How to Make a Dream Bulletin Board
How to make a meaningful dream, vision, and goal board using a bulletin board, step by step. Set your intentions and manifestations!
The first time I made a vision board was about 10 years ago at a blogging press event. It was an activity built into the agenda where we were given large poster boards, a stack of magazines, markers, scissors, and glue. We ripped out pictures from magazines and cut them out. After we designed our boards, we went around the room and described our board designs by explaining what images in the magazines inspired us and how these visuals tied into our dreams, visions, and goals. It was a meaningful activity (so much more than a simple arts and crafts one) that I truly loved, especially getting the chance to peek into the hearts of the other bloggers in the room. ❤️
I’m not sure why I haven’t created a board since that event, but I loved the experience. Over the years, friends would create their own (even Oprah Winfrey), and I would always tell them and myself, “I need to do this!” but never did—until recently, because that is why you’re here, right? Ha!
Anyone of any faith, belief, divine influence, or mindset can use vision boards. They can be customized for YOU, for the areas of YOUR life, with images that represent YOU. Whether that is led by religious faith, the law of attraction, or the universe, all is okay and welcome because this will be made by your hands. I genuinely believe that boarding is powerful.
WHY DID I USE A BULLETIN BOARD?
In the past, I’ve made vision boards using poster boards and gluing/taping down images, but I wanted to use a bulletin board this time to make my dreams, visions, and goals fluid because life is fluid. Also, what if those dreams come true? That’s the goal. You can update the board to new dreams when they come to fruition. So, in a nutshell, I loved the flexibility of a bulletin board that I could update as much as I wanted.
WHAT TO DO FIRST TO CREATE YOUR VISION BOARD:
Before you even buy or gather ANYTHING, you have to start thinking about your dreams, visions, or goals for the board you’re making. Make a list of everything that comes to mind. If that list feels too scattered, revise it with a new list. There are no rules here. Do what feels right. And it’s okay if new ideas come up later or you want to remove something; that’s why a bulletin board is a great platform to use: it’s easy to switch visuals out. 🙂
Creating a dream board can be year-specific or not. It’s up to you. For me, I made them non-year-specific to take less pressure off an actual timeline, but that’s me. Again, this is your journey, so do what feels right to YOU.
Here is the list that I made before working on my board:
- a loving partner
- growth in income
- boundaries
- bravery
- eliminate debt
- give and love more
- raise good humans
- be a good human
- self-care
- support women & minorities
- make my home a happy, positive place
ITEMS YOU NEED FOR YOUR VISION BOARD:
I want to preface that I encourage you to look around your house before shopping for dream board supplies. You may be surprised by what you already have in your home, like inspirational quotes you’ve torn out or placed on your desk, books with great visuals that you can cut out (if you’re comfortable with that), magazine piles, etc. I found many items I’m listing below (except an actual bulletin board) by peeking around the corners of my house.
For those items that you don’t have and want for your vision board, I have included Amazon links in the supply list below so you can have them safely shipped to your front porch. This way, you can avoid going out shopping at this time (please stay safe right now, xoxo).
- a bulletin board
, any size you wish (I used a 23″ x 17″ bulletin board
)
I bought a plain bulletin board with natural wood trim. I painted the trim to add a pop of color (fuchsia, to be exact) to my vision board.
It looks very different in color, huh?
Small push pins, like the ones you would place on a map, are good for this project because they won’t poke too far into the board to get in the way of hanging it on the wall. They also blend in well with the design of the dream board because they’re not very noticeable.
- magazines
(travel, lifestyle, etc.)
I used many magazines I already had in my house and only purchased a couple in-store. You can also order magazines on Amazon
- visual books, journals, and interactive books like this one
, this one
, this one
, and this one
(I was fortunate to already have these books at home!)
- adult coloring books
(I used this one
)
- postcards
- scissors
optional items:
- craft paint
(if you want to paint the bulletin board trim like I did)
- poster board
or foam core board
(instead of bulletin board)
- Mod Podge
for coating trim paint or gluing to post/foam core board (I like the gloss finish Mod Podge, but they also make a matte version
)
- double-sided tape
(if you use a poster or foam core board)
- inspirational stickers
- washi tape
- enamel pins
- greeting cards
How to Make a Dream Bulletin Board
This is the fun part.
Start flipping through your magazines, books, journals, postcards, etc., pull out/rip out visuals, and find pictures that align with your dreams, visions, or goals. It’s okay if you pull out more than you’ll use. I certainly did. Also, don’t feel like you have to finish this project immediately and go through EVERY SINGLE THING THIS MOMENT. Take your time building your board. I worked on mine for about a week to 10 days. Remember, this is a meaningful project to connect with you, so rushing isn’t necessary. ✌🏻
Cut/trim your pieces as you wish. You can leave them torn or cut them into perfect squares, circles, or rectangles. It’s up to you. I went a little more freestyle with mine, but again, this is your board.
Once you have all of the items for your board cut out, you can start assembling them on your bulletin board. You can even start pinning some down to secure them in place. If you don’t like the placement later, you can move them. That’s the beauty of using a bulletin board.
For my board, I used a stacking method to fill every inch of space—a collage-type method that I found quite beautiful. For tiny spaces of exposed corkboard, I placed patterned images like flowers and plants I love in the bottom layer.
And that’s pretty much all there is to it. The journey is just as incredible as the destination!
When I was finally happy with my board, I hung it on my home office wall. You may hang yours in a different space, like a bedroom, reading nook, living room, or wherever you will see it daily to be inspired and reminded. Do what feels best for you! It’s time to achieve those goals and dreams!
If you have any tips I didn’t share here, please comment below! Also, when you make your vision board – I want to see it! Please tag me on Instagram at @momspark or Twitter @momspark so I can share the experience with you and cry happy tears.
Peace, love, and joy, my friends. xoxo
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2 Comments on “How to Make a Dream Bulletin Board”
First of all, I appreciate the idea of introducing Vision boards to your readers since many women nowadays don’t really pay attention to such things after marriage or after starting a family. I love how you don’t always mention having children specifically in the articles because this blog reminds mothers there’s more beyond just raising children for mothers. A chance to let mothers focus on themselves too while rocking motherhood. Also to mention the layout of your blog, I love how the elements are neat and not drown readers with too many decorative images. Thank you for this beautiful write-up.
Wow, I’m touched by your commmt. Thank you!