Decorative Tacks: An Easy Way To Dress Up a Bulletin Board

Supplies

• Plain plastic tacks (be sure that they have flat heads)
• Liquid glue
• Printer or construction paper
• Rhinestones, stickers, small feathers, ink stamps, buttons, scraps of wrapping paper, foam shapes, etc. These are your “decorative pieces,” as referred to later on.

How To Do It

1. Put a dab of glue on the back of your decorative piece (other than stickers or stamps; these are explained in the next step). Press the piece, glue-side down, on the head of the tack.
2. For stickers and stamps: Apply the sticker or stamp to the printer or construction paper. Carefully cut around sticker/stamp, apply the dab of glue to the back, and press on to the tack.
3. Once you’ve created as many decorative tacks as you wish, allow them to dry. Tip: take down your bulletin board, lay it flat on the floor, and stick the wet tacks in it. This will let the tacks dry without the decorative pieces slipping off.

Some decorated tacks in use on my bulletin board.

About This Craft

I have to partially credit this craft to American Girl magazine…A year or so ago, I read an article that gave instructions for making a “bulletin board” out of a metal bookie sheet and felt. It also mentioned decorating small magnets in a similar way as I talk about decorating tacks.

Anyway, these decorated tacks are a great way to personalize a message board at home or at school. Don’t just limit yourself to the “decorative pieces” mentioned; be creative! Almost anything small and glueable will work. I myself have one made out of a small pine cone, and another that has a tiny, decorative eraser.