Ceiling Tile Magnet Board {DIY}

I had a DIY planned for today (check out last week's curtain rod upgrade), and I'll be sticking to that plan. Because if I veered off right now this would be a post on three-year-olds who use Sharpies to decorate and who cut their sweet little baby hair three...yes THREEEEEE times in one week!!

*Deep breath*

Okay, just to clarify this DIY will have nothing to do with Sharpies. Instead, let's focus on all thing white and pretty and mappy (we'll pretend that's a word).



Ready to do this? Here's what you'll need:

-a large frame complete with backing
-tin ceiling tiles (I got my antique ones off ebay for a reasonable price. Check HERE for some that are being sold right now.)
-a map or pages out of an atlas
-a very strong adhesive such as Gorilla glue

Let's start with the frame. I got mine from a Goodwill. It belonged in a dark wood paneled room from the '70s complete with a poor quality bird photo. I loved the grain in the otherwise ugly frame and used a thin paint to be sure not to hide the beauty of the texture.

After this, I pulled pages out of an old atlas to cover the frame backing. I chose pages based on how well the colors of the map went together. On my first attempt, I used spray adhesive to get them in place. However, I noticed later that this was not going to be strong enough to last with the ceiling tiles on top, and I had to go back and redo it. So my suggestion is NOT to mess with spray adhesive, but to try my second method- take a disposable brush and carefully brush a strong glue such a Gorilla glue onto the backing. It's important to brush it on since squirting the glue will cause the map to warp. Then carefully smooth the map over the brushed glue, and give it time to dry completely.



Once the map had dried on the frame backing, I put it back in it's freshly painted wooden frame.  I used the same Gorilla glue (this time simply squirting it) to secure the ceiling tiles to the middle of the piece being sure not to put too much glue around the edges to avoid it bleeding into visible areas. The way you choose to arrange the tiles totally falls to your artistic preferences- do you want a lot of the map showing or just a little...do you want large area of tiles or just a strip?

One note: It's important to use tin ceiling tiles since they are actually magnetic.

Be sure to let this dry completely while laying flat.



Now your new magnet board is complete.



And it's not just your new magnet board, but your new piece of art!

Simple Curtain Rod Upgrade {DIY}

When you move into a house, there are so many hidden costs; but I've found none so painful as window treatments. You ignore your whole new set of glass panes for a week or two as you unpack. Then one evening you're smooching with your man on the couch, and in that moment your lack of window covering suddenly receives your full attention. You're online the next morning, determined to get those suckers covered. You find yourself choking on your coffee. They want HOW much to put some fabric over a few square feet?!? (You can see why I turned to DIY treatments when we moved to a lovely spot with 19 windows.) Then, oh-no-it's-not-over, you need the hardware- rods, blinds, shades- my wallet is choking.

There are so many ways to tackle the issue; but in this post, I'm sticking to curtain rods.




For my family room I needed a double bracket rod. So here's what I did- I bought some simple, standard ones at JCPenney. You can find the ones I got HERE. The ends easily popped off.

Next I took a cork from a wine bottle...I guzzled the wine and felt so much better about the cost of the curtains...joking, joking. Where was I? *ahem* Oh, yes, so I took an exact-o knife and cut a space out of the middle so that cork would then fit very snugly in the hallow end of the curtain rod. If your rod is big enough, you probably can use an untouched cork.



Then I took some large door pull knobs that I had gotten at Anthropologie's sale rack. The fun thing about this is that you could go in so many directions depending on which knobs you choose. You could pick a great shape or one with quartz or even an animal- something to perfectly suit your decor! Just be sure the knob base is wide enough for the project.

So then, I put the knob screw through the cork.



Then I attached the nut with a washer to keep it sturdily in place. (That washer is the key; so don't skip it!)



Simply place the cork inside the rod.



Now it just doesn't get any easier than that!



Beautiful, easy, and best of all- a fraction of the price of a fancy curtain rod.

DIY's coming

Hey, blog peeps, it's been a full week; so you only get a simple sweet photo of baby.

But fun stuff is coming! In the next two weeks, you can expects some DIY posts on:

• how to make a fabulous magnet board with maps and ceiling tiles
• how to spruce up a little corner with simple mason jars
• how to use door knobs to dress up simple curtain rods with one simple trick

Stay tuned!!