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MIY Teen Decor: Hip Teen Memo Board
C r e a t i o n s & I n s p i r a t i o n s
"f o r t h e p u r e j o y o f m a k i n g t h i n g s"

Miycreations article and photographs
by Madeleine M Langlois, MaddyLane Designs

MIY Teen Decor: Hip Teen Memo Boards
Make going back to school cool with a memo board that is hip, decorative and
a practical wall treatment for any teen’s bedroom. These bright boards are
sure to start your teen's school year on a good note. It’s a great way to recycle
and reuse old outdated laminated picture boards from their childhood bedroom
decor.

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 that you will need for the various projects:
• 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)

(Materials for this project are available at arts, craft stores and hardware
stores.)

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!

Miy 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.

•The Memo boards can also personalized with graffiti styling, using Sharpie
paint markers.

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.

From walls, doors and even an old
TV...many surfaces can be revamped
with freestyle art using Sharpie paint
markers.... to see more click on image!

More Miy Teen Decor
Projects

Graffiti Table

Graffiti Gallery...

Teen Decor, Personalized
teen decor signature style.

The teen memo board can be
created in various colours to suit
your teens decor.

Recycle to redecorate; Idea to use for
this project are laminated picture
poster boards, you know the ones
with older pictures that no longer suit
your teens taste or decor style.
Revive them with style to create cool
memo boards.