Best Cork Boards, Bulletin Boards and Wall Calendars

Don’t you just admire that friend who is well organized? The one with a calendar on the fridge, filled out like the CEO of a big company. How in the world can she be in 3 places at one time? With 4 kids! Or, how about the mom with the chalk wall, artistically decorated with positive expressions of love and a weekly, well thought out dinner menu? Those are talents that definitely go unrecognized.

In all honesty, I really do secretly admire anyone who is well organized and actually sticks to the plan. Every year I buy those college ruled note books at the start of the school year, you know those ones that are .15 each on sale, but 1.99 regular priced? One for recipes, one for songs I want to download, another for all the places I want to travel to when I hit the lottery, yep those are the ones. Please tell me your just as crazy as I am! The only problem is, they just pile up some where and end up with jotted notes and phone numbers that I can never find, some however, find their purpose better served as an art portfolio with scribbles and drawings of a small child. I also have a 5-drawer filing cabinet, 2 which are actually being used for files…well, maybe 1 ½… but the point is, this is proof that I have organizational tendencies.

How does one become an organized guru; do we have to be born with those skills? A google search on the subject ‘how to organize’ returns 1 billion results. Wowzers! I’m glad to know there are so many out there that share my inabilities.  With so many options, where do you start?

It’s always been my opinion to start with what you do know, keep it simple at first, and utilize what appears to be the most obvious. For example, one of the easiest ways to get organized is having a centrally located communication board. An area either for yourself, family or work to place anything that is of importance. A schedule, pictures of events, memo’s or grocery store lists. The hardest part is getting others or yourself to rely on it as the first go to source of information. 

Now, we may not have a rivaling schedule, or the chalk wall, but for those of you who are blessed with organizational talent, I have organized – yes “organized” – a list of my favorite choices to help create a central communication area that will help you look important, busy and stylish. So, who’s ready to get organized?

The Best Cork Boards and Bulletin Boards

1. Wall Pops Phoenix Printed Cork Board

Who said cork boards were boring? Because this one is oh-so-pretty! Move aside boring brown. What I love besides the black clean frame and fancy cool motif, is that this one has a depth of 1 inch. 

No more pins falling out because at this depth, you shouldn’t have any issues loading it with a heavy workload. It also offers a nice size at 23 x 17 inches, allowing plenty of room. If you need more pinning space, get 2 or 3 and place side by side.

The negative; you will however have to print out your schedule and pin it to the board. My recommendation for pin style would be a vintage or antique flowered push pin.

2. Navaris Cork Bulletin Board

Give me direction and I will conquer the world… says the adventurous wayward gypsy. Someone who needs to plan out and organize what corners of the earth they are going to explore next.

This one has plenty of space and even comes with 5 red metal flag pins – just in case you forget where it was you were going, or where you’ve been. For those who are super organized and maybe a little OCD, and want to keep the theme going, you can find more flag pins identical to the freebies you get with the board. Or customize your board by being area or theme specific; Paris or nautical push pins perhaps?

No frame gives you a little more planning space and is also a generous 27 x 19 inches. Maybe you’re not the frameless type and want something a little more upscale? Then maybe you should check out my next board.

3. Amanti Art Black Cork Framed Bulletin Board

The elite need…well, elite things! And yes, there are cork boards even for the finest tastes. I imagine these placed perfectly nestled between mahogany book shelves filled with literature collections and old encyclopedias.

While an executive proudly sits in their leather chair studying the board, trying to determine what important thing they have to do next. Just not anyone has a black cork board, quality custom framed, with healing cork that re-seals itself – so you don’t see old pin holes – extra thick so the pins are fully emerged and picture frame wires that run both horizontally and vertically.

Plus, it’s has an extra big pinning space of 36 x 24 inches. The only negative thing I could say about this is, the elite price tag. For my recommended pin style, I would keep it simple and elegant by keeping the colors in black, gray or silver.

4. WallPops Black 4 Piece Organizer Wall Decal Kit

Give me more… because the above just doesn’t offer enough organization – these however, will make it appear like Martha Stewart personally decorated your wall, and it will be our little secret.

Place 2 on each side of the boards previously mentioned, with its peel and stick repositionable backing and Voilà!  What more do you need to be stylishly organized?

This is a nice little kit and comes with a dry-erase marker and push pins, but if you want to emphasize your schedules importance, try color coding with neon dry-erase markers, if your bold enough. 

5. Wall Calendar, Chalkboard, Dry Erase Calendar

When you’re not sure you want to dedicate a wall to chalkboard paint… go for this peel and stick vinyl, supersized, mega organizer. There is so much room that as soon as you order this, you’ll need to start signing your kids up for sports and/or dance lessons, and don’t forget to go through your pantry and write up a huge list if things you need.

