Nothing says back-to-school like early mornings, freshly sharpened pencils, and the yearly scramble to get organized. Since we can’t do much about the early mornings (though may we suggest coffee?), we’re focusing on the fun parts of gearing up for a brand-new academic year—like getting your desk decor on point.
This year, take your deskie game up a notch with these DIY magnetic memo boards, customizable in the shapes and colors of your choosing. Give your to-do’s a pretty new home and add a fresh pop of color to your wall, to boot. Being organized never looked so good.
At a glance
Time: 6 hours (including drying time)
Difficulty: Easy

You will need
- MDF cutouts in your desired shapes and sizes
- Magnetic paint
- 1 package of foam brushes
- Craft paint in your choice of colors
- Small brass shapes (one per magnet)
- Superglue
- Magnet rounds
- Metal picture hangers (one per board)
- ½-inch nails (two per board)
- Hammer
Step 1: Prep the cutouts

Paint one side of each MDF cutout with magnetic paint, using a foam brush. For optimum magnetic stickiness, add two to three layers of paint, letting the boards dry for an hour between each coat.
Step 2: Paint

Once the magnetic paint has completely dried, use a foam brush to apply colored craft paint to the various cutouts, layering it on top of the magnetic paint. Depending on your choice of colors, you may need several coats of paint to get an opaque look. (We used three to four coats for our cutouts.) Once you’ve achieved your desired level of saturation, set the boards aside to dry.
Step 3: Create the brass magnets


To make your magnets, position the brass shapes on a clean surface and apply a small dollop of superglue to the backside of each shape. Carefully place a magnet round on top of the glue and leave it to set. Repeat this step to your heart’s content, creating as many brass magnets as you’d like.
Step 4: Attach the hangers

Now that the boards have dried, it’s time to attach the hangers. Apply a thin line of superglue to the back of a metal picture hanger and press it firmly onto the backside of the board, making sure that it’s centered one to two inches from the top of the board. Repeat for each board.
Step 5: Secure with nails

Once the glue has set, hammer two 1/2-inch nails into each side of the picture hanger for extra hanging security.
Step 6: Style!

Your memo boards are officially ready to be hung on the wall and styled to suit your space. Add the magnets and toss up your to-do’s—we opted to include a few fun magnetic planters for extra flair (they’d be perfect for mini pens or pencils, too). Last, but not least—don’t forget to snap a deskie!

Photos by Ashley Rose.
30 comments
JOANNA from BUSTANI said 1 year ago
This is a great idea, i will do so with my own sketch :) Thank You :)
renee and gerardo from GTDesigns said 1 year ago
Very cool! Looks quick and easy!! TFS!!
Georgia from JewelMeShop said 1 year ago
Thanks for sharing this great idea!
Tim and Brigita Cornwell from jacobswoodentoys said 1 year ago
Cool idea! Thanks for sharing.
Renee from RandMhandmade said 1 year ago
Thank you for sharing..love it!!
Abby from SweetBloomCA said 1 year ago
Super cute idea, thanks for sharing!
TreasuredMemoryLane from TreasuredMemoryLane said 1 year ago
Very cool! Thanks for sharing the idea!
TropicalGarden from TropicalGarden said 1 year ago
great idea! Thanks for sharing!
One Stop Steampunk Shoppe from OneStopSteamShoppe said 1 year ago
What a great idea! I didn't know they made magnetic paint! : ) Thanks
Wirat J. from SkylaBoutique said 1 year ago
What a fun brilliant DIY. Thank you for this great idea!
accentonvintage from accentonvintage said 1 year ago
Great project! Thanks!
Kashuen Collectibles from Kashuen said 1 year ago
I did not know there is such thing as magnetic paint. I will definitely try it with my kids. Great project ideas.
Leilani Hirakawa from Lanikawastudio said 1 year ago
Such a good idea ❤︎ I want one 😍❤️️
Farideh Nouri from FlairPaintings said 1 year ago
Very nice and creative!!!
Nicole from Crackerjackarma said 1 year ago
Lots of room for individual creativity ~ Easy to follow directions ~ Thanks for sharing the idea
WING SUM YIM from fabricAsians said 1 year ago
It is useful and it looks good
Leilani Hirakawa from Lanikawastudio said 1 year ago
Love it 😍
Katrina Dzerkale from Dominna said 1 year ago
Ok, this is so amazing ! 100% doing this on the first rainy day.
FuchsiaMoon from TheFuchsiaMoon said 1 year ago
What a fine idea. A refresh of desk decor is sure to inspire! The colors give a sense of energy and serenity. A perfect combination for creative minds. Lovely.
Victoria Lopatenko from HomeDecorSifira said 1 year ago
very good! Thank you!
Tetyana Lugova from byLUGOVAYA said 1 year ago
Very cool idea, everything is clear. I use this tips in project in my son's room, he definately like it too)
Olga Dmitrishina from CuteBookShop said 1 year ago
The boards look very stylish!
Natalia from PrettyNatali said 1 year ago
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!!!!
Alexandr Yershov from HornJewelryuaShop said 1 year ago
Great work! Congratulations! Good luck in the future!
Veronika Иващенко from HandMadeVeronika said 1 year ago
Thank you for this great idea!
Elena from VintageItemsUkraine said 1 year ago
Great idea! Thank you!
Natalia from MagicRibbonCreations said 1 year ago
It's wonderful. You have to try it.
Maria from StyleGraphicDesign said 1 year ago
Great decoration and so useful!!
Valentina from KnittedJoyShop said 1 year ago
Thanks for sharing! I will do it for me
Abril Mertnoff from BindingThreadsDesign said 1 year ago
This is a great idea! Thank you!!