A problem I often face when dealing with the real world is being able to stay organized in a fashionable way. Let me explain. Receipts…. I keep most of mine because of my business, but have yet to find a stylish way to keep them in order. Grocery List…. that ugly pad of paper on the refrigerator, hastily written in 5 different colors of ink… Not aesthetically pleasing! My office, oh my office…. there are a million things I could probably call out here, but let’s go with all of my post it notes, or little scraps of paper. I keep small pads of paper near me at all times, and every time I jot down a note, those little pieces of paper end up scattered all over my desk. Ahhhhh. While I continue to search for stylish ways to keep my life organized, I got one step closer this week with a DIY Gothic Skeleton Framed Magnet Board… a little something to hold my notes or reminders. Maybe even my grocery list.
OK… let me tell you a bit about where this idea came from. Do you have any of those tin signs with the ridiculous quotes on them? Come on.. everybody’s got at least one! I absolutely hate cutesy things, but even I have one of those stupid signs. In my laundry room, which has somehow become a shrine to my dogs, hangs a tin sign that says The Dogs own this house, We just pay the mortgage. What can I say? I’m a dog person, and the sign is pretty accurate!
I also have a few tin signs I’ve picked up at thrift stores or garage sales during my shopping adventures, that were put aside for future DIY projects. So this week, I was rummaging through my stash of found items, and happened upon those tin signs. I originally bought them for a project that never came to fruition, so they have been sitting in a box for quite sometime. When I saw them, I knew it was time to pick one and give it a makeover. Considering my stylish organization dilemma… a Gothic magnet board was an obvious choice, and this Dog sign happened to be the perfect size for my frame.
To recreate one of these magnet boards for yourself…. here’s what you’ll need:
- Tin Sign
- White Paint
- Paint Brushes
- Printable Image
- Decorative Paper
- Mod Podge – Matte finish
- Flat Topcoat
- Picture Frame (with an opening the same size as your tin tile)
- Black Matte Paint
NOTE… when selecting your tin sign and frame, consider how you plan to print your image. If you’re using your personal printer, chances are that you’ll be limited to an 8.5×11 or 8.5×14 image, so your frame can’t be any larger than that . I chose an 8×10 sign and frame, so I could use my home printer. If you’re dead set on a much larger frame, you’ll need to work with a print shop (or your local office supply store) to print your image for you.
The first step is to cover up that tin sign! I know you’ll be covering it with paper later… but believe me – I’ve had quite a few projects where the design of whatever I was covering up still showed through and it’s maddening. Save yourself some grief, and just paint it with a few coats of white paint. No need to be a professional painter… just make sure the design can’t bleed through.
Now for your image… Use any printable image. You can find images in google images, join image database sites, or simply buy an image from all of the talented artists on Etsy.
Resize your image as needed to fit the dimension of your frame.
For some added dimension, I printed my chosen image onto a piece of decorative scrapbooking paper. I chose something that was light in color and not at all busy, so as to not compete with the image I’d be printing. Most decorative papers come in a 12 x 12 size, so they will need to be trimmed down to an 8.5″ width before running through your printer. The Martha Stewart Paper Trimmer
Once your paper is letter size, print the image on it.
Cut the printed paper to the size of the tin sign.
Brush a layer of mod podge onto the tin sign. It is important to cover the sign in its entirety.
Adhere the printed image to the tin sign, smoothing out every bubble. Smooth out every inch! Any part of the paper that is not well adhered to the sign will later show air pockets.
Let this dry for several hours. It probably doesn’t need that long to dry, but I don’t want to risk the mod podge still being wet or even tacky, so I figure better safe than sorry.
Once you’re sure your image has completely dried and adhered to the tin sign, brush a layer of mod podge onto the image.
Allow to dry. This doesn’t take very long… and you can test with your finger to be sure it’s dry.
Brush another layer of mod podge onto the image.
Allow to dry.
Many crafters will stop at this point. Technically mod podge does work to seal a project, but since this particular image has the potential for a fair amount of physical contact, I wanted to add one more layer of protection. I used the Flat Out Flat Top Coat. I love the matte finish. Because my printed image was somewhat muted, a matte finish made more sense.
Now for the frame…. I chose a Baroque styled frame. To me, it was an obvious choice to pair with the gothic image. I also happen to own a lot of those frames. If you don’t, they’re pretty popular in most stores that carry home decor. Don’t worry about the color… you’ll be painting it anyway.
Remove the backing and glass from the frame.
In keeping with the muted and matte style of my image, I painted the frame a matte black.
Once dry, replace the glass with the tin image, and put the backing back on the frame.
Voila!
Now depending on how you want to use the magnet board will determine the mechanism you’ll use on the back. Most smaller frames have an easel kick stand, for table top use. This is perfect if you’re planning to keep the board on your desk, or on the kitchen counter, or even your nightstand. You can also add a picture hook to the back of the frame to hang on the wall. If you’re someone that likes to organize at eye level, you’ll want to hang it up. I don’t know about you but ideas always seem to come to me in the shower… I’m thinking I’ll make one of these to hang on my bathroom wall, so I can capture all of those groundbreaking ideas! One last thought…. this magnet board obviously doubles as a piece of framed gothic art…. would be perfect hanging on your gallery wall!
For more ideas to help get you organized… check out this All Black Gothic Memo Board and this Skull Memo Board.
this post contains affiliate links…
Damm, I love this blog! Anyone who casually uses the word ‘fruition’ is ok in my book. Love your projects, because I love skulls in general. My SO thinks I am morbid with my skull/skeleton obsession, which limits my decorating options but I could pull this one off in my office. Thank you for your morbid, creepy, yet classy style!
Your comment is awesome!! I think I need my new tagline to be “morbid, creepy, yet classy”! So glad you love the blog! And I totally feel you with your SO.. my husband was the same.. but finally came around and gave in. 🙂 Hopefully I can continue to bring you some tastefully morbid ideas that will get a pass in your home!
When I saw this one come through on email, I had visions of making skull magnets, but hadn’t a clue how you’d made the metal back. Now I know! It’s witchcraft, I tell you 😉 Love it! x
Thanks Sue!! So easy.. and it turned out better than I first envisioned! Gotta love when that happens!