Leave a message. Our sister and brother-in-law are nearly finished building a small house in New Hampshire. In the rare moments when they aren't working on the house, they shop for the house - largely by scavenging thrift shops and yard sales. An old shutter is just the kind of thing they're likely to pick up so we'll be passing along this idea of turning it into a family message center.

Another great idea is use chalkboard paint on an old window frame. If the glass is gone you can insert fiberboard instead which would also double as a corkboard.

We saw these ideas at Better Homes and Gardens. Read more here.