Once upon a time, I had a little note board that hung over the phone for messages and reminders. Of course, this was back when the phone sat in one place. And come to think of it, it was also when we actually had a home phone, something we’ve been without for a few years now. That doesn’t, however, mean that we don’t need a place for notes and reminders in our house, so we have a few small magnet and corkboards in strategic locations.

But just because I still need a corkboard doesn’t mean I need to put up with an ugly corkboard. Sheet cork is available from office and craft suppliers and is paintable, stampable, mountable and infinitely customizable. Small vinyl decals meant for wall decorations can be used in place of the letters for a different look for your corkboard as well.

Things you need:
Sheet cork
Vinyl letter stickers
Two Colors of Acrylic Paint or Spray Paint
Foam paint brushes
Grommets and grommet kit
Ribbon
Craft knife
Cardboard

Things to do:
1. If your sheet cork is too thin to use as a solid corkboard, use spray adhesive to adhere it to a piece of cardboard. Otherwise, center the sheet cork on the cardboard to help catch paint drips.
2. Paint the area where the decals will go one of the colors and allow it to dry. Apply vinyl letters to the painted section of the cork.

3. Paint over the entire board, using a dabbing motion around the edges of the stickers to keep paint from being forced under the edges of the stickers.
4. Once the paint is dry, peel off the vinyl letters to reveal the color underneath.

5. Trim the edges of the corkboard to curve or swirl as you like and decide on the correct positioning of your grommets.

6. Press the grommets into the cork then remove and use the craft knife to trim away the circle left by the grommet. Push the grommet back through and hammer into place using the tools provided in the grommet kit. Repeat with the other grommet.

7. String a ribbon through the two holes and hang from a nail in a handy spot for notes!