Hip teen memo boards

Hands-on time: A couple of hours
Total time: Add five hours for paint to dry and 24 hours for adhesive to set.
Skill: Easy
Cost estimate: $8 (The cost can vary depending on the wood used to make the panel.)

Materials & tools

• Wood panel or plywood board, rectangular or square (I used one that measured 39 by 49 centimetres, about 6 mm thick. I recycled the board from a laminated picture.)
• Newspapers
• Sanding block or sandpaper and a tack cloth
• Gesso, white base (as primer)
• Acrylic paints in two similar shades (I used periwinkle blue and made a lighter blue by adding some white paint.)
• Sea sponge
• Ruler or tape measure and a pencil
• Painter's tape
• Scissors or craft knife
• Matte varnish
• 25-mm craft paintbrush
• Decorative cork tiles, 30 x 30 cm (available at hardware stores and some craft stores)
• Silver spray paint
• No More Nails super-strength adhesive by LePage (available at hardware stores)

Make going back to school cool with a memo board that is hip, decorative and a practical wall treatment for any student's bedroom. These bright boards are sure to start your teen's school year on a good note.

Cover your work area with newspapers. Lightly sand the surface and edges of the wood panel with a sanding block to give it a smooth finish, and wipe with a tack cloth. Prime the panel using white gesso and let dry for an hour; add a second coat if needed.

In a well-ventilated area (preferably outdoors), place the cork tile on newspapers and spray it with silver paint; let dry for an hour.

Dip the sea sponge in the lighter shade of acrylic paint, wipe some of the paint off on newsprint, then dab the sponge randomly around the panel to create a soft, cloud-like effect. Let dry.

Measure and centre the cork tile on the wood panel and trace it using a pencil. Remove the tile and set aside.

Measure and draw a rectangle around the perimeter of the centre square. Apply painter's tape around the borders of the rectangle to protect the painted area. Paint in the rectangle with the darker shade of acrylic paint and let dry for two hours; remove the tape. Add a matte varnish topcoat and let dry.

Apply adhesive to the back of the silver-painted tile and attach the tile to the plywood. Remove excess adhesive with a damp cloth if needed. Let the memo board set for 24 hours before hanging. Your teens can now pin up pictures of their idols or post signs, photos of friends, drawings, and of course their homework list and notes!

Tips

• Leftover cork from other projects can be put to a variety of uses around the home; it is perfect for this project. Thinner cork can be used to make coasters, or pads to fit on the bottom of heavy ornaments to protect the furniture.
• A dartboard or bull's-eye pattern can be painted using acrylic paints on the cork tile. Try drawing flower shapes or geometric designs with acrylic paints or puff paints. You can even stencil images on to cork tiles.

Variations

• Why not do projects for the kitchen and the laundry room as well, since cork tiles usually come in packs of four? Thinner cork is also available by the roll at craft and hardware stores.
• For a cool, contemporary display, make three cork boards in different bold colours and arrange them in a horizontal or vertical line on the wall. Make four and arrange them in a square montage.
• For younger children's bedrooms, paint the wooden board in complementary colours using blackboard paints.
• Cork can make a unique decor statement when added to walls; it also adds warmth and character to a room. It's great for acoustics if your teen is into music or in a band.