Nino and I like to get crafty…
We get crafty in the kitchen together.
We get crafty in the house together.
We get crafty when we party too!
We like to do things ourselves, and we like to get the kids involved too.
I’ve been saying for the longest time that I wanted to clean up my office where I write. I have learned from my sis Maria, that having a space defined where you sit and do your writing every day can lead to better writing and better output. So once, I was able to convert this massage room into my small office, I started making it my own. Aside from having a desk and a comfortable chair, I wanted it also to be free of clutter and conducive to writing.
Hence, why I have been bugging Nino to get crafty with a hammer and nails for such a long time.
Here is the step by step process of what he did to put together these simple rustic magnet boards for me. All I know is that I was so excited to bring out my magnets!!!
Truth: I have been collecting magnets and salt and pepper shakers. I hide the salt and pepper shakers. The magnets have all be destroyed by little hands taking them off the fridge and throwing them for entertainment purposes. This is why I kept the others and put them away. What once was a collection is now a lonely few…
Nino assessing the wood and the situation. We bought three bundles of wood for P200 each.
At any rate…we started with recycled wood. We only spent about P600 in recycled wood because it is sold by the bundle. Much of what we bought that day at the recycled wood yard came from old palettes.
Nino knows I’m really bad with numbers, measurements and dimensions. So he figures out the numbers and then asks me if it’s big or small enough. BUT, in this case I’m very visual. I need to see it laid out to understand the size.
Nino had an idea in his head what he wanted to put together and he wanted to do without also having to work too hard so he configured the measurements based on the length of the bigger pieces in the bundles.
For this you need galvanized steel. It’s 4x8ft and costs about P800 per sheet.
There is only one place in Alabang that sells this kind of sheet metal. The last time Nino made magnet boards for my kitchen he bought these really big snippers…THEY ARE KEY IN PUTTING TOGETHER THIS PROJECT.
Once he figured out how big the frame would be he started measuring the steel to cut.
After cutting the steel the correct size, he attached it to the frame that was just laid out on the floor.
But keep in mind the frame is just LAID out together…the wood is not nailed together…just placed near each other, so the only thing holding it all together right now is the sheet metal.
From scrap wood that we had laying around from another project he made the reinforcements.
Each corner has these triangles to hold it all together. He used the drill and screws as opposed to nails so that it’s more secure.
Finished product is rustic, easy to hang, inexpensive, and exactly what I requested.
All in all it took two days. But this is because we bought the wood together on one day, and then the local hardware store where we bought the galvanized steel was closed. So when the hardware store was open on the next day it only took Nino a few hours to put everything together and then hang them up in my office. I love the new look and I love the ability to see everything all at a glance.
One thing we didn’t take into consideration is how the wood we react once it was dry. Remember this wood was bought in something similar to a scrap yard. Wood left out in the rain will expand. When the wood was dried, it shrunk. This explains the warping you see in the metal. For me, it totally completes the rustic look. I had to convince Nino not to take it apart and put it back together again.
So much so, that I even took out my magnets from special friends and magnets that I had bought years ago for my collection.
Thanks Babe for putting this all together for me. It makes hanging out in the office so much easier. I don’t have messy papers every where and it helps keep me organized. It also makes me happy to see my magnet collection.
This is so cool Nino!! I’ll show this to Timmy. He likes these boards and also DIY stuff. And really nice magnets Mish! 🙂
Thanks Joei. If Timmy really likes DIY, we can take you guys to the place where we buy our wood. It’s super inexpensive…whenever I’m there I want to buy an old door and make a table from it!!!