Supplies:
- Cardboard (I used pieces I had from boxes ready for recycling)
- Cork (I used 2 tiles 12” x 12” left over from another project)
- Burlap Fabric (twice the length of cardboard + 3” and 6” wider than the height of cardboard)
- Quilt Batting (2 pieces the same size as cardboard)
- Brass Upholstery Pins (2 packages 20ct)
- Ribbon (1 spool of ½” wide)
- Hot Glue Gun & Glue
First off, let me say, there are a lot of ways you could go about making this great DIY Bulletin Board but my goal was to create it using recycled materials, supplies left over from other projects, and great sale items.
I found this chevron striped burlap in the remnant bin at a local craft department. The piece was approximately 2 yards (easily enough to make 2 of these bulletin boards) and was only $2.50.
I thought about a lot of different materials for the “bones” of the bulletin board before I settled on cardboard. I had several boxes broken down and ready to drop off at recycling (diaper boxes would be the perfect size for something like this). I tested the upholstery pins I purchased (for .89 per package) and decided that I would need at least 3 thicknesses of the cardboard to accommodate the depth of the pin. The width and height of my cardboard pieces then determined how big my board would be as well as the size of cork, quilt batting, and burlap.
I happened to have some cork tiles left from a previous project that measured 12” x 12” so they were perfect for the size cardboard I used. I only needed 3 pieces. You can purchase packages of cork tile at most office supply stores or even Wal-Mart (around $6 for 10-12 tiles).
After I glued the cardboard layers together, I began cutting my cork tiles to fit. I wanted to have a pillowed look on my bulletin board so placed cork in the middle with a small space and then a border of cork. This gave me a place to push the upholstery pins in and create that pillowed look.
Once my cork was glued in place, I cut 2 pieces of quilt batting to the same size as the cardboard and laid this over the cork and cardboard base.
After you’ve cut the quilt batting, cut the burlap. It will need to be long enough to cover the front and back of the bulletin board with enough length to fold the end under (2 times as long as the width of the bulletin board plus approximately 3”) and 3” wider than the height of your bulletin board. Once the burlap is cut, lay the bulletin board face down in the center. Gently pull the burlap tight and begin gluing it to the back of the bulletin board.
Once the burlap is glued onto the back, begin pushing the upholstery pins into the gap between the border and center cork. I put a small drop of hot glue on each pin before pushing it in to help it hold better. Evenly space the pins across the top, bottom, and both sides.
After the pins are in place, begin pulling and gluing the burlap down on the backside, across the top and bottom of the bulletin board. There should be enough to fold over approximately ½” onto the back. I didn’t worry too much about how neat it was (it is the back after all). I did choose to use ribbon to cover up where the burlap was glued down.
Finally, cut a length of ribbon to use for hanging the bulletin board. Create a knot in the middle of the ribbon that will be a loop to hang the board. Glue the ribbon to the back of the bulletin board and add 2-3 upholstery pins for reinforcement. For an added bit of style, I tied another length of ribbon at the base of the hanging look and made a bow. That’s it!
The left over upholstery pins will make great pushpins for posting notes and such to your bulletin board!
By recycling, using left over supplies from other crafts, and buying from clearance and sale bins, this project cost less than $6 to make!