alison archives designs: Creating an Inspiration Wall

We recently had the joy of remodeling our basement. We got sick of water, had it waterproofed and then figured it couldn't be that much more to add drywall, a drop ceiling, lights and carpet, right?

Ha.

But it's done, it's gorgeous and my craft area is a clean slate. I have a built-in butcher block counter top that I have designated for my "inspiration" area. I put samples of projects, promotions, catalogs, etc. there.

Here is it before:

Isn't it lovely?

I wanted to find a way to display projects above the counter without destroying our beautiful new walls, so I settled on magnets. Now to make a magnetic board!

Years ago, we had a tornado hit our house. After the initial shock, it was really the best thing that could have happened. We got a sorely needed new roof, new fencing, new gutters, as well as a new fireplace that, unbeknownst to us, was a fire hazard. It was only a matter of time before its cracks licked the wood behind it and caught fire. The darkened wood was already a testament to that. So, yes, it was a really good thing that happened.

The fence that we replaced was a hand-made white fence, about 5 feet high and fifteen feet long. It attached to a much nicer fence that our neighbors erected. We were glad to see our bit go and get a fence that matched our neighbor's 6-foot wooden privacy fence. But I wouldn't let my husband throw away the white fence panels. They were cedar, for heaven's sake! My husband, the sport that he is, reluctantly tucked them away in the shed to collect dust until called to work.

And work they have. I have used those fence boards for signs and all kinds of decoration. So, when I decided to make a magnetic board, my first thought went to those white boards.

White would have worked, but I wanted a pop of color. I know it’s a risk since I want attention on my projects and not on the frame, but what the heck. I’m a risky kind of gal.

Bermuda Bay is my favorite color, and I already had pops of it around the craft room (more pictures to come another day), so I trotted to the store and matched my swatch of card stock to the paint sample and went home to paint my boards.

After I painted them, I used my handy-dandy staple gun to attach a $7 piece of dog cage screening from the same hardware store and, voila, I was done!

Here it is:

On our recent trip to Chicago, I made sure I bought large magnets from Ikea (I know I could get the magnets anywhere, but saying I got them from Ikea makes me sound über cool.