Make a Recycled Memo Center

I think every busy home needs a memo center to keep track of comings and goings, along with a place to post papers, memorabilia and coupons. I found the holder for a perpetual calendar at a yard sale, but the insides were gone. It is basically a large frame with a backing, and there is a little indentation along the inside of the bottom edge for holding chalk. My outdated cow memo center has needed to go for quite some time, so I transformed this little treasure into a bulletin board/chalkboard with a crackled frame. The new center is a perfect addition to kitchen decor that is leaning toward a vintage transformation.

The chances you will find a perpetual calendar frame like the one I used is probably pretty slim, but these instructions can be adapted to a variety of frame choices.

Things You Will Need:

Perpetual calendar frame or large frame with a wood backing
Black chalkboard paint
Light brown latex acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Crackle medium
Cream wall paint
Cork tiles
Craft knife
Straight edge
Craft glue
Thumbtacks
Household cement
Scrabble tiles

Step 1
Paint the front of the backing board (the side you will see) with a coat of black chalkboard paint. Allow the paint to dry and repeat with two or three additional coats. From my experience, three coats provides a nice shell-coat for a chalkboard.

Step 2
Paint the frame and the back of the board using light brown latex acrylic paint. I used leftover wall paint for everything except the chalkboard paint. Allow the paint to dry. Apply an additional coat if needed.

Step 3
Apply a coat of crackle medium to the frame front, and the inner and outer edges. Do not crackle the back.

Step 4
Paint over the crackle with a layer of cream or light beige latex acrylic paint. The paint will react to the crackle, forming cracks in the finish.

Step 5
Cut your cork tiles to fit the area chosen for the bulletin board. Use a craft knife and a straight edge to achieve a clean cut.

Step 6
Paint the edges and one side of the cut cork using the same cream paint from the frame.

Step 7
Apply craft glue to the back of the cork. Position the cork on the chosen area of the chalkboard and press in place.

Step 8
Place a scrabble tile face down on your work table. Apply household cement to the head of a thumbtack. Center the tack upside down on back of the scrabble tile. Allow the cement to dry. Make as many tacks as desired for your bulletin board.