A Vintage Twist Dry Erase Board Tutorial

by | Aug 27, 2012 | Tutorials

This piece is the handiest thing I have made for my office so far.  It was extremely easy and super cheap too! It truly is a vintage twist on an every day, boring old dry erase board.  I always like having something that I can jot my notes, important messages, and top to-do’s for the week on that is bigger than a post-it, since those don’t always seem to catch my attention.  Not to mention, my guy and I use it to write each other notes on too, which makes for a great surprise when I go to my desk in the morning and see sweet words on the board.   That always makes me smile and starts my day off right (that, and a latte).  Here is how I created mine and how you can easily create a version of your own:

What you’ll need:

  • A frame
  • Material (I used a full yard)
  • A piece of cardboard or a mat that fits the inside of your frame (just like a picture would)
  • A backing to your frame (I used a foam board)
  • A piece of poster board
  • A hot glue gun & glue
  • Tape
  • An iron &  ironing board
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • A Pickle Jar (or other cylinder object or compass to outline your rounded corners)

Step 1: Of course cleaning – clean the glass and the exterior of the frame to keep everything looking polished and pretty.  You can also take one step back and “zjuge” your frame with embellishments or a new paint job.

Step 2: Trace or draw a design onto your poster board that will fit inside of the frame.  (Since my frame was large and the poster board was the exact size of the picture and mat of the frame, I scaled it down by 1″ on all sides, then took my pickle jar – placed and traced it for each corner’s curvaceous appeal.  Knowing the poster board was 22″ x 28″, it was easy to measure and mark the middle of each side, which is where the points would show.  I then free handed the fun curves in between the corners and middle to get the look I wanted.)  Then cut it out and set this aside for now.

Step 3: Iron your material so you don’t have permanent showcase of wrinkles.

Step 4: Cover your cardboard or mat with the material you have chosen.  Fold the corners in so that they are as neat and pull your fabric tight as possible, making sure there are no creases.  I used hot glue to keep the material in place (you could also use the Fabric Tac glue).  I’m sure you could get by without using anything to tac the fabric in place, but taking the extra step makes things much easier.

Step 5: Take your poster board cut-out and place it on the flat side of your material covered cardboard or mat.  Once you have it where you like it, place a piece of tape (double sided or “loop” regular tape) on the back side of your poster board cut-out and adhere to your material covered cardboard or mat.

Step 6: Assembly! Take your pretty clean frame and place the poster board cut-out/material covered cardboard duo inside of the frame, just like you would a picture.  Place your backing on the frame and seal it up! Ta-da!

Most of the DIY dry erase board ideas that I’ve seen usually consist of a plan frame with embellishments on the outside and a piece of decorative paper inserted like a photo.  I think my twist gives it a vintage punch with the fabric and cut-out instead of decorative paper – plus, on a larger scale it makes sense.  I almost forgot, this cost under $3.50 to make.  I had the frame laying around the garage, the yard of fabric I purchased was $1.50, the poster board was $0.89 and the foam board I had to use for the backing was $1.00.  It’s pretty funny when the package of markers cost more than the finished dry erase board.

Let me know how your project turned out. Leave your comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Organizing!

Elegantly Easy Decoupage Tray

by | Jul 27, 2012 | Tutorials

Again, I found myself on the hunt to find the perfect accessories for my desk.  I wanted something that would fit in with the overall theme of things, which is turning out to be victorian/vintage meets modern and crafty.  I was perusing the shelves of our local Hobby Lobby and found the perfect size tray at a phenomenal price of only $2.50.  Granted, it had some chips and scratches, but I thought it added character and with a little paint, Mod Podge and scrapbooking paper, it would become a fantastic piece.  Here’s how it all came together, step-by-step…

The Supplies:

  • Tray – or anything that is the main subject of your decoupaging endeavor
  • Scrapbooking Paper
  • Foam Brush
  • Mod Podge
  • Paint & Paint Brush (optional)
  • Rubbing Alcohol
  • Cotton Balls or a Paper Towel

Step 1: Clean your tray with the rubbing alcohol and cotton balls or paper towel.  This is the prep work for the scrapbooking paper and Mod Podge application.

Step 2: Cut or tear your scrapbooking paper to the size of your tray with the design of your choosing.  I had to make templates for the different sizes first, then I traced their shape onto my decorative scrapbooking paper.  I didn’t want to waste any with trail and error.

Step 3: Apply your Mod Podge to the tray and place your piece(s) of scrapbooking paper down.  Smooth the paper out with the fingers to eliminate any air pockets from showing their ugly little heads.  Then apply one more coat of Mod Podge over top of the now smooth scrapbooking paper design.  You might want to wait for it to dry a little bit before applying the “top coat” of Mod Podge to eliminate any wrinkles or air pockets.

Step 4: Repeat Step 3 as many times as necessary until you are pleased with the final design.

Step 5: Let dry.  This usually doesn’t take more than a few minutes.

Step 6:  Once your piece is completely dry from the glue, add an accent or two with your paint and brush.

Step 7: Again, let it dry and you’re done!

That wasn’t too hard, was it? A little messy, yes, but who doesn’t like getting their hands dirty every once in a while! Now i’m off to use my tray on my desk to hold my catch-all, paperclips, and other odds ‘n ends.  Have other decoupage items you’d like to share? Leave your comments here.

Cheers!