DIY Flannel, Chalk, & Magnetic Boards

I love crafts.  But I particularly love craft projects that are quick and easy to finish, otherwise I might lose my ambition.  That's why felt is perfect for not-so-ultra-crafty mom's like me. :)  With felt you can make something cute that's quick and easy, and often times no-sew!

So, I actually have a few felt projects up my sleeves that I'll be sharing with you over the next couple weeks.  But first, you'll need to make yourself a flannel board (if you don't already have one). 

The good thing is that flannel boards are simple and inexpensive to make yourself and they are so versatile.

{DIY Flannel Board Tips}  For flannel boards I like to use the particle board.  You can pick up a piece at any hardware store in different sizes, or they will help you cut down a piece as needed.  Your flannel board doesn't need to be that big, and actually smaller boards are more portable and easy to store.

Next, you'll just need to get a piece of flannel or felt that is big enough to cover one side your piece of particle board and a little extra length to wrap around the edges.  Then simple secure your fabric to the particle board by using a staple gun, spray adhevise, hot glue, etc.  It doesn't really matter and it doesn't take much to keep the fabric in place.

Then I used tape (duct tape works well) to secure the edges and make a "frame" around my flannel board.  However, if you want to make yours look more "cute", you could add a strip of ribbon around the edges or on the back side to cover the edge of the fabric and secure it in place.

I've also included a few tips on how to whip-up your own chalk and magnetic boards while your at it because these boards are really useful to have.  Plus they are just as easy as the flannel boards to make yourself.

{DIY Chalk Board Tips}  For the chalk board, you simply need a can of chalk spray paint.  You can use this paint to spray on nearly any surface you want: glass, wood, etc.  Mini chalk boards are all the rage write now, so now you can make your very own, any shape or size you'd like!  Hooray!

{DIY Magnetic Board Tips}  Now for magnetic boards.  The quickest magnet board is using a flat metal baking pan or cookie sheet.  You can find these at lots of stores.  I'd check out dollar stores or good will stores first if you want a better deal (especially since you probably won't actually use these pans for baking).  

One word of advice when shopping for metal pans: take a magnet with you when you go to the store.  Looks can be deceiving.  Many inexpensive pans are made out of aluminum and are not magnetic.  So this way you can make sure that it's magnetic before you purchase it.   

You could also find a piece of sheet metal at the hardware store and place it in a frame.  There are all types of decorative, DIY magentic board tutorials out there.  Again, make sure to take a magnet with you to the hardware store to avoid picking up aluminum instead of sheet metal. Then it will be magnetic and a fun chalkboard.  With the metal piece you could frame and hang on the wall as a decoration in any room.

{Notice the dual felt & magnet board all-in-one}

Another great idea is to combine these ideas and make a dual purpose board.  For example, you could cover one side of your magnetic pan with felt or chalkboard paint and...voila!  You now have a double-sided board with double the options.  Plus, less mess to clean and less to store = big bonus for mom!  In fact, if you covered one side of your pan with felt and the other with chalkboard paint, you'd really have all three boards in one because one side would be both chalk and magnetic.  

As you can see, DIY flannel, chalk, and magnetic boards are really flexible because you have so many options.  So, get creative and make a board! That way you'll be set for more upcoming crafts and lots of playtime in the future. ;)