Double Duty DIY

Posted by Paper and Stitch on September 24, 2008 · 16 Comments 

I have been itching for the next DIY project to come around and I was finally able to take some decent style shots. It’s been cloudy lately and the photos I took before were not the best. Anyway, now I am ready to post it up. This tutorial pulls double duty: it’s a modular bulletin board + coasters. Sounds like a strange combination, I’ll admit; but it makes a lot of sense if you think about it. 

Many of us are not very fond of clutter, especially in a workspace. I personally find it almost impossible to work at my desk if there is a lot of stuff on it. So, I thought I would make another bulletin board to tack up all my notes and inspirations. But, I wanted to take that idea a step further, so I began thinking of other things that I need or would use a lot in an office space.

We recently invested in a Case Study desk, and have been religiously using coasters to protect our new purchase. So, why not make a bulletin board that could also be used as coasters? The whole thing will cost less than $4.00 to make!

Here’s what you need…

Materials: 1. Cork (I picked up a 6 pack of cork coasters from a craft store for less than $2, but you could use a roll of cork and cut to size if you prefer.) 2. Ribbon or Fabric (Something I seem to have a never ending supply of- Choose ribbon that is small to medium width) 3. Scissors 4. Your favorite heavy duty glue (I like to use quickset super glue) 5. Velcro

How To: 1. Wrap ribbon around your cork square vertically until desired affect is achieved. Make sure to pull the ribbon as tight as possible. Cut off excess ribbon and glue both ends of the ribbon to the back. 

2. Repeat the process of wrapping ribbon around the same cork square, but this time wrap the ribbon around horizontally. Then cut off excess ribbon and glue both ends of the ribbon to the back.

3. Cut a small piece of velcro to attach to the back of each piece. Try to keep the cuts small and even from square so when you take them down, it will still look nice.

4. Attach all cork squares to the wall in your preferred pattern. Now you can hold notes and photos in the interwoven wrapped ribbon and pin up anything that is too big to fit otherwise. Once they are all hung up, it’s time for a drink. Pull one down and use it as a coaster, re-arrange your modular bulletin board and you are ready to start all over again. Fun and organized! Here’s what it looks like:

Note: If you would prefer to just use these as coasters (or they will be getting heavy use), I would recommend putting a sealant/ top coat over the finished cork squares so the fabric does not get ruined. For more Paper N Stitch DIY projects, click here.

Other sites that have linked to this post:  Decor 8…..Apartment Therapy…..CraftStylish…..Craft: zine….Anne Kaz….One Happy Corner…Finding Myself….One Pretty Thing…..Threadbanger…..Ruby Rooms

Filed under design, handmade, home decor, tutorials · Tagged with bulletin, coasters, cork, craft, decor, diy, how to, project, ribbon, tut, tutorial