I’ve had my favorite quotes, goals, dreams, and important notes scattered around the room for some time now; written on my mirror, taped to the wall, slipped into my journal. So I figured it was about time to make it official; a vision board for 2020 – and maybe the rest of my life (I really like this pallet board). This DIY vision board is stylish enough to proudly display on my bedroom wall, and practical enough to hold all my #goals for the year.
I wanted something rustic, modern, interesting, and cheerful! Craft stores always give me inspiration, and they didn’t fail me this time. In one store, there was a board that looked like a pallet and had cute flowers on it, some string and clothespins. It was a good start, but I wanted something more upscale and elegant. I figured I could make something from scratch – for less money, and with real wood.
#vb4life
So off to The Home Depot I went. I found this trim with rustic barn wood (called Ghostwood Bannack Barn Trim), and had them cut it to size. Then, I assembled and painted it, nailed/glued on some string, made some paper flowers, and added a few frames to decorate my DIY vision board. I plan to update my goals and inspiring words as needed – so it can be my vision board for LIFE! #vb4life (it’s a thing. Well, at least it is now.)
Here’s what I love about it – if I added no string and clothespins, this could be a mat for some artwork or an inspirational quote. The possibilities are endless. I also love that it cost me about $25 to put together; you just can’t get custom wall art made out of solid wood for that price.
Want to make your own? Grab a friend and let’s get started!
What you’ll need to purchase:
- 2 kinds of wood trim (for the face, and to hold it together)
- twelve 3/4″ screws
- chalk paint
- string
- mini clothespins
- paper (cardstock works best)
- embellishments (such as flowers, little frames, etc) – I found a few items at the dollar store
- fast drying tacky glue and wood glue
What you’ll need to gather:
- hammer
- electric screwdriver (or manual – but it’s way faster with a drill)
- small paintbrush
Instructions for your DIY Vision Board Pallet
- Select your trim and have the Home Depot workers cut it to size. I made mine 32 inches long. This way the 8 foot board could be cut into exactly 3 even pieces. Two boards makes 6 pieces of wood.
- Find a cheap and relatively thin piece of trim; have them cut it to about 1-2 inches shorter than the height of your board. My pallet board is about 21 inches long, so the trim was about 20 inches long each.
- Lay the pallet boards horizontally and line them up as best you can. Mine weren’t perfectly flush but that’s okay. It adds to the rustic charm. Lay the shorter, thinner trim vertically across the back a few inches from each side. Attach the trim to each board so that each pallet board has 2 screws- one on each side. Hammer the screws in to the backing board until they stand on their own, then power drill through all the way through to the pallet board.
- Paint the pallet board on the face, top and bottom, and both sides. I didn’t want the paint to fill all the grooves, so I made sure to apply the paint in light layers with gentle strokes. Add more coats if you prefer. Allow the paint to dry.
- You may now decorate it as you wish. In my case, I added a screw to the back on the the upper right corner, about the middle on the left size, and to the bottom right. I tied jute to the top screw, strung it across the front and around back to the middle screw, then tied it to the screw I had placed on the bottom.
Time to decorate!
I cut several pieces of card stock into triangles and clipped them to the string with clothespins. I also made the flowers in the upper left side (out of paper – I’ll post those directions shortly) and glued them on. Two frames, some more flowers (some were hair clips!), and a tiny canvas resting on top made it feel complete for me. A little whimsy never hurt anybody.
Feel free to make it your own! I hope you get a chance to put one together for yourself; and if you do, please let us know! Looking for more craft ideas? Here’s where you can find them.
Pro tips:
- When you attach each screw, check to make sure that your pallet boards are still lined up. Mine were crooked and I had to redo them.
- The type of glue for this is important – I want this to last forever, so I used a bit of fast drying tacky glue to hold items in place quickly, but also a generous about of wood glue (dries clear). The wood glue will keep it in place for the long term.