hole.



How pretty is that??


Then I just gave everything a good sanding. This next part made me laugh.  It confirmed that I'm definitely a DIY GIRL.  To sand in those hard to reach places, I used something I already had on hand. 





It worked GREAT!  After I was done, I was curious to see if it still worked. 



Yip!  Still worked great on my nails!
Ok... so after the sanding, I primed it, and gave it two good coats of Heirloom White.
Ready for it???

Just a reminder of the BEFORE:




And here's the fun AFTER:







I'm going to look for another power strip that is a tad bigger, but for now this will do.

So a $1.50 investment = A Reasonably Priced Charging Station (and a happy girl)

I'm participating in Met Monday and DIY Day

20 comments:

Nicole A. said...

I LOVE it! You broke out the power tools and all!! Great Job! Jewelry boxes are so much fun to makeover!! I love that you changed the use of yours and made it work for you! Awesome redo!

Thanks for Stoppin by to see mine!

Sarah said...

Clever girl! This was a terrific idea. ~ Sarah

Martha said...

How clever -- I've looked at them as well but only looked because of the price! You did well.

Kammy said...

Super job and waaaaaaay creative !
Kammy

Ashley @ AshleysBusy said...

Brilliant. I've been in the market for one of those things for forever. I hate seeing all the phone cords on my kitchen counter. Now, I'll have my eyes peeled for a jewelry box.

Brad the Builder said...

Wow, thats great!

michelle@somedaycrafts said...

That is a brilliant idea! You did a great job!

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Absolutely brilliant! You are one talented DIYer.

Unknown said...

This is genius, Nori! Great job!

Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking said...

Aren't you smart! LOVE IT!

Dave said...

This is great! What a great idea.

Mandy said...

Awesome job! Love it :)

Sara Neufeld said...

That is FABULOUS!! Love it! :)

Anonymous said...

Bookmarking, emailing to hubby...He has plans to make one but never gets to it, maybe he's looking for inspiration!

I host a "Room a month makeover" every Monday (Don't worry, you don't have to complete a room, a small change!) Stop by and link up!
http://theshadesofpink.blogspot.com/2009/09/room-month-is-back.html

Christi said...

So, so smart! Can't wait to find a jewelry box & try this myself!

Nice and Easy Antiques said...

Eat your heart out PB and all those big names...your project turned out fabulous!!! Great job!!!

Anonymous said...

so smart and savy, awesome project!
Sonia

Kristy said...

Great idea - I never would have thought of using a jewelry box, but its a perfect size for a charging station!

Anonymous said...

What a clever idea!!

Tara said...

That is awesome! I need to start looking for something like that! And I think being a DIY GIRL is the way to go!!! At least it is at my house if I want any hope of it getting done!

 
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