Mudroom Part 1: One step at a time...

Ok, so I always seem to have a few projects going on at any one time. But then again, doesn't everyone?

Even Eva had a "project" yesterday which was to bring in (what seemed like) an entire tree through her doggie door and  chew it to shreds... here she is looking guilty with all the wood chips in the background.
Please notice that she has plenty of stuffed and chew toys.

Right now one of my projects is overhauling the closet by the garage into a mini mudroom. I just took the big leap and bought the paint! Keep in mind I am rather color-phobic. Don't get me wrong, I love color... I am just scared to death of it. However, the color I just bought for the mini mudroom is my favorite: green. No, it's not a gray with just a hint of green, it is real green. Green is even in the name of the color, but for now I will keep you all in suspense.
(Stay tuned for the full reveal in a future episode!)

Anyway, one little DIY project that is going inside of the mudroom is the organization system for "traveling odds and ends." You know... keys, sunglasses, mail, notebook, etc. All those things you just have to grab on your way out the door. I had been looking for a while, and I finally found something which had all the attributes I was looking for. There was just one problem; they were scratched. (See the right one, at the bottom? Big ugly scratch)

I frantically searched but alas, they were the last of their kind. Do I let this opportunity slip through my fingers and chance not finding another? Nay! So I snapped them up, determined to find a solution.
I thought of painting over the scratch or just covering it up with a permanent marker. But I wasn't looking to make it just passable, I wanted to improve it.
I could tell you that I struggled, thought of a million things, took months deciding what to do... but in reality I thought of the solution 30 seconds after seeing the scarred surface in the store. What can I say, sometimes things just come to you.

I have a collection of old cards and neat paper to use for various crafts and projects. In this stash is a folder of old maps I have wanted to use for a long time. You have seen it all over Pinterest: maps decoupaged to everything from coasters, to table tops, to walls. So I went in search of my Modge Podge... and failed. (I'm not really good at those "kitschy crafts" so I don't have the glorified glue on hand.) So what do I do? Improvise. Yes, from the picture below you can see that I used good ole' rubber cement. (Don't judge.) It worked for now, and we will see if it ends up peeling off.

Anyway, here is the finished product:
All I did was cut the paper to size, unscrew the hardware, coat both surfaces in glue, stick it, and screw the hardware back on. Voila!

Now just to get the mudroom painted so I can put them up...