Thursday, May 21, 2015

Acrylic School Work Display DIY


I have this long hallway in my house where I display my kids schoolwork and artwork. It was always a mess, and kind of made me itch every time I walked past it. This is the before picture.


I wanted to do something fresh and clean of that spot, and acrylic boards were just the key! They are sleek and clean, and create great visual interest, while making a small impact on the space.


First, decide the size you want your boards to be. For mine, I wanted each board to be 2 feet by 3 feet. I asked Regional Suppply to cut the boards for me, which they did, perfectly! Regional Supply is awesome, and the prices are almost half of what you would pay at the home improvement store. They donated the acrylic for these display boards. Thank you, Regional Supply!

The next thing you need to do, is drill holes in your acrylic on each corner. We drilled through all three pieces at the same time. If you use a forester bit to do this, you will end up with clean and beautiful holes. Just remember to go slow! Also, drilling will create, "saw dust," because it melts the plastic. Remember to leave it alone until it cools, and then it will break off easily.


Next thing to do is mount the acrylic on the wall, using these standoff mounts. I got these from Regional supply as well, and they have all sorts of colors and sizes.


The plexiglass will be sandwiched between the two pieces of the standoff mount.


Put the anchors in the wall, and then screw the (larger) bottom piece in with the screw that comes with the anchor. After the bottom piece is screwed in, place the plexiglass over the bottom piece, and screw the top piece of the standoff through the hole into the bottom piece. It is easier than it sounds.


Leave the paper covering on the acrylic until you are ready to decorate, because acrylic can scratch, and you want to protect it as long as possible.


After you remove the paper, it's time to decorate!


I used pictures of my kids on the front, scrapbook paper on the back, and these awesome inspirational stickers that come in a pack of eight sheets for $7.99 from Hobby Lobby.


We taped the schoolwork they want to display to the top of the board, over the scrapbook paper.


I might even write on them with a dry erase marker at some point.


They turned out great, and I am loving this space so much more than I did before. My kids like it as well. Every child loves to have a board on display that is all about them!


Thanks for stopping by.

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

3 comments:

Shambray said...

Ekk! I love these! You are so amazing! I will HAVE to make some soon.

shipleyke said...

I loved how on studio 5 you used the two pieces to sandwich display the Mexico art. LOVE IT!!! First, my questions are, where can I get plexiglass cheap in Logan, Utah??? Next, where did you get your standoff mounts? Is it very heavy to hang? And where you have the one piece for your kids art, is it all just taped on there, since there aren't two pieces holding the stuff together? Thanks, you can email me at shipley_k@yahoo.com if you want.

restlessrisa said...

Hi Kelly, I have no idea about Logan. Standoff mounts are from Regional Supply, yes, everything is tapped. Good luck!

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