
There a lot of things we love about Pinterest. We love the community it creates. We love stumbling across insanely awesome DIY projects, recipes, and fashion finds on an hourly basis. We also love how Pinterest makes us think of those old bulletin boards from middle school and high school, covered in ripped magazine pages from Seventeen, SPIN, and even Tiger Beat.
For today’s DIY project, we decided to try a more grown up take on the old bulletin board. Instead of one big cork board, why not 9 small boards, categorized by topic, with a constant rotation, kind of like that addictive website we all love? Presenting our real life Pinterest board, made from clipboards!
Materials:
– clipboards
– acrylic paint
– hammer + nails
– mounting tape
First, get those clipboards in order. We ordered a pack of 12 for $1.80 a pop from Uline, and used 9 for our board. You can also find colored ones if you’re not about painting, but they can get pricier.
For paint, we used Americana Acrylic Paints by DecoArt.
Squeeze your paint into a mason jar or plastic cup. Brush it onto the clipboard. Be careful to paint around the metal. You can tape the metal off but we found that a small brush worked well enough to give us a clean finish. Paint a second coat, and a third if you’re using a light color.
Repeat with the rest of your colors and let dry.
While your boards are drying, grab your favorite magazines and catalogs and start tearing out pages of inspiration. We used Wired, Nylon, Martha Stewart Living, and, of course, the Anthropologie Catalog.
To hang, lay out your design on the floor beforehand. If hammering into dry wall, we recommend using nails with a little bit of texture since you’ll be clipping and unclipping on a pretty frequent basis. If you don’t plan on taking the clipboards down to use, we recommend adding a bit of mounting tape to the bottom to secure them and keep them centered. Oh, and you might need a tall person to help you. ;)
Use measuring tape to make sure everything is evenly spaced.
Voila!
These actually look pretty good without the magazine bling!
Now add the pages you’ve ripped out of your mags, ideally by category so you can treat each clipboard like a separate Pinterest board. Our categories include style, events, food, home decor, beer, fitness, and summer!
All done! A super easy way to create a modern real life Pinterest board without corkboard and push pins. This is also a great move for rotating art or pictures in your home, or for recipes in the kitchen.
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.