Dry Erase Marker Board

The hardest part about this project was deciding which print to use for the background. I used scrap booking paper, but you can use fabric like www.makeit-loveit.com or even wrapping paper. Whatever print you like, use it! (but make sure the background isn't too dark so you can see what you write :)

I bought a 20" x 16" wooden picture frame for $4 from a thrift store (it displayed an ugly picture, but I liked the size of the frame). Took it home, spray painted it with espresso colored spray paint. Once it dried, I used an old sponge to dab on some black paint around the edges giving it more of a dimensional look instead of just flat paint.

I used a 12x12 scrapbook page for the center, then cut down a couple other coordinating pages to fit around it, giving it a border. Once I got it all lined up, I glued it straight to the original ugly picture it came with. Then I cut out one of the figures from another page (butterfly), took some scizzors and snagged around the edges giving it a rugged look. I took my sponge with a little bit of black residue and ran it around the edges, ever so slightly. I glued it on along with a little saying from a book of vellum quotes I had laying around.

Using small circles of self-sticking velcrow, (ya know, the kind that are pre-cut with adhesive on the back?) I put the soft side on a dry erase marker and the rough side on the frame. Since I'll be using this often to leave my husband his 'Honey-Do' list, I thought it'd only be appropriate to make a coordinating eraser. I folded up a cloth napkin, strapped on a rubberband, and tied some ribbon around it. I put the soft side of another velcrow circle to the back side of the ribbon, and the rough side to the top of the frame. [These velcrow thingys might need reinforcing with hot glue] This way, I can take off the ribbon and rubberband to wash the cloth napkin.
Works like a charm and SO easy to make!
Try one!