An All Purpose Message Board

This year, for my husband's family Christmas gathering, we had to give gifts that were handmade. I wanted to make something unique, decorative and practical for my sister-in-law and came up with this message board.  It is a framed chalkboard/magnet board/corkboard...all in one.

Once I decided what I wanted to do I set out to find my supplies. So, off to a local thrift store I went, searching for a metal tray and a frame to match in size.  I was very lucky to find both. Once home, I trimmed the rim off of the tray.  This is a bit of a slow process because you want to ensure an even cut and for safety reasons, because thin metal edges, and the tools to trim it, can cut easily.  

Once that was done I cleaned and roughed up the metal and then painted it with Chalkboard paint.  There are different paints for this, some brush on (too expensive and time consuming for this project) and a spray on paint, which is what I used.  It must be done in a well ventilated and protected area (you don't want any dust or dirt on your newly painted item and you don't want any paint on anything else) I applied 3 even coats and let each coat dry at least 3 hours. During the drying time I dismantled and painted the frame. 

When all the pieces were dry I glued the metal to a very sturdy piece of cardboard, cut to fit the frame,  with contact cement (be careful with this-cleans up well but very messy while you're working with it).  After that I cut a surround out of a roll of cork I had purchased at an office supply store and glued that onto the cardboard, around the metal piece.  I then cut small shapes out of the cork and mounted them around the join of the cork and metal, cleaning up the area and making the cork thicker for pin use.  Once dried I placed this in the newly painted frame, obviously without the glass, and added some funky magnets and pushpins.  It actually turned out really well and, although a little time consuming, wasn't that difficult.

This project can be done in a variety of ways and sizes and, for smaller projects, most of the supplies can be found at dollar stores and using the cork is a great option if you can't find a piece of metal that fits the frame precisely.  Be creative. Cork Board, Chalk Board or Magnet Board or all three. It's all up to you.