Mail Organizer!! DIY On The Cheap!!

OMG!  This was too much fun!!  I stayed up late last night finishing this!

 

I already love how organized it makes me feel!  

  Remember these??

  They turned into this!!

Many days our desk looks like this!

 (Minus, of course, the adorable new mail organizer)

 

I want it to look like this!

Now, I am blessed, because my wonderful hubby takes care of all of the bill paying : ) 

He wasn’t too sure about this idea. 

He likes the way he’s been doing things, since he pays the bills… 

Yet, I pleaded and assured him, let’s just try it and if you don’t like it, no big. 

Well, when he saw the final result… He LOVED it!! Yay!!

Before our handy dandy mail organizer all of the mail/bills/ junk mail 

went into one BIG pile! 

Which would set me on edge just a bit….I am a Type A personality 

and I really like things organized and orderly, at least I REALLY like the illusion

 that we are organized and orderly….

So, now all the mail has it’s own slot.  The next part is to somehow put little labels on it. 

I’ll have to think on that one…

Here’s how it was done!  Mind you for ONLY $2!!!  Now that’s cheap!

First, I started out with boxes.  Free at the grocery store!!

 You just have to cut the one side off.  I just used a regular ole box cutter.

I had this lime green sheet, I got at a yard sale eons ago!   

So, I’m gonna call that kinda free too. 

I cut it up to cover the “mail slots”.  

 I just used spray adhesive to glue the fabric on.  

Then, I just trimmed the edges, done! 

Well, I trimmed them after I took the picture....

Now, you need to create the frame that houses all of your mail slots. 

 I measured the length and width of my mail slots and 

found a box that would fit around them. 

Free again!!  I measured and cut out 2 of them.

I found this cute fabric at Hob Lob on clearance!!   

$4 a yard, I only used probably a ½ yard. 

I covered both frames. 

I also added the green fabric on the inside of one of the frames so it looked uniform on the inside. Darn, I forgot to take a pic of that step...sorry.

Now, it’s time to glue the mail slots to the frame.  I used a glue gun for this. 

I wanted it to be solid and sturdy.   

Start by gluing the back of one of the slots first, 

then "stand" it up and glue the bottom.

Glue them all down. 

Then wrap the other frame and glue those ends down. 

Where the 2 frames meet, I just folded the fabric over and glued it. 

The back has some extra fabric, I just folded it over and glued that as well.

Ta Da!!  Done!  

 You can turn it sideways also.  

There are sooo many things you can use this for. 

Sorting mail, craft paper, file folders, etc....

Now, it took some time, I think this one took about 2 ½ to 3 hours, but basically free!! 

I was in an office store just the other day looking at organizers. 

I couldn’t believe how expensive they were! 

So, not only was this a cheap one, 

I got to decorate it with the colors I want in the office! 

  I love that little guy, do you remember him?  Isn't he from Toy Story??  

I can't remember...

I'd have to say this project turned out Fantabulous!!

I’ve got another project for the office brewing….

Lori ~
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