A few months ago I wrote about how I used the top of an Ikea table as a canvas for this butterfly painting. I was then left me with the rest of the table. I knew I would be able to use the leftover pieces for something. Someday.
Months ago I had made this bulletin board from scrap material and ribbon. It’s a little wonky and completely impractical because it was basically just a frame with no solid back. Even with two layers of cork board it was still a too flimsy. Oh well, it was something I threw together on a whim and I have been meaning to do something about it for a while now.
I decided to use the left over pieces of the Ikea table to make a bulletin board that would be more functional than this prototype. I also wanted to create something a little different so I thought I’d also use the legs of the table to create a few mini boards.
So, here goes:
1. Apply chalkboard paint.
2. Apply fabric and cork. (fabric right side down, staple down center edge, then apply cork)
3. Once the cork was in place, I pulled the fabric over the cork; this gave a very clean finished edge to the line where the bulletin board meets the chalkboard. Tuck extra fabric behind board and staple in place.
4. It was difficult to remove a bolt from one of the legs so I left it in place and joined two legs together. This gave me a long mini board, but I was ok with that.
The legs were very easy to cover:
First I applied cork to the edge that would be the front and then just covered them with fabric.
I attached brackets on the backs of the boards so they would hang on the wall without any hanging apparatus showing. In this photo, the brackets are too low. This caused the board to lean out too far when hung so I had to readjust and raise the bracket up, almost flush with the top edge.
So here is what I ended up with:
I like it much better than the wonky one I had up there! I also think the narrow “mini” boards could be great to use in a variety of small spaces and they can be hung vertically or horizontally.
Well, this is just a small start to what I have going on in this room, but it’s a start. Stay tuned for more, which I’m hoping will be SOON.
Oh, I also thought I would create a few decorative tacks out of these beads, true you can buy decorative tacks anywhere, but I didn’t feel like making a special trip and my glue gun was still hot, so…why not?
Very creative! I love the flower pattern, very 1970s
Thanks! I have been really drawn to bright crazy colors lately. Must be all the gloomy weather we have here making me long for some brightness.
My hubby is very much into color. It’s truly a lot of fun and also makes you look younger when you wear it
I love how colorful and pretty this is! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for having a look. I loved how cheerful this fabric is. i bought it way back in the dead of winter, so that may be what I needed at the time.
Love it, Marie! Have a question for the creative designer: someone gave me 3 Ikea metal baskets (office trash baskets?). Like I said, they’re metal but painted in orange. My little girl wants to use one in her room, but would like to paint over it. Can I paint over the orange colour? What type of paint should I use? Where do you get paints over here, do you remember?
Hi Xio!
Yes you can paint metal. Are they mesh cans? if the surface you are painting is very smooth and slick you might need to rough it up a little with some fine sandpaper so the paint can “grip on”.
I would use spray paint. Krylon makes the best spray paint, they have one for metal surfaces too. you should be able to find it in any of the dyi stores.
first, paint a fine mist 1st coat over the bin. Hold the nozzle about 6 inches from the surface and keep moving back and forth in a sweeping motion while you are painting.
You may need up to three coats, so you might need about two cans of paint. let them dry between each coat – and that could take a while with the humidity over there.
It’s pretty easy – just go for it and let me know how it comes out.
TTYS – good luck.
Love this idea!!!!
Thanks!
I really like the little mini boards and I think they would be great to hang in a tight space by a desk or in the kitchen. I like bulletin boards because I can post things where I can see them. If I put things in a drawer or file, I tend to forget about them.