Most of the time our house feels like a 4 ring circus with so many activities and different schedules to coordinate. Somewhere along the way I realized that one thing I can do to make our weeks move along more smoothly is to plan our meals for the week ahead of time. For the longest time I have been using a trusty little whiteboard on our fridge with meals written on index cards as our menu board…
This system mostly works except when I want to change the side dishes, and it really is not all that pretty to look at (even with Zach Morris in the corner…). So, a few weeks ago I came across a new idea on Pinterest for a menu board made from a collage photo frame. I loved it and had to try it out for myself. So here is what I did…
Materials:
- 8 Photo Collage Frame (I got mine at Michaels for $10)
- Transparency Sheets
- Scrapbook paper
- Chalk Ink Marker
I wanted to be able to change out the background paper with the seasons/holidays, so I decided to use transparencies for my “Days of the Week” instead of printing right on the scrapbook paper. (You can feed transparencies straight through your laser printer or copier at Kinkos.) Using my word processor I made up 3″x5″ signs with the days of the week centered at the top (keep in mind the different orientations of the frames). Once I got these printed up on the transparencies, I used my paper cutter to cut them out to fit the frames. And then, I did the same with the scrapbook paper.
Next, pop out the lovely photos that come with the frame and lay down the transparency on top of the glass, followed by the scrapbook paper and finally the frame backing. And voila – you have yourself a fancy menu board/ weekly planner!
I prefer to use Chalk Ink Markers for writing on the glass instead of dry erase because they have no odor, don’t smear or smudge if you touch them and wipe clean with a wet paper towel. Plus they come in all sorts of fun colors! (You can find a wide selection of Chalk Ink Marker colors in my shop here.)
Happy Menu Planning!
