DIY Creative Inspiration Board

I think this has to be my all time record for neglecting this blog, as I see nothing has been posted since the end of last summer – eek! Life just has a habit of getting in the way. So I thought it was about time I shared this project for a Creative Inspiration Board. Initially I was planning on making some form of standard pin or clipboard for the purpose, but on wandering round the local DIY store for something suitable, I spotted some louvred doors.

I actually find I quite enjoy browsing DIY and hardware stores – in fact almost as much as art and craft supply shops, because of the untapped creative potential of all those items. On spotting them, I realised that the louvres in these doors would mean that I wouldn’t need pins, pegs, magnets or tape, but could just tuck the edges of cards etc. into the slats, making it really easy to remove and replace items frequently.

In terms of customising the board, there is so much you could do with paint to make these your own, but I decided I wanted something that looked a bit more aged and weatherworn, and so had a good look round for techniques on ageing wood. After much experimentation, the effect I found I liked best of all was very simply achieved by rubbing black boot polish into the wood as a stain using a rag and an old toothbrush to get into the corners. A little goes a long way – you just have to make sure that the polish is rubbed in well. It’s worth wrapping some cloth tightly round an old credit card and sliding it along the inside of the slats after you’ve finished just to make sure, as you don’t want any trapped bits of polish coming off onto things stuck into the slats. Likewise, if you’re painting it, make sure that paint does not get congealed and dried between the slats, or you won’t be able to tuck items into them.

The finished board can be hung up (just add fixings and a hanging wire at the back) or just stood/propped up if you want to make it completely portable.