I have created a super simple tutorial for creating a fabric covered bulletin board on a budget. The obstacle I faced was that I did not want to spend money on fabric that was going to be permanently attached to a bulletin board because the colors of my apartment are different than my room at home with my parents. I also wanted to make something else out of the fabric at a later time, so I had to find a way to attach the fabric without permanently fixing it to the cork.

I started with a fairly large bulletin board and one yard of this green polka dot fabric I got from JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store. It is a home decor fabric, so it is thick and very sturdy.

I thought about using normal thumbtacks to attach the fabric to the cork, but I did not want large holes in the fabric. I decided instead to use pins, which not only leave smaller holes but also are almost invisible unless looked at up close.

I did not even cut the fabric because I wanted to make sure I have the entire yard for whatever I plan on using it for later, whether it be pillows, aprons, or something entirely different. I laid it out and folded the edges over and then pushed pins in. The pins pushed through to the back so I left them sticking out a little on the front side, but you could always just bend the pins on the back. I just leave mine sitting against the wall so I don’t have any pins hitting that would hit if the board were hung on the wall.

I decided I didn’t want to use any more pins on the pictures so instead I just laid out the pictures I wanted and taped pictures to the fabric. I can easily change out the pictures and leave both the fabric and the pictures unharmed.

And voila! One bulletin board with fabric. I could paint the trim if I want, but it matches the rest of the wood in the room anyway and I now can change the fabric whenever I feel like it without having to worry about clashing colors or anything like that.

I realize this isn’t a complicated project, but because I am in college on a tight budget with limited access to transportation, I try to make the most of what I have. Because I probably won’t have the need to have a polka dotted green bulletin board in the future, I decided to make it look nice but also be reusable in the future. I try to be practical using a college student’s resources to still have nice looking, crafty things that won’t be a waste after the diploma is handed over.

Did you do anything crafty this weekend? Do you have any simple projects I could try that wouldn’t break the bank or be pointless in a couple years? I love reading about what other people are creating!

If you are wondering about the pictures I used, here is an explanation. The big black and white picture is of Edgar Allan Poe, above it is a picture I got from a source I will reveal later this week, as well as the girl blowing the dandelion, the sunset, the swing ride, the legs with heels, and the hot air balloons. From the top left across and down is me holding my cat Star (who died last year), me and San before our senior prom, me and my dance team in high school, my dog Stewart, my cat Pickle, a cool picture of a dog bobblehead I took, and my dad and I before my junior prom.