This is a project I’ve wanted to complete for a while.
My senior year of college, I moved from a bedroom the size of a matchbox to a giant basement suite of the 115-year-old house I was renting with five other girls. The girl who had lived in the basement the year before left me a few things she didn’t need any more, including a giant cork board.
I’ve been using it ever sense, but when I moved into my current apartment, it just became an eyesore. It’s above my desk, so I ended up shoving thumb tacks through any and all papers, notes, and memos. I never took a before photo, but feel free to imagine a jumbled mess of papers.
A few weeks ago, I decided to create a calendar with washi tape on the cork board. I took everything off and measured out seven columns and five rows, plus a sizable header where I could put the month, extra thumb tacks, and some fun buttons. The end result is a beautiful calendar to which I can stick tickets, reminders, and tasks.
I luckily had this epiphany one of the weekends Sean was around, so he was able to help me ensure that the lines were straight and that the measurements were correct.
We originally used a grey polka-dot washi tape, but I ended up changing it a few weeks later for a few reasons. First of all, it didn’t stand out against the brown cork. Secondly, it didn’t match the pattern I decided on for the markers.
The other major reason was that the tape kept curling at the edges. It wasn’t sticking to the cork at all. When I switched out the washi tape, I tried using a wider style, hoping the increased surface area would help it stick better. It didn’t.
In the end, I used super glue on all of the ends. If you’re able to, I recommend using super glue on the entirety of each piece of tape. Depending on the type of washi tape you use, it might be visible through the tape, but it’s worth not having to re-stick the tape every hour.
The next thing I did was make markers for the month; the date; and typical tasks I do every month like vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, and visiting Sean.
I picked out a pattern I like (Africa is really important to me, so I found a cool African fabric), printed them, cut them out, and pseudo-laminated them using clear shipping tape.
I then pinned the dates and tasks to the appropriate squares. The finishing touch was adding ticket stubs to different events to the board. It’s the main advantage of this project: I always know what days I have special events, and I always know where the tickets to said special events are.
Being able to pin tickets to the calendar has been really helpful. I always know where the tickets are, and it’s obvious when looking at the board what days I have special events, like Grand Rapids Griffins games.
Once all of the markers were in their appropriate spots, I took all of the unused ones and put them in a plastic bag that is pinned out of the way at the top corner. That way, whenever something comes up, I know where the markers are and don’t have to spend too long adding it to the calendar. Simplicity is what helps me stick to goals and projects.
Having a plastic bag with the extra markers makes updating the calendar that much easier; and having an easy process is what helps me stick to the project.
What do you use your cork boards for?
Leave a Reply