Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Hanging Two Mirrors And Using Them As Dry Erase Boards

In our last office we found that hanging a mirror helped keep us organized. Not just because we noticed if we had something on our face, but also because we could write on it with a dry erase marker to keep track of our to do list (and could even use it to write a welcome message to our guests since that room slept our friends and family as well).

Playroom Mirror Detail

When we moved I missed that little organizational corner, so I started taping a comically small piece of paper on the wall with a list of things to do. And then it grew into two lists, one on each side of the large doorway. The left one was entitled: “Posts To Write” and the right one was “Projects To Do.” Since we have a giant 300+ list of things we want to do in this house (see just a fraction of them here), selecting the next ten-ish tasks that we want to tackle helps keep us focused (and enables us to hone in on which things should be prioritized and which supplies we’ll have to pick up). Plus after we do projects it’s surprisingly easy to forget to blog about them since we’re so excited to bounce along to the next one. So keeping track of what we’ve done that’s waiting to be written about keeps us sane (and keeps our lag time from “did it in real life” to “blogged about it” as short as possible).

Mirrors 1

But for some reason not having an erasable surface was seriously hurting our update frequency. See how “limb up the magnolia” is on the list when we I already did that weeks ago? Not good.

Mirrors 2

So I padded back into the playroom (which is full of baskets, bedding, and a ton of frames and mirrors – seriously it’s where stuff goes to die in our house) and grabbed two semi-similarly-sized mirrors and asked John to hang them up. Yes, I outsourced the labor on that one (my favorite excuse: I gotta nurse the baby – it’s the one thing John can’t do so it works like a charm). And it left me free to “supervise” from the big green sofa while John got his hang on.

The result? Two dry erase boards for keeping track of “Projects To Do” and “Posts To Write.” They’re not perfect, but they look a lot better than those rarely updated little notebook pages that were taped to the wall (look no dining chairs, I pushed them all against the wall for vacuuming under the table and never pushed them back – go Team Lazy):

Mirrors 3

That picture above is what they would look like if we ever did everything on our to do list. Amazing.

But here’s what they actually look like with all of the projects and posts on our list:

Mirrors 4

Oh and that’s the blue dry erase marker on the top of the mirror on the right (since it’s deep enough to store it there). Maybe someday we’ll hunt down more of a mirror twin for one or the other (for a more balanced look) but for now we’re just happy to work with what we have. The most important thing is that we can now take pleasure in crossing things off of our list again. That’s a universally fun activity right? Now picture doing it with a dry erase marker that glides like butter over whatever you just accomplished. There’s nothing better I tell ya.

Comments

  2. annabelvita says

    Did you notice any residue build up over time on the old mirror? I’m thinking about doing this on a massive but unflattering mirror that came with our rental – wouldn’t like to leave a trace!

    Reply

    • Ted says

      Some dry erase markers will leave a slight film of color if you only dry erase the surface. To combat that, spray a very little bit of Windex on a paper towel and wipe. It will clean up all of the left over ink residue.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Good to know! Thanks Ted! I can’t believe I’m writing this, but sometimes I employ the spit-into-a-tissue and wipe method. Yikes, that’s pretty gross now that I wrote it down.

      xo,
      s

  3. Elizabeth says

    We totally do this as well — only in our master bathroom. We leave to-dos, love notes and draw funny things to crack each other up after getting out of the shower. The best part about this is when we have guests I snap a quick photo with my phone and erase and TADA we are clean and organized once again! :)

    Reply

  4. Kathryn says

    So cute. I am so obsessed with white-framed things currently!! You should use them to write little love notes and words of inspiration, too: “John, John he’s our man, if he can’t work with planks found in the backyard that were all sorts of unveven no one can!!!!!” ; (Can’t wait to see the results on that btw.)

    Reply

  5. Krysta @ Domestic for Dummies says

    First of all, two posts before noon just blew my mind!! Will there be a third? no pressure. Secondly, the mirrors look great! Sometimes I add things to my to do list that I have already done just so I can check it off. Whatever makes you feel better about yourself right?

    Reply

    • Jennie says

      Krysta, so funny – I do the same thing! Actually a co-worker and I were just talking about this two days ago and we both admitted that we were “add it to the list just so we can cross it off” people. I feel so much more accomplished that way!

