Magnet boards- not as easy as it seems

My mom got a really cute magnet board for Christmas one year from my sister.  She hangs it in the kitchen and puts pictures of the grandkids on it.  My sister actually made the magnet board at a Super Saturday activity the church put on so when Christmas rolled around one year and I had decided I wanted to start making my gifts, I remembered the magnet board and thought, "it can't be that hard."  Right?  Not for me.

This is my mom's magnet board, or a portion of it at least.  Living so far away, I called and asked my brother to take a photo and send it to me so I could have a reference.  This is what I got.  Helpful.  Anyway, I knew what it looked like but it's so much easier to copy something when you can examine it and turn it in your hands.

I bought some wood that was just the right size so no cutting needed and since I was making 2, I bought one sheet of metal to cut in half.  I borrowed some metal cutting shears, went down to the garage, and stood there staring.  I don't know how long I was down there but nothing got accomplished.  The cutting ended up being done by my hubby who also had no clue but at least the guts to try.  It didn't turn out the way I visualized because the shears did not leave a clean edge.  Oh well.  

Let's just set the metal aside for a moment and focus on the wood.  So, I had no power sander but I didn't need one cuz I had sand paper.  What I didn't have was time.  I wanted a rounded edge.  I settled for a less pointy one.

Metal is cut, wood is sanded and I have also painted.  Now it's time to put the two together.  I don't know where I came up with this idea, but figure I could nail the metal on.  This was also done by the hubby.  Although, it was not such a successful process and we stopped after the first magnet board was done.  

All this happened throughout the summer months before Christmas.  But the boards just sat there, untouched for the fall months, that is until my mom came to visit in the beginning of December.  She really saved the day on this one.  Apparently, my mom has made these before.  Why was I trying to fly solo when I had her knowledge just a phone call away?  We bought some caulk and glued the other metal on to the board.  Piece of cake!  Completed only days before they need to be shipped.  Thank heaven for moms!

And I was so flustered I never took a picture.

I am not going to leave you with THAT as a How To on Magnet Boards though.  Here are some that I found that I think will give you a variety of ideas.  I guess it's not that hard if you don't over think it.

Peas in a Pod came up with a REALLY easy way to make it cute using a cookie sheet.

The Polkadot Chair has a great one that uses bead board for the frame and gives it a country look.

A Little of This, A Little of That covers theirs with fabric and also shows you how to make your magnets.

Yeah, Write puts a border on theirs and hangs it with a ribbon.  Don't overlook the wire baskets.  Genius!

And I must include Little Birdie Secrets because they cover everything on their site, like this magnet board that you put in a frame and you're done.  How easy is that?

Good luck with your magnet board.  Maybe I will make one again, someday.