Chic magnetic and push pin boards that are easy to make

Christmas is right around the corner! With a little extra time on my hands, now that the kids are out of school, I thought I'd help organize my daughter's room. She LOVES to draw and her artwork will generally end up taped to the wall. Instead of discouraging her from doing that, I thought we'd both work together on a project I think is easy enough for just about anyone to do. With her help, I created 3 message boards for her to use to display her art and anything else she was interested in sharing with the world.

I rummaged through some of the fabric I use to create the photography backdrops I sell to find some that worked well in her room. I found a pretty pink/taupe mini damask pattern and a robin egg blue and white large damask pattern. I LOVE these fabrics!!! They are some of the most popular in my shop.


We had 2 wall areas I wanted to cover so I decided 3 large frames would do the trick. My goal was to create one tack board to put above her craft table, and a magnetic board and combo magnetic / marker board to combine above her bed.

The materials, supplies and tools I needed:
3 Old Frames (I had 1 with glass and 2 without)
gloves
Enough fabric to fit in each frame
Metal Sheets (for 2 frames)
Fabric glue spray
Cork or Foam Board that comes from frame
Rotary fabric cutter
Utility Shears to cut metal
Duct Tape

I stopped by Goodwill to look for some frames. I purchased 3 large ones for about 20 bucks. I think that was a little much considering I could have found them much cheaper at a yard sale. But hey, it's for a good cause right? One had glass and 2 didn't. That was ok. I would be making one a push pin board so no glass would be used there. One would be a magnetic board so no glass is required for that one. And the 3rd board I wanted to make magnetic with glass so she could also write messages on it with an Expo Marker.


So here's one of the ugly frames. I stripped the back off and got it ready for painting. I used a little birthday wax candle I had left over from a party and rubbed it lightly on the edges.I spray painted it antique white and let it dry completely.

Now I needed to cut the metal so I could wrap the fabric around it. I used the chipboard that came with the frame and placed it on top of the metal sheet I found at Lowes. This would help me outline the exact size that fits inside the frame using a sharpie. You will need to use gloves to cut the metal sheet with the utility shears. They are VERY VERY sharp.





Save the extra pieces for other projects!

Get the fabric ready by ironing if you need to. Place the same chipboard you used to outline the metal to cut out the fabric using a rotary cutter. Before you cut, double check the pattern looks the way you want it to. Cut it just a tiny tad larger than the metal sheet you just cut so that it will eventually wrap around the metal but not by much.

It's time to glue the fabric to the metal sheet. You decide how best to do this but I sprayed the metal and laid the fabric down carefully on top. Gently smoothing out the bubbles paying mind to the sharp edges while doing so. Now you know why the fabric should be a little larger than the metal sheet. You can see from the picture below on the far right hand corner on the bottom, the fabric didn't quite cover the metal sheet but it was still fine since it would not be seen inside the frame.



Grab the frame and gently rub or scratch the edges and it will easily distress the wood because the spray paint didn't adhere where the wax was applied. At this point you can either place the glass back in the frame if it has it or place the fabric covered metal sheet in the frame without it.

I used the chipboard and mat that came with the picture to secure the back. As you can see I placed it facing out so you could see what I was doing. You can make it as pretty or as "not pretty" as you would like. I was in a bit of a hurry so I just plopped it in and duct taped it. The key is to make sure it's nice and snug so that the sheet doesn't bow out the front but isn't so loose it moves when you push on it from the front.

Here are the pair, both magnetic one with glass


And some cute little magnets I made with some pretty glass rocks I found at Hobby Lobby.


The tack boards or push pin boards are created the same way but in my case I just used the foam board that came with one of the picture frames but you can use corkboard instead. Treat it as you did the metal sheet and wrap the fabric around it instead. Here's the picture of the "non-magnetic" pin board before I plopped it in the frame.





Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Giveaway 2012

What a busy time of the year! Lots of shopping, cooking, cleaning, school parties and family! I've actually decided to take the season off as a photographer. I'll be picking it up again shooting seniors in the Spring. At present, I've been busy getting my shop together for expansion and an exciting giveaway! When, you ask?? I'm sending off some items to Prop Insanity to have them featured and reviewed! So, they'll be announcing my giveaway as soon as that happens. I can't say when they will be able to get to my items and I know it will take a couple of weeks to get some shots with them. So, perhaps the winner can use their new kit for spring shoots!

Until then, in an effort to increase my FB Page Friends, I will have a giveaway when each of the following goals are met:

After the first 100 friends that join my Facebook Page: (give away an 18x20 fur of their choice).
At 200, a mini backdrop from a variety available.
At 300 a 6ft backdrop from a variety available.

And I'll announce other giveaways as the days go by! So, the sooner I reach those goals, the sooner I can givea way backdrops or furs!!Maybe at the 500 mark I'll give away a baseboard. So tell your friends and their friends to stop by my page and LIKE me!

