It’s easy to give makeover a plain cork board with paint! Learn how to make a pretty DIY stenciled cork board that will add style to your home office or family command center. The best part? It’ll only take you 30 minutes or less!
Is there a stack of school artwork about three feet high on your kitchen counter?
Or is that just me?
Nah – don’t even try to deny it. You’ve got that stack, too (but maybe it’s on your dining room table that you use twice a year on Thanksgiving and Christmas).
I recently surveyed my readers, and the #1 household complaint these fellow mamas have is clutter – and paper is a major contributor to the mess.
Although I have systems to sort and manage paper clutter, the end of the school year always brings more than I can handle in one sitting.
We have a fabric-covered cork board on our pantry door to display kids’ artwork, but I didn’t have a great spot to put all my blogging worksheets.
If the kids can have their own cork board, then Mom can, too!
See that blank wall on the left-hand side of the desk in our craft area/home office? That was the perfect spot for a pretty cork board of my very own.
Whether you want to organize your own papers, or set up a cork board as part of your family command center, this DIY stenciled cork board is an easy and quick project you can knock out in about thirty minutes.
Supplies to Make a DIY Stenciled Cork Board
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How to Make a DIY Stenciled Cork Board
Now that you’ve gathered your supplies it’s time to prepare your surface. You can cover your workspace with newspaper or a plastic, disposable tablecloth. This isn’t a very messy project, but better safe than sorry, as my mom likes to say!
Place your stencil your cork board where you would want to start the pattern. I began in the bottom left corner, but you could start in the center, too, depending on the look you have in mind.
Honestly, when I began, I wasn’t sure what my final design would look like. So, I started somewhere and kept going until I was satisfied.
Don’t be afraid to experiment! After all, it’s only paint. If you royally screw up, just paint the whole cork board a solid color and try again.
After you decide where to start your design, squirt a fair amount of paint on a paper plate and then dip your pouncer in the paint.
Using an up-and-down motion, pat the pouncer on your plate several times to remove excess paint.
Firmly press the pouncer on the stencil with the same up-and-down motion you used to remove the excess paint.
Warning: Don’t press too hard or the paint will leak under the stencil.
Repeat this process on your DIY stenciled cork board until you’re happy with how it looks.
I filled up the final product with papers already, and the other night my daughter (a very wise five-year-old) asked, “Mommy, if you were just gonna cover up the pretty part, why did you bother painting it?”
Ah, she has so much to learn.
Sometimes, a gal’s gotta craft just for the sake of crafting.
And making pretty organizing products.
Other Easy Ways to Decorate a Cork Board
This DIY stenciled cork board was a quick project to organize all my blogging worksheets, and I love that I can update it again in the future.
If you get bored with your stenciled design, try these ideas to perk up a plain cork board:
- Paint the frame a contrasting color
- Dress up the frame with washi tape
- Paint the whole thing, and layer on a new stenciled design
- Cover the cork board with fabric using my tutorial
What’s your favorite way to deal with paper clutter? Do you use a memo or cork board to keep important papers in plain view? Share your ideas in the comments section below!
Check out these other ideas!
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