  7. Erin says

    I love crossing things off lists! Sometimes I add things I KNOW I am going to do just so I can cross something else off! Ha ha ha :)

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Sometimes I add stuff to my list AFTER I do it just so I can put the pretty little check mark next to it. :)
      I am so lame.

    • Erin says

      sometimes i write things like, “get dressed” just so i can cross it off…so bad but it makes me feel better :)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The walls will eventually get painted, so then they should pop a little more. We’re always down for painting things like mirrors too, so that’s a definite possibility!

      xo,
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Miraculously not yet! And we’ve used the method for around a year in our old house. I wonder if I’m just super conscious about how much that would annoy me so I steer clear of the edge. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  12. Andrea S. says

    Love this. We love dry erase markers at our house. An entire wall of my husband’s home office is a giant dry erase board that he uses for work-to-dos & brainstorming. But my favorite is the 5 x 7 frame in our master bathroom that say’s “I love you more than…” and then we use a dry erase marker to fill in all kinds of crazy things – depending on our mood. :) I also found a heart with “B + A” inside of a heart written on my washing machine one day. Yeah…we like to doodle around here. Glad we’re not the only ones!

    Reply

  13. Callie says

    I do this! (And I thought I was one of the only weird ones who do) I love to leave little love notes and honey-do’s on our bathroom mirror. Also, in college, I used to put spanish verbs on the mirror and say them in my head over and over again while brushing my teeth. I wouldn’t erase them until they were memorized.

    Reply

  15. Andrea says

    I was going to post too about the frame and scrapbook paper method, which worked for me … Til I realized I need a body-size frame for my list! Love that I can change out the paper, too, so I can move it to any room.

    Reply

  16. Christine says

    I was wondering about build up/cloudiness too. I might have to give it a try in our currently bare walled office.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Robin just left a really great comment about this a few comments after this one, so feel free to scroll down for that info! Very interesting indeed.

      xo,
      s

  17. Karla says

    I love this idea. I have to be honest, sometimes I write something on my to do list that I have already done just so I can cross it off! :) It is a feel-good feeling to cross things off! :))

    Reply

  18. MissPinkKate says

    I do believe there’s some stuff on the big list you can cross off! Like the “charcoal gray u-shaped sectional”!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, it’s true. We have to update that post but it feels weird to cross it off back on that old one. Maybe we need to do another update one and add more stuff we wanna do and cross off the accomplished stuff.

      xo,
      s

  19. Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says

    We do this on our big bathroom mirror as well! To do lists, funny jokes, cartoons, keep track of our weights etc. I’ve noticed that if you leave the markings on too long (aka 6 months or more) that they’re harder to clean. I sometimes can see a faint outline of our old drawings from a certain angle.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Good tip! Ours usually change completely over 6 months but we’ll be sure to wipe things down every month or two to make sure that we don’t get any markings! Thanks!

      xo,
      s

    • Sandra says

      I love this too!! I was going to comment: Clara — Now you see her, now you don’t. ha ha

  22. Laura says

    (look no dining chairs, I pushed them all against the wall for vacuuming under the table and never pushed them back – go Team Lazy)

    As the resident person-who-vaccuums in my house, I just want to say that that is ingenious!

    Reply

  24. Kendra says

    Using mirrors for a to-do list has been a great tool I have used for years and I would recommend it wholeheartedly! After a while, little particles of the erased dry erase ink gather, but it is easily cleaned up. My husband and I also left little messages to each other, which was even more fun than crossing things off a to-do list!

    Reply

  27. Jennifer says

    Reason #2 to nurse: Best excuse EVER!! Reason #1: goes without saying!!
    LOVE crossing things off my list! I am afraid with a dry erase, I wouldn’t get the same feelig as seeing it crossed off. I may or may not jot things down on my “to do” list after I have just accomplished it, just to see it crossed off?!

    Reply

  31. Missy G. says

    You should do totally one of those scratch through the text and change the wording about the “limb up magnolia”. “We” should be “I” did that… LOL.

    And I love that “hang mirrors in office” was #1 on the little paper to do list.

    Reply

  34. Megan says

    I do this on our sliding glass doors. I’m using them to teach my son how to read and write. We sort of have a classroom chalkboard! It’s also fun because on rainy days he’ll spend hours (ok, maybe half an hour) drawing all kinds of monsters and rockets on a blank “canvas.” We use washable markers though. Dry-erase markers stain.

