Dorm DIY: I Feel Pretty and Witty and Bright

Hello, everyone!! I hope you all are having a fabulous and relaxing Sunday as the summer draws to a rapid close (my youngest brother goes back to school tomorrow!).  I have come once again to share yet another one of my DIY projects that I have been working on for college.  Today's DIY was pretty time intensive, but I love the results... readers, behold my Magnetic Makeup Board!!

I first got the idea for this project when I came across it on Pinterest.  The link for the article took me to Laura Thoughts, a lovely blog covering a wide variety of topics.  I learned from this post that she developed the original magnetic makeup board, and she details the steps she took to create it.  Now, I am one of the world's deepest sleepers which leads to chronic oversleeping which leads to rushed and disoriented mornings.  Though I don't usually wear much makeup (give me some L'oreal BB Cream and mascara and I'm happy), I would always go crazy trying to find my mascara that had somehow slipped to the bottom of my makeup bag.  When I saw Laura's tutorial, I got curious about how much makeup I actually owned, and I was pretty surprised at how much I actually had (even though most of it is reserved for special occasions and stage makeup).  I decided that if I owned it, I should try to get as much use out of it as I can.  As I've said before though, if I can't see it, I forget I have it.  Thus, I decided that creating this magnetic makeup board would be a useful project for me.

To start, I found an old dry-erase magnetic calendar board that I had gotten a few years ago at Target, but I haven't used since my freshman year of college.  I can't find the exact picture, but it looked rather similar to this:

Pretty generic and blah... not my style

I then found a few mini-cans of spray paint that I had gotten for approximately $4 each at AC Moore, one in metallic gold and one in baby blue.  I also got a spool of ribbon for $1.50 (it was 50% off), 2 packs of 15 count mini magnets for $1.89 each, and a 2 pack of Scotch glue (similar to Super/Krazy Glue) for $1.89, all from AC Moore.  I also used painters' tape, a locker basket, ribbons, and push pins, all found in my house.

First, I taped off the cork part with the painters' tape, as I wanted to keep it brown.  I then spray painted the entire dry-erase magnet part of the board blue, being sure to fully cover the words and calendar.  I then spray painted the frame gold.  I didn't tape off the main part of the board to do this because I wanted some gold to hang around the blue for a slight halo/airbrush effect.  However, if you want clean lines, I would recommend taping off the entire board.

After allowing the board to dry, I attached my ribbon.  I used a drop of glue on the ends and middle of each piece, attaching the first piece to the part of the board where the cork and metal meet, and then around the perimeter of the board.  This made the board look much sleeker.  I then attached my locker basket to the center of the cork.  Mine was covered in sticker goo from the stickers that covered it during my middle school and high school days, so I covered it with coordinating colors of ribbon before using my glue to attach it to the board.  However, that step is completely optional depending on which look you like.

Now, I began to glue the magnets to my makeup.  For heavier pieces, like my BB Cream box, makeup setting spray, and foundation, I used stronger magnets which I found around my house.  For smaller pieces, like eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lip stain, I used a few of my small yet mighty AC Moore magnets.  After allowing the glue to dry for a few minutes, I began to attach my makeup to the board.  I tested some pieces to see if more magnets needed to be added before arranging them as I liked, adding a cute little magnetic elephant friend named Taboo who has gone to school with me for 5 years now.  I also tied two 25 inch ribbon pieces to my main brushes (eyeshadow and foundation) and then used the pushpin to secure the ends of the ribbons to the cork board.  I then tucked my brushes, face lotion, dermatological goop-stuff, mascara, mini sunscreen, and handy-dandy Q tips inside the locker basket and... voila!  I had made my own unique version of the magnetic makeup board.

I'm not exactly sure where I plan to hang this at school; it's a toss-up between the side of my dresser or on my wall near my floor (I like to sit to do my makeup).  I'll be sure to show you when I post pictures of my fully decorated dorm room.

I hope you enjoyed today's project.  I highly recommend that you go out and try it (my version is WAY easier than the original ;)).  Remember, there are more awesome Dorm DIY's to come, so stay tuned!!!

Love, Leaza

P.S.  Make sure to check here, here, and here for my past Dorm DIY posts!!