How To Make DIY Push Pins With Personality

Thank you to DAP for sponsoring this DIY push pin project! All opinions are entirely my own. This post also contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t recommend wholeheartedly. Read my full disclosure here.

We recently added a corkboard wall in our daughter’s bedroom. It’s a great place for her to hang her art, photos, and other decor. But regular old push pins just weren’t going to work. “Way too boring, Mom!” 

In a child’s room, especially, it’s important to infuse color and personality along the way. That’s why we decided to make our own decorative push pins, and spoiler alert, it was SOOOO easy!

If your kids are anything like mine, they love anything tiny, colorful, and just a little bit silly. So why not turn that energy into a quick and easy craft? These DIY push pins are perfect for dressing up a cork wall, hanging up art, or just adding some fun to the everyday. All you need are some flat thumb tacks, a dab of super glue, and whatever cute little bits you have lying around.

Step 1. Choose your decorative toppers for your push pins

We started by raiding our various craft supplies for anything fun that we could add to the thumb tacks. We found half-round wood beads (leftover from this bobbin picture frame project), vintage buttons, googly eyes and more. 

It was fun to figure out which random thing you have around the house already that could be used on the custom push pins. There are so many everyday objects that you could use! One trip to your local craft store and you’d probably come up with even more ideas. 

Here are some ideas for other objects to use on the top of the pin:

• Buttons – Mismatched, vintage, or colorful ones
• Mini erasers – The shaped ones from party favors or back-to-school specials 
• Foam stickers – Just peel off the backing and glue them on
• Lego pieces – Bonus if they’re tiny and fun shapes
• Mini clothespins – Functional and cute
• Bottle caps – Quirky and graphic
• Play food accessories – Like mini donuts, fruits, etc., from toy sets or Barbies
• Game pieces – Think Monopoly tokens or Scrabble tiles
• Old jewelry – Single earrings, brooches, or broken charms
• Puzzle pieces – Random ones from an incomplete puzzle = perfect
• Seashells – For a beachy vibe
• Pebbles or small rocks – Smooth ones work best
• Keyboard keys – Great for office or nerdy themes
• Mini figurines – Tiny animals, toys, etc.
• Fake flowers – Just snip them from faux stems
• Coins – Foreign or old ones add character

Our daughter also wanted to incorporate some cute charms, and we found a resin set that was pretty inexpensive. They are all different and just so much fun! I love the variety of colors and the different shapes. 

Step 2. Glue items to thumbtacks

Add a small amount of glue to the flat part of the metal push pins, and hold your decorative items in place until the glue sets. 

The best part about the RapidFuse Super Glue is that it sets in just 30 seconds. So just count to 30 and then set it aside for about a half an hour before using. This gives the glue a chance to cure. 

After you’re done making your own fun push pins, you can store them in a cute tin or small box (or even line them up on the edge of your corkboard until you need them).

They also would make a great gift idea! You can put them in a glass jar and give them as a teacher gift! Perfect for back-to-school, which is right around the corner.

These DIY push pins are such a simple way to add a little personality to your kiddo’s cork board (or yours!). Whether you’re using googly eyes, mini toys, or leftover craft bits, it’s a great way to repurpose small items and get creative.

So never let your push pins be boring again! Go raid your junk drawer, grab the super glue, and get to adding fun personality to your thumbtacks.