Organized Mail!

My first DIY project!  I'm so excited that I finally made something that is both cute and functional and will hopefully help keep our kitchen more organized.  My mom had given me a couple of wall hanging baskets that she found and didn't want/need.  Just days before, the hubs had asked me if I could figure out a way to organize our mail and other *stuff* that ends up piled up on our counters in the kitchen.  So as soon as I saw these baskets, I knew they were perfect for the job!  Only problem was that when she gave them to me, the bottom of them was an oak color, the trim was navy, and they had American Flags and hearts painted all over them.  Don't get me wrong, I love the patriotic stuff...but it's generally not my taste in every day decor for the home :) 

So, after selling some items at a garage sale over the weekend, I used some of that money to go out and purchase some paint for my first real DIY project.  For the base of the baskets I got this:

The color is espresso which is similar to the color I want to redo our cabinets in.  Also similar to the color the rest of our furniture is.  For the trim of the baskets I got a little pre-mixed paint sampler.  They sell them at home improvement stores in very small containers that you can use to take home and paint a swatch of your wall if you are trying to decide between colors.  I figured that was just the right amount of paint for this project, and the price was pretty good too!  This is the kind that I chose for the trim:

It's by Martha Stewart and the color is Aegean Blue.  Lately I'm loving the blue colors. 

That night I sprayed down the baskets with two coats of the espresso spray paint waiting about a half hour in between coats (I recommend wearing gloves, because after that, I looked like I had dirt all over my hands from the excess paint that got on them!)  After the second coat, I let them dry over night.  The next day, I painted the trim/handle.  The Martha Stewart sampler comes with a brush attached to the lid, kind of like a nail polish bottle, so I did not have to worry about getting a small enough brush.  Again I did two coats for the trim, letting each dry for 30 minutes or so.  Then I let that dry over night as well.  The next day, I hung them on the wall, along with a small metal basket I got from Target on clearance.  I'm using the baskets to keep mail/bills, and the basket will be for magazines and catalogs.  Here is the picture of the (almost!) final project on the wall:

The blue looks a little more aqua in the picture than it does in real life (sorry, crappy camera!).  But I think it turned out quite nicely.  Now, I said almost final because there are a couple of things I want to do to make them complete.  I would like to add a fabric band just underneath the painted trim.  Something with a little pattern.  And, each basket also needs a label: In coming, Out going, and Magazines or something like that.

Hopefully this new system works out for us!  We shall see in the next week or so!  Stay tuned for more of my small projects around the house :) 

Happy Wednesday!