I love the memory board idea, but I transferred my calendar to digital and I will never go back. I can access my calendar on my phone anywhere, which is very handy for creating new appointments on the fly (like while still at the dentist) and for remembering where I need to be and where my kids should be. A grocery list is only good when you can take it to the grocery store, which... if you write the list down on a white board, you'd have to transfer it to a piece of paper later. But the memory board is cute and fun! :o)

I did a type of utility/broom cabinet where we lined the doors with magnetic markerboard. Once the size of the doors was determined, I ordered the board online from US Markerboard -- they cut it to size. The cabinet maker framed it out on the inside of the doors. I don't remember where I got the idea from, but my cabinet maker hadn't done anything like that before that either. Since then, though, he has used the idea a few times. We lined the back of the cabinet with pegboard so everything can be moved around if necessary. Love the magnetic markerboard. It puts the clutter out of sight.

We will only be starting our major remodel at the end of the summer, so last year I did a quick fix by painting our kitchen cabinets and walls to hold us over. On one large wall, I used chalkboard paint to paint a large square, roughly 3' x 3' and framed it out in some leftover molding. It is very practical for leaving messages and noting groceries to pick up, but I won't have a chalkboard again in my new kitchen. It always looks great in magazines, but in reality it's just a chalky mess. If you use an eraser, then you just get a white haze over the black. It's nearly impossible to have a crisp, black background with white writing. If you don't use an eraser, then every time you want to clean it you need to do so with a sponge and water and you need to do a couple of passes on it to get it truly clean. I've also found that while the paint doesn't exactly wash off, after time it does affect it and if I was keeping this kitchen I'd probably repaint it once or twice a year. For me, it's been one of those things thats a nice idea but impractical to maintain. My suggestion would be to purchase a large chalkboard (or make one by painting a piece of mdf and framing it) and then hanging it on your door. That way, if you find it isn't practical (as I did) or you just don't like it, you can remove it without replacing the door. Good luck, claire.

How clever! For those still in the planning stages-or like me, less handy than the original poster-you can also get ready made chalkboard pantry doors from Simpson. Here is a link that might be useful: Chalkboard door