Last week I revealed the handmade stencil and die cut cards I made for one of my readers. While I was working on the cards, I came up with the idea to customize a brand new cork memo board for my final “Pay it Forward 2011″ gift. I’ve had this cork board from Ikea for ages with the intention of making it a little bit more interesting.
A few weeks ago I saw a Paris themed cork board at Homesense. They also had London and New York boards. I was tempted to buy the board for my daughter’s room to compliment the 5ft Eiffel tower decal on the wall. The boards were “natural looking” with black iconic images screened directly onto the cork. They were nice but $29.99 for a memo board is a bit steep for my taste. I’m much happier spending $6.99 at Ikea and dressing my cork board up for less.
In the case of the spare memo board, I didn’t spend an additional penny on this project because I already had everything I needed: 1 brand new cork board, craft paint and stencils.
Voilà! A pretty, custom cork memo board for my last Pay it Forward 2011 gift. This one is for you Teresa!
I was hesitant to show off my finished project because I made a boo boo but it’s not really a big deal. Still looks nice and the board functions perfectly fine!
I am so in love with these colours from Martha Stewart Crafts paint line by Plaid. I used Gray Wolf for the frame, Vanilla Bean for the branches and Surf for the birds.
I like these colours so much that I might just have to use them as the jumping off point for our basement media room design.
Want your own custom painted cork board? Here’s what you need and the how to!
Create a Custom Cork Memo Board with Stencils and Paint
Supplies
- Cork memo board (mine was from Ikea)
- Craft paint
- Stencils
- Painter’s tape or stencil tape
- Foam pouncer or stencil brush
- Foam brush (for painting frame)
Directions:
Start by covering the cork board with painter’s tape along the inside edge of the frame. Doing this will allow you to paint a clean edge along the frame without splattering all over the cork. My project isn’t the the best example because I painted the frame after I did the stencil work! That’s because painting the frame came as an afterthought.
Next, use a small foam or bristle brush to paint the frame in the colour of your choice. I used the multi-surface paint by Martha Stewart Crafts (available at Michaels). It’s a gorgeous neutral taupe gray. Once the paint is dry you can remove the painter’s tape.
Arrange the stencil/s on the board to your liking. Use the green tape to adhere the stencil to the cork. This prevents the stencil from slipping or moving when you apply the paint.
Use a foam pouncer or stencil brush to apply the paint. When working with stencils it is best to apply the paint in thin layers until you reach the desired saturation of colour.
Now, I left my board as is at this point but you can do so much more to make the board even more interesting. Maybe install some D hooks and use ribbon or tulle to hang the board up? Or how about adding pockets to hold receipts? That would be handy!
Okay folks, that is it – I am done with paying it forward! Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my other projects…
Are you a craftaholic? Be sure to read these popular posts:
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- DIY Framed Wall Art Tutorial
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