Be ready to fill this baby out or it will look like a sad, lonely schedule begging to be used. This is a kit, so it comes with everything you need to organize your chaos quickly. Comes with video showing you how to install, preventing bubbles and ghost marks and has a 100% guarantee that it will stick or your money back.

Organization Tip of the Day: Use post-its or sticky flags for events that may need to be moved around. This prevents you from having to rewrite reoccurring or changing events. Now, all you need is a wall big enough and lots of things to do!

6. Wooden Rustic Magnetic Chalkboard: Wall Mounted Entryway Cabinet with Cork Board

For the shy organizer… who humbly organizes everything in a neat little package and then quietly closes the doors. Or maybe, for that person that wants a breather and says “Chores?  Errands? What are you talking about? I don’t see anything but a cut cabinet on my wall.” All the reason why this one has to be my favorite so far.

I am a fan of double duty items that serve several different purposes. I also like that its appearance is one that is neat and hides the mess that creates order – hah, that’s an interesting concept.

It doesn’t offer as much space if you have a lot of organization to do, but it does come with hooks for your keys, a magnetic chalk board, 2 color options and quality long lasting construction.

Clothespin push pins would really compliment the rustic country theme of the board.

7. Huge Ornate White Message Corkboard for Farmhouse Kitchen

Country farmhouse charm… will have you kicking up your boots and getting those chores organized like a real country girl. Simple, sophisticated and wrapped in burlap, surrounded by a beautiful antiqued white ornate frame, makes you want to leave a note or write your chores in parchment paper.

Tie a ribbon around some wildflowers and pin it to the corner and you have a super cute, real country memo board. I could also see this being of great use in the kitchen, pinning grocery lists or weekly recipes, but only if you have the room, because this one boasts a large size of 30 x 23 inches, and with a nice 1” depth.

My pin recommendation style would be clothespin, or go for anything in rustic or antique brass. 

8. PinPix pin Cork Bulletin Board Made from Canvas

Whimsical, artistic and lots of fun… with so many designs, I stopped counting at 60. Backed with cork and covered in a fabric canvas, I’m sure you will find the right color and style to fit your décor.

There are also several different size options, its possible you could even mix or match and create your own little artistic pièce de résistance. When you do a search for PinPix on Amazon and immerse yourself in all the choices you might be over whelmed, so if you have a hard time making decisions, this may not be board you are looking for.

Pin recommendations would literally be impossible with these boards. I would say that after picking your board, choose a complementary pin color and continue the theme.

9. Fish 3D Bulletin Boards Felt Corkboard for Walls DIY

Get your creative wheels going and let’s have some fun… if felt fabric is more your style, then these will have you swimming in the right direction. No plain brown cork boards for me, no Siri!

There are lots of fun shape options that come in felt, for example; diamonds and circles, but these cute fishes will add character and they come in 12 different colors. I can see these up on the wall in craft or play rooms where the theme screams fun fun fun! And even though they may not be the work horse of the bunch, they are indeed fun and colorful.

Hey, did I say these were fun? I would recommend purchasing several, depending on your needs, because although they are a nice 12 x 12 size, the pack only comes with a set of 4.

I saw a very cute sushi push-pin holder with pins that looked like fish roe, but if sushi is not your thing then I would do a search for fish, sea life or nautical themed push-pins. There’s also a push pin holder shaped like a donut, pomegranate and a sheep.

Add-Ons for Cork Boards, Bulletin Boards, Dry Erase Boards and Wall Calendars

Don’t forget the bling… because bling is everything! Some of the boards come in a kit that includes dry-erase markers, or pins, but not all of them. Even so, it’s always a good idea to get extra supplies.

For black dry-erase boards, neon and or white dry-erase markers can add emphases and highlight more important subjects, also, don’t forget to buy dry-erase cleaner. Colorful post-it’s and page flags help you move a reoccurring schedule around quicker. Pins and clips add character, because who wants organization to be boring? Not aye, said this captain!

My very last bling recommendation would be these very nifty and small 2 x 2 dry-erase board erasers. Magnetic, washable and 100% satisfaction guaranteed. My favorite are the circles but they also come in squares and 6 different colors.

Put a Pin in It

Well, there you have it, my list of favorite boards that go beyond boring and would make any aspiring organizer feel accomplished. Whether your style is simple or you need lots of space to visualize your day, week or year, these boards are so cool you might hesitate to even put anything on them.

Make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself, start simple and once you become the master of your board, move into organizing another part of your life. Being organized does not mean that everything in your office, filing cabinet etc. has to match, start with what you have. The key is to create a clean, clutter free environment for yourself, and by doing this, it will help you think clearer and eliminate unneeded stresses in your life.

Now comes the hard part, remembering to put all the hard work of organizing your board into consistent use. Continue to remind yourself and others to use these boards as the first source of information, whether it is giving or receiving communication. As with all things, habits are created by simply doing. I have every confidence that you can do this!

For those of you have mastered the impossible – kudos!  You are amazing in every way.