Just hanging 'round

I've been working hard to organize a "landing zone" for our home, which is why I recently moved this dresser to accommodate our shoes.

But I also needed a place to hang coats.

And so, I gathered my supplies and my friend Anna (from Sometimes on Tuesdays) and I knocked this project out in about 15 minutes.

I used some of the original trim from one of our windows and some hooks I unscrewed from my closet.

After removing the loose paint off the trim with my favorite wire brush, I gave it a coat of polycrylic to seal any yuckies, and taught Anna how to use my drill driver.

We marked out where we wanted the hooks and predrilled the holes.

The crown molding had come loose, but that worked out to our advantage, as it was easier to screw in the hooks.

The hooks are identical to these, which I found on Etsy.

(Except mine were free because I found them in the closets.) The end is just like a screw, so you literally just twist them into the holes.

Then, we re-attached the crown molding with wood glue (not pictured, because I forgot to take a picture.)

And hung it on the wall at the bottom of the stairs. To hang it, we used holes that were already in the trim and they just happened to line up with studs. (Lucky us!) So, while Anna held it up, I drilled the wood screws into the wall.

And then I used a sharpie on the screws so they wouldn't be quite so noticeable.

I love the authentic character that the chippy-ness and leftover paint on the hooks provide.

And since I'm a sentimental kind of gal, the fact that I was able to reuse original elements of our house is kind of special, too.

(Plus, it meant that this was a FAH-REE project! We love free!)

To give you some perspective, this is what you see as you walk in our kitchen door...

...and the new coat hook is at the bottom of the stairs, inside the stairway.

So when I come home, dragging two boys and at least a purse and a diaper bag with me, I can, go ahead and kick my shoes off under the dresser, and then keep walking to hang my coat and drop my bags.