DIY Chalkboard Keyholder

Those of you who have kept up with my blog know that I recently revealed my laundry room redo.  If you haven't see, it, you can check it out here.  The laundry room wasn't always this neat or pretty.  Once upon a time, it was that room in the house which was always kept behind a closed door.  You know what room I'm talking about, uh huh...I think we all have had a room that we don't want anyone else to see.

Anyway, it is no longer a disgusting mess.  I had mentioned previously that I still had one blank wall to work with, and that I wasn't too sure what I wanted to do with it.  I mentioned possibly making something doggy related since my dogs sleep in there and the blank space is right above their bowls.

 I had already made some cutesy laundry decor using dollar store platters and chalkboard paint:  

I still had some of the chalkboard paint left, so I decided to use it again. 

I wanted to make something that was cute AND functional, so I decided to make a chalkboard key holder.  You may be asking yourself, "Of all the things you could make, why a key holder?" Well, the laundry room is actually the room that leads into the garage.  You can see the garage door next to the blank wall.  I sometimes park my car in the garage, so I needed something close to hang my keys on instead of walking back and forth from my front door (which is where I usually hang my keys.)

Here's how I made it:

I started by buying a plain piece of wood for about $5.  This one is from JoAnn's fabrics. You could use a piece of scrap wood if you have some left over from a previous project. 

 

Then I went to Hobby Lobby to find a decorative hook.  They were on sale (50% off of course.  You know I never pay full price). The selection was limited but I found this one for about $2:

  

I placed it about where I wanted it to be and liked what I saw, so I proceeded to paint the board:

I used my leftover Krylon Chalkboard spray paint:

If you use this stuff, make sure you follow the directions and do 2-3 coats.  If you skimp on the paint, your chalkboard won't really work.  

Once it was dry, I measured it to find the midpoint.  

I made a mark to show where I wanted my hook to go.

Don't ask me why, but I drilled a hole there. 

 I must have been really tired from my Denver trip because I wasn't supposed to do that.  Oh, did I forget to mention I just returned from a week long Denver vacation?  Well, I did.  A Denver post will be up soon :)  Oh, ok, sorry, back to the tutorial. 

What I should have done was drill two holes for the screws that will hold my hook to the board:

Yours may look different depending on the hook you use.

Then I picked out two small screws and used a screw driver to attach the hook.

Voila, there is my key holder, but we're not done yet!

We still need to install hanging hardware.  

My go-to hardware for small things like this is the $1.47 pack of mini mirror hangers:

You can find these near the custom frame area at the back of your local Hobby Lobby store. 

To install my hardware, I just measured my board and made a mark at the center point.

  I decided I wanted the hangers 12" apart, so I measured and made a mark 6" from either side of my center point. Make sure your marks are level before you install the hardware or else your picture will hang all lopsided. 

My piece of wood wasn't thick so I didn't have to pre-drill any holes, I just screwed in the hardware using my mini drill. 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  Did I really just write that?  Yes, I did. 

Now it's ready to be hung:

All you need to hang it is a hammer and small nails.  I used my yard stick to measure the wall. 

 Again, before hammering in your nails, make sure the marks you make are level. 

Now the wall is ready for your keyholder:

Since I will be writing in chalk, I hung it before doing any writing to avoid smudging my chalk.

I told you I wanted to do something doggy-related for my pups, so I wrote "You had me at Woof" and added some doggy bones.  Cheesy?  Yes, it is. 

Will it get changed?  Probably.  That's the great thing about using chalkboard paint.  When you tire of whatever you've written, you can just erase it and do something different.   

 It's the perfect place to put my extra set of keys.  No more running back to the front door for them, yay!

 If you do something similar, but don't wanna use my super awesome doggy idea (I'll get over it, I promise), you can make it a place to write reminders.  What kind of reminders?  You know, things like, "pick up eggs and detergent," "pick up Jimmy at 5," etc...You get what I'm saying! You could even make yourself a calendar.  The possibilities are endless. 

So there it is, my chalkboard key holder, in all its glory:

Hooray for no more bare walls in the laundry room!

 I know it seems like a pain because my post is SO long but it is actually a really easy project. Could you buy something similar and avoid the work?  Sure, probably, but I always feel a sense of satisfaction from making something and using it on a daily basis.  It's also a one in a kind type of piece.  No one will ever have the exact same key holder...unless you decide to use my tutorial to make your own.  I hope you do!  

Just in case I don't get a chance to blog tomorrow, have a safe and happy Fourth of July celebration!