Knockoff PB Personalized Pinboard

Hey everyone!  If you remember, last month, I shared with you how I updated my boys’ desk in our den with a wood plank desktop.  The den is just about ready for the big reveal and now I’m just working on adding little details.  This includes these fun personalized bulletin boards I made for each of my boys.  I was searching for desk organization ideas one day and saw these personalized pinboards on Pottery Barn Kids.  I knew they would be perfect for my boys and that I could knock them off pretty easily.  I made two of these pinboards, but my supply list will be for one pinboard.

Materials:

• 12″ x 12″ wrapped canvas (mine was 3/4″ thick)
• 12″ adhesive backed cork sheet
• Adhesive vinyl
• Transfer paper
• Die-cutting machine
• Acrylic aint
• 2 – 1″ foam paintbrushes
• 1″ x 2″ x 6′ pine board
• Wood stain
• Sander w/ 220 grit sandpaper
• Miter saw
• Brad nailer
• 1″ Brad nails
• 24″ Bar clamps
• Hot glue gun

Instructions:

Start by designing your stencil.  To make it look just like the PB Kids version, use the Varsity font.  (FYI, the letters are all capitalized, but when you use the shift key or CAPS lock, it will add the outline.)

Cut your design out on the 12 x 12″ sheet of vinyl and weed the negative pieces out.  Remember that this is a stencil, so make sure to weed out the correct parts of your design.  Place your transfer paper over the design and use a scraping tool or a credit card to get out any air bubbles.

Peel the backing off of your vinyl and very carefully center it onto your cork sheet.  Use the scraping tool or credit card again to firmly adhere the vinyl to the cork sheet.  Carefully peel the transfer paper off. Stencil your design using the acrylic paint and foam brush.

Once the paint has dried, peel the vinyl off of the corkboard.

Building the frame:

Cut four 1×2 pieces at a 45 degree angle. Measure 12″ from the inside edge. Cut the opposite side with a 45 degree miter going the opposite direction.  (The inside angle measurement should be 12″, but I recommend measuring each side and cutting to fit.  The canvas is not always exact.)  Sand the pieces with the sander and 220 grit sandpaper.

Stain your frame pieces in the color of your choice.  (I used Minwax stain in Special Walnut, the same color I used on the desktop.)

Let the stain dry completely (overnight is best) and then assemble your frame.   Position your frame pieces around the canvas and secure with bar clamps.

Using your brad nailer, nail two nails into each corner and one to two nails into each side to secure the canvas into place.

The cork sheet has an adhesive backing which will stick to the canvas, but I found that it will not stick permanently like I had hoped.  You can use a hot glue gun or construction adhesive and glue it down to keep it in place permanently.

To hang your pinboard, you can use hooks, but I prefer to use my favorite damage-free method: Command Strip picture frame hanging strips.

My boys get pizza coupons each time they fill out their monthly reading logs, so these pinboards are the perfect place to save them up!  They were so excited to be able to pin their coupons on their boards.  They’re also perfect for party invitations, pictures, or whatever you like!

Pin for later!