Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Magnet Board Tutorial

I bought this picture frame thing from DI a while ago.  I thought it would make a fun project, but I didn't really know what to do with it, so it has sat around in my garage for a few months.  It was $2 and I ginormous frame, so I was pretty sure I scored on this one.  Well I didn't even know what I had when I bought this little baby.

And by little I mean large.  Trust me you'll see.


 I was thinking it would make a nice chalkboard, so I decided today that I would finally get started, so I took it all apart.


When I opened up the back of the frame I was pleasantly surprised to find out that that big bright blue thing is in fact metal and not plastic covered cardboard like I had thought.  So I tested it to see if it would hold Magnets and it did. SCORE!  Instantly I thought of this magnet board that  friend of mine who is a creative memories consultant has.


(I stole this picture from The sewer, the caker, the copy cat maker.  Which is a fun blog you should go check out, but not yet.)

 I have loved these boards from the second I saw one and now I made one, but for $2 instead of the $50+ it would have cost me to buy one.  And here's the SUPER easy how to.

Supply List:  Picture Frame, Enough material to cover the back of the frame.  Hot glue gun, glue sticks, Paint, Primer, Magnetic metal paint or primer.

First things first you're going to need a picture frame.  Make sure to get one that has a pretty sturdy backing that you could wrap some material around.  DI sells frames ranging from $.50 to $2, so I'd start there.

After you have your frame take it apart and prime the frame.

If you choose to spray your cardboard with magnetic paint or primer do so now, or you can move on to the  next step if you choose metal.  Price them out and see what's cheaper where you are.


Lay out your (ironed) fabric and place your cardboard or metal piece on top of it.


Then hot glue the edges around your piece. 


It should look like this when you're done.

After your primer dries it's time to paint the frame.  It'll probably take two coats to cover it well.


After your paint dries you can glaze, stain, or sand the edges to make it look how you like.

Next you'll want to seal your frame with a protective coat.  I like polyeurothane because of it's leveling agent.

After everything dries you just put it together and hang it on the wall.  Make sure to decorate it using your favorite magnets.  I will be posting a tutorial for making your own magnets tomorrow, so be sure to check back then.


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