How to Make a Corkboard...the Hard Way

As I started to mull around ideas for decorating my new home studio I was reminded of a couple yards of fabric that I've been hoarding in wait for the perfect project and decided this was the time to use it.

I love florals and this fabric was very complimentary to my much loved chandelier that had been previously installed.

After much debate about what to use my fabric on I decided on a corkboard. I've seen a number of DIY articles about covering a pre-made cork board (like here and here) and figured that would be a great tool for keeping me organized. I couldn't be content with simply covering a premade board though as I had my heart set on using an ornate 2 x 4 frame that I had picked up at an estate sale for $5.00.

I searched high and low for a roll of cork or even squares of cork...seriously where does one find these? I've seen them used on DIY shows before but after trying Lowes, WalMart, Walgreens and even the dollar store I came up empty handed. I finally recieved a tip from my sis-in-law that led me to the office supply section at Fred Meyer where I found a roll exactly 2 x 4 which was perfect!

I wish I would have taken more pictures of the process but I will do my best to explain it well. I started out by spray painting my frame a choclate brown ($1 brown spray paint from walmart) then where there used to be a strip of ribbon I decopauged some gingham paper.

I set that aside to dry then cut out a piece of backer board the size of the opening of my frame and attached the cork to it with spray adhesive. Sadly I think the cork I bought was a bit too old as it was quite brittle and cracked a few times but in the end it didn't matter as I cut out a piece of my floral fabric a little larger then my backer board, spread it out over the corkboard/backer board, wrapped it around the edges and attached it with hot glue on the back. Nope it's not pretty...but no one was supposed to see it ;0)

I wanted a little more embellishment so I crisscrossed vintage binding over the board at measured out intervals, pulled them taut and secured them with small thumbtacks.

I then secured the corkboard into the frame with a strong wood glue and a little hot glue to keep it in place until it dried. Lastly I added a couple picture frame hooks on the back and now it's ready to install!!!

P.S. One mistake I made in the process was using a backerboard that was so stiff that thumbtacks would not penetrate the surface easily. I ended up using sewing needles instead and much to my suprise they hold things really well and honestly I think they are kind of a cute twist on the average thumbtack. Anyway, if I were to do it again I would actually suggest using a couple sheets of cardboard or foamboard instead of the backer that I used.

Happy Creating!