Thursday, March 6, 2014

All Because of a Desk

{How to Make a Bulletin Board}



Have you ever started a project not realizing that it was going to cause a domino effect?


A few weeks ago, I looked around my son's room and the to-do list started to grow...

paint the walls
make a bulletin board 
change the curtains
get a new comforter
put up pictures...

all. because. of. a. desk.

What did I do to myself?

But there was no need to obsess over it... I just got to work and painted the walls.  And for such a small room, it took forever. 


We’re talking...

watching a whole season of "Downton Abby" while I painted-forever.
{OK, who am I kidding I watched "Keepin' Up with the Kardashians"}.

But eventually, I finished 3 coats of Later Gator on the molding and 2 coats of Thin Ice on the walls. 

Next...a bulletin board. They are pricey, and I just paid off my student loan {beyond thrilled here}... that means there isn't any extra money on hand, until next month...wink wink....so I made it.

And in case you build a desk that causes a domino effect in the room, here is how to make a bulletin board to go with it.


How to Make a Bulletin Board

What you need:
  • Plywood {Left over from our dining room project}
  • Cork {I found this at Joann Fabrics and had a coupon...$1.80}
  • Thumb Tacks {I got these at the Dollar Store...$1.00}
  • 3M Command Poster strips {I had these}
  • 3M Command frame hanging strips {I had these too}
  • Chalkboard Paint {I had this too}
  • Pencil/ Marker
  • Left over wall color paint
  • Hammer
  • Ruler


Steps:

Unroll the cork and put it in the center of the plywood, so that it has equal distances to every edge.

Trace around it with a marker or pencil.

Paint the chalkboard paint around the outside edge to the drawn line. Don’t fret if you go over the line or it isn't totally straight….the cork will cover that.

Paint another coat of the chalkboard paint. {I may have actually done 3 coats total}.

Use the 3M Command poster strips to hold the cork in place on the plywood.

Carefully paint the cork with your accent color.


Line the ruler up with the edge of the cork and hammer a thumbtack in every half inch all the way around.



This was a learning curve for me. 

First I tried to eyeball it. Then I drew a line. Finally I used a ruler. 

Why didn't I think of that in the first place?


{Don't forget to find a super cute helper!}

Put the 3M Command Frame Hanging strips on the back and hang on the wall over the desk. 




The curtains and the comforter may take some time to change, but for now this corner of the room is finished. And there's a little monkey that lives here who is bananas over that bulletin board!





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PS... I was not compensated for the shout out to 3M Command Strips. 

I just really love them. They rock!



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2 comments:

  1. great project! I'm sure your son will get a lot of use out of that bulletin board - the desk is really cute too!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Cheryl! My little monkey hangs something new almost every day. He is so cute!

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