As for now, I'm busy working on a new item. It's a faux cornice for newborn or baby shoots. It's still in the "prototype" stage but I will be looking for a local, experienced photographer with a newborn shoot that can use it to test it out. I'm not sure how it will look but I can see a little bed under the cornice and a sweet dreaming baby. Did I mention these are NOT hung on the wall?! Yep, they are free-standing and can be placed in front of a faux wall or any wall you have available. Sweet huh?

I hope to replace these photos soon with some nice, beautifully lit ones!

These will come in a variety of sizes


They can be custom made with any fabric available



The chiffon and ribbons will also be available in a variety of colors.

My wonderful mother-in-law is coming to visit Sunday! So I need to sign off and start cleaning! I hope eveyone is having a great holiday so far! I'll probably sign in once more before Christmas. I hope to update my blog a little more often after Dec and Jan.

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My new creation.

I've been asked by many if I sell double-sided backdrops. I completely understand the need to minimize. It can be overwhelming when you start thinking about what exactly you need to take to your client's home for a newborn or toddler shoot. Even a small thing like a double-sided backdrop can save time and heartache.

Yes, I can have 2 or 3 backdrops I can slide back and forth from left to right. But I have found in smaller areas, that it takes up a lot of my workspace. Sliding 2 of the 3 drops can take up about 1-2 feet. Not a big issue if you have a backdrop stand fully opened like the one pictured below in a large open area. But when you are in a smaller space, every inch is crucial especially when you want to shoot something other than close-up shots.



Alas.. I did not come up with a double-sided backdrop. Yeah, I know. But, Why? I thought about how it would SEEM easier to turn the backdrop rod over so I could have a different look. So even if I had 2 double-sided backdrops, I still lose workspace and I still have to flip over the rod to get to the back side. When working with babies every minute counts. Once they are done... they are done!

So what did I come up with? This is my Flip and Shoot!



Now, at first glance it doesn't look much different than any other backdrop I've created. Do not let it deceive you... It's actually 3 backdrops in one! I can add more depending on the thickness of the fabric.

It's designed to allow you to quickly move from one setup to another with minimal effort and time. It comes in any length, though I recommend using it for smaller backdrops like my 6ft or my new Mini Drops. The width is 56" but that will vary depending on the width of each individual fabric chosen. I can make them with any combination of fabric.
All you have to do is flip it over and you're done! If you're setting up with one of my floors and boards, it won't take but a minute to reset your fabric under the floor so you can use the baseboard with a different "wall".



Designed with the overlapping of fabrics, you won't need to have a solid wall to set up your backdrop against because you don't want the light to shine through. Say you show up at your client's home and the only space available backs up against a pretty window (been there).

Depending on the thickness of your backdrops, that will be an issue when you take the shot because the light will be coming through the material. Most of the time, this will not be an issue with my Flip and Shoot. It depends on the thickness of the fabrics chosen, but with 3 or so fabrics on top of each other, light will not penetrate the way it would with one backdrop. If the light is direct light where the sun is actually outside your window, it might be a little more of an issue if your backdrops are all lightweight fabrics. But regardless, the Flip and Shoot is far better at this when compared to even a muslin backdrop.

Want another positive? Because they are all sewn together, the folds are wider and softer and during transport, they are less likely to wrinkle. Now, it's still possible, but with a little care and loose folding or even rolling, your backdrops shouldn't have any major wrinkles that you have to worry about.



Combine my Flip and Shoot with any of my boards or floor and you'll have a great variety of photos to sell to your clients.

I am now selling backdrop stands to support your backdrops!!


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Thanks for stopping by!

My Very First Post and Giveaway!

Welcome to my new blog! I'm excited to get started in sharing my new passion. Una Chica's Chic Boutique is also the parent site for Una Chica's Chic Props where my products are geared more towards photographers. Being a photographer myself, I thoroughly enjoy creating new props to keep my photographs new and fresh.

In order to get my blog started, I decided to give away one of my most loved products for photographers. It's a set of props one can use in their studio or take with them on-location to photograph babies and newborns. This is a variation of a studio kit that I sell on my Etsy site here.

This is an example to what products I'll be giving away. It is not the actual product that will be won. The set in my giveaway will consist of a baseboard, backdrop and floorboard similar to products below.

This giveaway kit is comprised of a 6ft backdrop. The color will be black and white in the same pattern shown below.

The baseboard will be a 56" single-sided Preciosa Style baseboard in white. The style is similar to the one small board pictured above, the one in black below the Linda Board. My boards are sold in 2 sizes currently: 48" long and 56" long. They can be painted on one side or it can be a double sided board with 2 different colors.

The floor is a 48x56" textured, flexible, easy to clean linoleum material that is easy to roll and transport. It can be seen below.

So please check back for details and rules. I'm currently working on a Facebook page and once that is complete I will announce my giveaway! In the meantime, please stop by my Esty shop and see if there is anything that strikes your fancy.

If you'd like me to notify you of when the giveaway will begin, just subscribe to my blog and you'll know as soon as I do!

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