Extra photos for bloggers: 1, 2

There was a fair lass from New York
who made a big board out of cork.
She pushed in some pins
and then for the win
she filled it with pictures of Bjork.

Make your Own Amoeba-shaped Cork Board Photo Frame

p.s. Bjork not mandatory. You can put photos of anyone you want in this postmodern freeform amoeba-shaped bulletin board/picture frame.

p.s. Great news! The Super Secret Spy Lens is back in stock and we’re giving away two lenses to celebrate! RT or follow @Photojojo before Sunday to enter.

Photo credits: mark sebastian, D. Sharon Pruitt / Pink Sherbet Photography.

Intro

Ye olde cork bulletin board: rectangular, drab, so very office-y. And yet, so very useful! So handy for keeping notes and tidbits of info! What to do, what to do?

Make a blobbity multi-layered extra-functional-yet-stylish amoeba board, that’s what! With frames that you can slide photos in and out of whenever the heck you want. Yessir.

Looks good, works well, no trapped-in-a-cubicle vibe — it’s a winner.

What You’ll Need:

• Roll of cork
• Mat board or illustration board
• X-acto knife and cutting mat
• Scissors (optional)
• Pencil
• Masking tape or artist’s tape
• Heavy-duty glue (like Liquid Nails or hot glue)
• Heavy books or bricks
• Photo prints
• Pushpins or thumbtacks

Flatten the Cork

Before doing anything else, unroll the cork and lay it flat. Weigh it down by putting heavy books on top, or roll it up in the opposite direction and secure with a rubber band. Let the cork rest for a bit while it releases its curl and flattens out.

Step 1: Make an Amoeba

Draw a freeform amoeba shape on a sheet of mat board, as large as you want the final board to be.

Cut out the amoeba shape with an X-acto knife. You could also use scissors if they’re strong enough and the board’s thin enough.

If using a knife, score the pattern line over and over until you cut through the board. Trying to cut through in one go is difficult and really bad news if the knife slips. Owie owie ow!

Step 2: Make Another Amoeba Out of Cork

Lay the amoeba-shaped piece of mat board on top of the cork and use it as a template to cut the same shape out of cork.

If the cork wants to curl up, you can tape the edges down to keep it flat

Step 3: Glue the Amoebas Together

Apply heavy-duty glue to the cork board. If you keep the mat on top as you go, it will help the cork lie flat.

Make sure the edges have enough glue to stick them down well. Glue the mat to the cork so that the shapes of the pieces align.

Step 4: Squash the Amoebas! Squash ‘Em Good!

Lay the glued pieces flat, cork-side down.

Place several heavy books or bricks on top of them, and keep the pieces weighed down until the glue is completely dry.

Step 5: Make a Bunch of Little Amoebas

While the main board is drying, cut out several smaller amoeba-shaped pieces of cork.

One should be just a bit smaller than the main board, and the other pieces should be smaller than that. The sizes, shapes and number of pieces are all up to you.

Make as many layers as you want- the more layers, the thicker the board. Make different freeform shapes so all the pieces look different.

Glue the biggest piece onto the main board, and put it back under the heavy books until the glue is dry.

Step 6: Turn an Amoeba Into a Frame

Place one of your photos on the back of one of the small amoeba shapes, and trace around it with a pencil.

Draw a freeform window inside that boundary for the photo to show through, then cut the window out with an X-acto knife.

Step 7: Attach the Amoeba Frame to the Board

Apply glue to the back of the cork frame, making sure not to glue inside the boundary of the photo you traced.

Keep one edge of the frame free of glue so you can slip photos in and out of the frame when you want.

Glue the cork frame to the larger board, then place it under weights until the glue dries.

Step 8: Slide Photos Into the Frames

Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you have as many frames on the board as you want.

When all the glue on all the layers is totally dry, slide photos into the frames.

Step 9: Stick Amoebas on Your Walls!

Hang the bulletin board on the wall with glue dots, mounting tabs, or colonies of exceptionally sticky microorganisms.

Use pushpins or thumbtacks to put notes on the board, add more photos, or generally create havoc! Woooo havoc!

Photo credits: mark sebastian, D. Sharon Pruitt / Pink Sherbet Photography.

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