Custom Framed Fabric Magnetic Boards {Holiday Gift Idea}

Pamela Chan, Contributor

After spending five years living in Japan and teaching at an international school, I decided to quit a job that I enjoyed, move back to Canada and enter graduate school.  My plans were equal part exciting and scary.  In order to focus myself and start to shift to my new reality, I made my version of a vision board.  I filled a book with photos of what I want my new life to represent.

When I heard about the Etsy store Designs by Emma Paige, my first thought was that a magnetic board would make a perfect vision board.  Like many women, I am at a point in my life when I want to find a new direction for my career. I also want to be more disciplined and efficient about prioritizing my time in my private life.  There are only so many hours in a day – and these days it’s easy to fritter your time away pursuing innumerable distractions.

Since I am a visual person, images on a board that is placed in a prominent place help me to keep my mind coming back to the goals I am trying to implement.

These magnetic boards could be used not only as vision boards but also as memento boards; a place to display photographs and articles, calendars, messages and notes; or, for use in other private and professional ways.  (See list at the end of this post.) They are elegant and high-end decorative pieces that can help to pull together random bits of papers and organizational plans.  You could also design a board to fit in with your decor theme at the office.

 

Designs by Emma Paige is owned by Leigh Paige. This Etsy store was inspired by Leigh’s daughter Emma and the desire to create a bulletin board for her nursery.

You will find a number of shopping options in the online store including:

• Kids & Baby Magnet Boards
• Sports/University Boards
• Magnetic Bulletin Boards
• Frameless Magnet Boards
• Chalkboards and White Boards
• Magnetic Bulletin Boards
• Framed Cork Boards
• Glass Magnets

There are also custom order possibilities using the following:

• Fabric Choices
• Decorative Frame Choices
• Custom Ornate Frames
• You can also request that ribbon be added to your board in a criss-cross design.

There are  over 100 different fabric options, 15 frame options and a choice of 3 magnets from 40 different designs.  If you have children under 3 in your home, you might want to purchase a board with the ribbons and use it that way until your child or children are older.  While you are ordering, you could order the magnets and save them for later use.

Choosing a Frame

Instead of choosing a ready-made board, I decided to select a white frame that would blend with the white furniture in my room – creating a unified look. I also chose a larger size because I didn’t want to run out of display space.  For each frame that you find on the decorative frame page, you will find a general colour and style for a frame.  When you click on that image, there will be more options underneath the picture.  You also have the option to order more ornate frames.

Adding Ribbon

The addition of ribbon is a good idea if you have small children in the house and don’t want to use magnets.  It also adds an extra display option in addition to using magnets.  The ribbon fits tightly across the board and is secured to the board at the points where the ribbons cross.  I found that I could display paper items behind the ribbon without using magnets or tape.

The Backside

On the back side there is a plastic covering that seals in the back of the board.  Clips at the edge of the frame hold this board in place.

Choosing Fabric

There are many different categories for choosing fabric that have been organized by theme and colour.  Similar to how the frames are organized, when you click on each section, you will find more fabric options under each photo.  Since my board is about a vision for now and the future, it had an aspirational inspiration for my choice of fabric. You might want to choose a fabric for an adult, child or teenager, for your work at home office or for your office at home.  You might also be creating a board for a birthday, Christmas, anniversary, wedding or special event gift. The index on the left side of the website seems to indicate that there are 19 fabric choices. This is a function of how the Etsy site uploads pages. There are actually 19 images but many more fabric options under each photo.

Choosing Magnets

While you are placing your order, don’t forget to check out the magnet page.  The options are oh so pretty and the magnets are very strong. I could feel the magnetic pull as I put the magnet on the board.  Even if you are not ordering a board, these magnets are very attractive and could be used as gifts – especially if you need a gift for a friend or teacher, for example.

My Thoughts

While you are visiting the Designs by Emma Paige store, you have the option to choose from different possible uses for these products because there are many:

• vision board
• memory board
• board for your kitchen
• board for a child or youth’s room
• cork board for displaying your jewellery or other hangable products for sales presentations
• board for your office, store (think of the display options) or classroom
• magnets to go with your boards
• magnets as gifts
• magnets as wedding favours (which can be custom made)

What uses would you add to the list?

I am a keen supporter of Etsy stores because I find that the owners and crafts people involved put much care and attention (and not to forget creativity) into their products.  I have never encountered any difficulties communicating with store owners on Etsy about my custom order requests and my experience was exactly the same while exchange messages with Designs by Emma Paige.

I have to admit that I was very excited to receive the finished board after carefully considering how I wanted it to look and how I wanted to use the board.

 

On my finished vision board, each of the titles I’ve overlaid on this photo above represents an area of my life that I want to develop or even celebrate.  I could have put more pictures on it but I wanted a good balance of negative and positive space.  I also wanted to see the fabric behind the pictures.  It features a Paris/French/Eiffel Tower theme, which always inspires me.

If you created a board what would yours look like and how would you use it?

Related

Designs by Emma Paige website

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Designs by Emma Paige has a related business selling organic body scrubs.

Disclosure: I received a sample of a product to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided and all views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.