    Reply

  35. tara says

    I’m a chronic list maker and also love the feeling of crossing the item off once it’s done:) And I’ve also been known to add things I forgot to write down but have accomplished just to see them crossed off!!

    And I agree – time for un updated to-do list post!

    Reply

  36. DemMom says

    I just did a wall in our kitchen with chalkboard paint. LOVE IT!!! Even my husband, who was skeptical, likes it. Lots of fun for the kids and great for notes, lists, calendar, etc. I’m in the Near West End if you want to stop by and see it!

    Reply

  37. Amanda says

    I honestly like that they’re not perfectly the same. I love the chunkiness to the one on the right very much. :)

    Reply

  38. Jill says

    Am copying this idea this weekend – I like writing things down where I can see them instead of putting them in a computer file (that never gets opened!)

    So excited for this project!

    Reply

  39. Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says

    Love the idea, but I love the rug more. How have I missed that rug being in your house? What’s its story?

    For me, I like a list that I can cross things off on and see all the things crossed off. I’ve been known to put things that I’ve already done on to-do lists just to have some things crossed off from the get-go.

    Reply

  41. Lori @ Richmond, BABY! says

    What a good idea! I have small pieces of paper with lists and then I lose them. I always wonder if I lose them when I’m out and about (because they really do disappear) which then leads me to wondering what the person who finds them thinks of my bizarre and random home improvement lists!

    Reply

  44. Sangeetha says

    Smart! I love organisation tips!
    The mirrors look great. Would you mind sharing where you got them from Sherry?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      One of them was a hand me down from John’s sister (the chunky one- which was once wood with ornate flowers, I just painted it white) and the other one was from Target a while back. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

    • Sangeetha says

      Thanks! I want to do a wall of white mirrors. So I am looking for white mirrors to buy or those that can be painted over.
      LOVE your blog!

  45. Hilary @ My So-Called Home says

    This is a great idea because I’m sure you could easily get overwhelmed (I know I would) at the amount of tasks needing to get done. But of course it’s all about taking it one step at a time, right? Do you think you’ll add an area rug to ground the dining table, or leave the floors bare for easy clean up?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      For now we’re planning to have an area rug in the entryway and in the office so the table will be bare and sort of balanced in the middle. Once we add a big chandelier above it to ground it (and soften the room with things like curtains) we hope it’ll work. Who knows though, might change plans someday!

      xo,
      s

  46. Katie says

    We do this with a glass-fronted picture frame in our kitchen. It has a large white mat which makes for a good sized “writing surface”, on one side we put a grocery list, on the other side is a to do list. Where the picture would usually go, I put a cute, graphic 1 week calendar and we jot our meal plan for each day on it. That way, whoever gets home from work 1st knows what the plan is and get dinner started.
    For those who worried it’s been over a year and no cloudiness. We’ve used a little glass cleaner (vinegar & water at our house) occasionally as needed.

    Reply

  50. Megan says

    This has absolutely nothing at all to do with mirrors or dry-erase markers… but can I just tell you how much I love this blog? :) I’ve never really been a big blog follower before, but you guys are so great that now I’m addicted. My hubby and I just moved into our very first house a few months ago (in January). We have a 21 month old little boy and another on the way due any day now. So naturally, our time, money, and energy/motivation are running slightly low these days. I have been completely overwhelmed by everything we need/want to do to the house, and I’ve also gotten really discouraged thinking that everything was supposed to come together all at once, and fast – like preferably before the baby comes! :)

    Anyway, I just wanted to tell you how much you have encouraged me that this whole home-owning/decorating/organizing thing is a process that will change and evolve and take time – and that there’s no need to stress because we have it! It’s our little world and we get to make it wonderful at our own pace with the freedom to make mistakes and start over or change our minds or whatever we need to do. You have completely inspired me and given me the courage to just start trying – with no pressure or timeline involved. So… I just wanted to say thanks for that. (Also my poor husband, who bears the brunt of all my stress and indecision and crazy nesting urges, thanks you too.) :)

    And thanks also for being so honest and light-hearted and funny! Your entries always make me smile.

    -Megan

    Reply

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