Things You'll Need:
- Bulletin board
- Staple gun
- Fabric
- Cotton batting (optional)
- Buttons (optional)
- Ribbon (optional)
- Wood glue (if using a wooden frame)
- Hot glue
- Tacks
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Step 1
Chose fabric to cover your bulletin board that matches your decor or personality. This fabric should be larger than the board by at least two inches on each side (minus the frame). If you are going to pad your bulletin board, also chose a flat piece of quilter's batting, cut to the exact size of the board, (not including the frame).
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Step 2
Remove the wooden or plastic frame from around your bulletin board, being careful not to break it if you plan on reattaching it. Put it to the side. Plug in and heat up your glue gun. Load staples into your staple gun.
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Step 3
On a large, sturdy work surface, spread your fabric out flat. The side you want to see when you look at your bulletin board should be facing down against the table.
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Step 4
If you are using batting, take the glue gun and make one dime-sized dot in each corner. Quickly, before the glue cools, place the sheet of batting on the front of the board, tacking it down with the glue. You do not want to smash the batting down with the glue. You just want a temporary hold while you assemble the board. Allow this to harden for a minute until it the batting doesn't move when the board is handled.
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Step 5
Lay the board on top of the fabric with the front of the board facing downward. Position the board so that it is in the middle of the fabric with a 2-inch fabric overhang on each side.
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Step 6
Starting at the top, fold the excess fabric over the board, pulling tight but being careful not to stretch or move the fabric, and staple it down with the staple gun. If your board is too thin, and the staples poke through to the other side, the fabric can be hot glued into place.
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Step 7
At this point, you can decide to be finished, to reattach the frame, or to embellish your board. If you decide you are finished, mount and hang your board. If you are going to decorate your board, hold off framing until all the embellishments are made. If you are attaching the frame, it should fit on the board in the same manner it did before detaching it. You may need to tap it in to place or use wood or hot glue to reconnect it to the board. Allow any wood glue or hot glue to dry before hanging your board.
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Step 8
If you would like to decorate your board with buttons, beads, or other embellishments, try hot gluing them to tacks, and pushing the tacks into the board. This will allow you to easily correct mistakes or change the location of your buttons. You can also chose to hot glue or sew buttons directly onto the board or fabric.
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Step 9
If you decide to decorate your board with ribbons, precut your ribbon to the length you need to crisscross your board, with about two inches extra to fold over to the back of the board. You can use tape or clothespins to temporarily hold the ribbon at the edges of the board until you create a design you like. Once you have the ribbon locations set, hot glue the ends of the ribbon to the back of the board to secure them permanently. You can now reattach the frame, or hang your board as is.
