Basically, the idea originally stemmed from the weird cubicle walls I have...there isn't anything behind the fabric. Miraculously though, I managed to rig up a solution to hanging pictures so I thought instead of having papers clipped right to the fabric, why don't I buy a cute memo board to attach them to? And wouldn't it be spectacular to have one in my craft room to keep track of websites, favorite pictures, inspiration, etc?? So I looked....waaaaay too much money for me! I found some cute DIY-ers on Pinterest (of course, where else?) and decided to give it a go.
I found myself at a local thrift store rummaging through the frames when I came across this:
It's delightfully hideous (sorry if you have one like it, just NOT something I would adorn in my home) and a perfect 12x12 size...and only $3. I decided this was going to be the one for my craft room. I even liked the color of the frame, figuring it would match the walls downstairs well. Here's a close up.
As you can see in this picture, the actual print inside the frame is similar to canvas. I have no idea what it is called, but it's textured and severely adhered to the wood base behind it. First things first, I needed to get that out of there. I began by ripping the back off:
Easy peasy. Then it looked like this:
Thank goodness the back will be against the wall, no?
I used a screwdriver and knife to loosen the staples holding it in place. Success!
I did my best to flatten the staples to the side of the frame to make putting it back together easier.
For the cork, I lucked out and found a pack of four 12x12, precut squares from Target for $5.99-ish (don't remember exact price).
I inserted one into the frame - PERFECT FIT! - but decided that since it was just cork (no board behind it), I would use the picture that was in there before behind it for stability.
That was a process, I tell ya...with the cork and the board it was twice as thick as before, so I used my cunning DIY skills and used a butter knife to wedge against the frame and keep the staples as flat as possible so they didn't get pushed beneath the board. I feel like it took a lot of work.
Here's what I ended up with:
Immediately, I decided I didn't like the color frame as much as I thought. It needed some pizazz, some pop to it. So, I cut up an empty box of Smirnoff and found a beautiful peacockish-tealish acrylic paint at Walmart for $.57.
At first I painted as you normally would, bringing my strokes along side the length of the frame. However, it became apparent that by doing this I would end up using the entire bottle of paint just to get some even texture.
I decided to "dab" instead. This gave an initial appearance of a really textured frame, which I didn't mind at all, but once the paint dried and settled it was the perfect blend of textured smoothness.
Isn't the color pretty? I feel like the camera doesn't truly compliment the color as well as in person which is a bummer.
After 3 coats and letting it dry overnight, I whipped out my butter knives again and put the cork and board back in the frame (it was 6:15am and I was barely conscious, yet it only took me a few minutes...how was it easier?). Here's my finished, beautiful memo board that will soon adorn the walls of my craft space!
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| Sorry the pictures are darker, the sun is on the other side of the house in the morning. |
I can't wait to find the perfect spot on the wall for this...the basement is still being worked on, but my craft room makeover will continue soon!
Compared to the pricey cork boards out there (a small, plain one at Walmart is pretty expensive even), and by splitting the costs from what I used, I spent a grand total of....drumroll....$4.77! I used less than half the bottle of paint, so I can use the rest for future projects as well!
What's a DIY project you took charge of instead of purchasing the product from a store?
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