When we moved in our house five years ago, I envisioned a large bulletin board above the butcher block to keep things organized. Instead we’ve been living with a cluttered corner on our kitchen counter. When the pile got too high, we would “binge organize” and purge papers till the pile is down to an acceptable size. Needless to say, this DIY burlap bulletin board is long overdue. I’ve seen similar products at Ballard Design, Pottery Barn and Etsy. This one was made with a fraction of the cost.
Materials:
- Stretched canvas (I upcycled a used canvas from the art department at school)
- Burlap (mine is from the fabulous burlapfabric.com)
- Upholstery tacks
- Cork tiles
- Hot glue gun
- Rubber hammer
- Nail gun
Step 1: Trim the burlap to size. I cut mine to be 10 inches larger than the canvas dimensions. You may need to adjust the allowance depending on the thickness of your canvas.
Step 2: Center the canvas on top of the fabric. Start at the center of one side; wrap the burlap around the frame then staple. Continue this process towards the corners. Once the first side is stapled, move on to the opposite side. Be sure to pull the burlap taught. If you prefer a clean edge, fold the raw edges in first then staple like I did here.
Step 3: Wrap the corners, fold as neatly as you can. The material here will be a bit bulky. Don’t be afraid to shoot several staples to hold it in place.
Step 4 (optional): Cut a piece of burlap with a finished edge of desired width. Staple it to the bottom edge of the board to create a pocket. Originally, I planned to use webbing but the green trim the burlap came with was too cute not to feature.
Step 5: Place upholstery tacks along the edges with even spacing. I used a measuring tape as a guide to help with spacing and straightness. Given the tacks a good press so they stay in place, then hammer in with a rubber hammer. If you like a more distressed look, use a regular hammer instead.
Step 6: Place the cork tiles on the back of the canvas, trim the excess with scissors. Secure in place with hot glue.
I’m really happy with how the bulletin board turned out. I don’t know why I waited this long to tackle this project. Do you have cluttered corners or piles of paper you’re dying to organize? Do you have any tips on to keep mail/reminders/coupons organized?
