Decluttering & DIY photo board

No idea why, but I have been on a decluttering roll lately.  We have a built-in desk in our kitchen (circa 1980 style) that rarely gets used....let me re-phrase, rarely gets used as a desk.  Typically, it is my catch all place for the diaper bag, purse, little shoes, mail, and the list goes on.   Every time I walk into the kitchen, it's one of the first things I see and the clutter was driving me crazy.  Here was the depressing view, don't judge ;)

I knew by adding a designated place for mail, catalogs and just everyday stuff I could eliminate the mess and visually it would feel so much better.  I was on the hunt for a cheap photo board, but decided I could make one myself and save some $.  BUT then I found this at the goodwill for 3 bucks:

I knew I couldn't even make the board for that cheap, so decided to do an easy recover with scrap fabrics I already had.  I like to call this a "nap time" project because it is so easy and I can finish it while my little guy is sleeping.  I won't bore you on the fabrication details, this is pretty self explanatory!  Here is it recovered...

  I already had the gray & cream fabric, and found some navy blue shoelaces (!) that I thought could work as a nice accent.  (PS- no idea why or when I accumulated them, but hey- it works).  For a finishing touch, I spray painted the buttons gold.

I added a basket that I already had for mail and the photo board can now be used for important mail, pictures, invitations, etc.  I still need to remove the ceiling mounted fluorescent light (gross), tweak some of the accessories...and maybe find a fun chair.  But for now it looks clean and it works!

No one has actually sat at the desk yet, but now that there is no more clutter maybe I'll start ;)