Make An Affordable Dry Erase Board With A Dollar Tree DIY

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Whether you're looking for a way to get organized or leave sweet notes to your loved ones, a pretty dry erase board is a lovely addition to your home. With this DIY, you can create a beautiful dry erase board with just a few supplies from the dollar store. And the best part is that this DIY board is much prettier than your regular, academic-looking plastic dry erase boards. 

The idea is to use a simple $1.25 picture frame from Dollar Tree and use the glass as the dry erase board. After placing a bit of paper inside the frame instead of a picture, use a simple dry erase marker to write on the glass as you would with a regular board. All you need is the picture frame, a bit of paper, and a dry erase marker with a built-in eraser and magnetic attachment, like these Maxtek Colorful Dry Erase Markers. In addition, you'll need small Crafter's Square magnetic buttons and a bit of glue to put it all together. This DIY board can go into your office for to-do lists, on the kitchen counter to leave reminders, or in the bathroom for sweet good-morning notes. You can even use a dry erase board and marker in your laundry room to help you plan your cleaning routines. 

How to turn a picture frame into a DIY dry erase board

This hack is beyond simple, and it's easy to customize. First, unpack your picture frame and open the backing. Use the placeholder image sold with the frame as a reference for size, and cut a piece of paper to fill the frame. Then, close the frame back up, and use a bit of glue to attach a magnet to the back. All you need to do now is use your dry erase marker to write on the glass and store it behind the frame using the magnet when you're done.

There are plenty of ways to personalize this hack. First and foremost, Dollar Tree sells larger picture frames for the same price, so feel free to choose any size you like, as you would when choosing a frame for your art. To fill the frame, use lined paper like in the video for a notebook look, or use plain white or colorful paper instead. Pastel and light colors are safe to use if you want any color markers to pop and ensure your notes are easy to read, but you can go bolder and repurpose extra paper napkins to add a pattern. 

You can also choose to hang the frame on the wall instead of using the picture frame stand function. The only difference here is that you won't be able to store your marker behind the frame, but can attach the magnet to the side instead, or simply leave the marker in a pen holder nearby. 

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