No Cork Bulletin Board

I needed a bulletin board over my computer and desk space and I wanted something a bit large.

A few weeks ago I picked up some fabric at Hancock's and just put it aside because I wasn't yet sure of what I wanted to use it for.

It's a nice and sturdy canvas type material and I love the design and color.

So, if you've worked with cork before you know that it is not on the cheap side of craft materials.

And, even if you do buy some - it's so totally thin and pretty much defeats the purpose of using cord with push pins.

My solution - foam board.

It's a large board that to me resembles styrofoam pressed in between two sheets of cardstock material.

It comes in different thicknesses, this one is 1/2" thick - plenty of push pin room.

I picked this one up at Michael's for $6.

I applied some regular craft tacky glue to the board and secured the back edges with thumbtacks.

These thumbtacks are super cheap, I got a whole box at the Dollar Tree.

After I glued and secured the back with tacks, I trimmed the sides of the board all the way around with the rest of the tacks for a "nailhead trim" look.

It took me about 30 minutes to trim the sides with the thumbtacks and goes by quickly if you're doing it while watching tv. Also, I didn't even use the whole box, there was plenty left over.

It works just as good if not better as a cork bulletin board.

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Stretch Rings - A New Obsession

I have a new obsession - making stretch rings!

They are incredibly easy and fun to make.

It all started with two rings I purchased.

This first one from Gordman's, it's so comfortable.

See how it stretches......

The next I purchased from Hobby Lobby.

It was so pretty, yet seemed so simple to make, so you know I had to try it out for myself.

Now, I experimented with two different stretchy string materials.

The first was Stretch Magic, it's clear and has good elasticity.

The drawbacks are that it does not securely hold a tie very well - I had to use glue to make sure the tie stayed tied.

So, I then discovered this! Gossamer Floss!

I believe this is exactly what was used on the rings that I purchased.

The thread is so soft, super elastic, and it holds a secure knot that's almost unnoticeable when the ring is finished. If you're making stretch rings, this is the material you want.

I can't stop making them, they're very addicting.

The best thing about making stretch rings is that you don't have to be specific about sizing.

I'm off to make more!

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Iron Foam

So I've taken a long blogger break, which was very much needed. But I'm back now to bring you a post that I'm excited to share.

I had an inspiration the other day while wondering through Kirkland's. This picture with a simple iron design in the center. So I whipped out my phone and took a quick photo.

The iron in the photo probably wasn't real but what we're going for here is the "look" of iron.

I've had the idea for a while to cut fun foam into an iron look and this design fueled my fire.

Now, usually this fun foam comes in thin sheets but I found this thicker sheet at Michael's. It' about 1/4" thick. But I imagine if all you had was thinner sheets, you could cut two or more sheets and glue them together.

I needed a template before slicing into the foam so I made one using cardboard.

So I sketched out a freehand template on cardboard, not bad huh?

But as soon as I started to cut the cardboard with an exacto knife, it was so tough and it was taking forever. Plus, knowing that I had to cut through this cardboard and then cut the foam too, I just took my chances with cutting the foam freehand without the cardboard template.

Using pencil, I drew the design on the foam and then used an exacto blade to make the cuts.

The pencil shows up well on the foam even though the foam is black.

I was so happy it was turning out great.

Now for those jagged edges.

The scissors I used did not help much with trimming.

So, bing!, I had an idea to use sand paper to smooth the edges. It did the job well.

This was turning out to be sort of a sculpting project but my background in clay and pottery really enjoyed this step.

This next step wasn't necessary but it gave it a finished look.

I spray painted it using Rust-Oleum black metallic spray paint.

Lastly I placed scrapbook paper behind it. I'm still not sure if I will hang as it is or place it in a frame like my inspiration photo.

Also, I can't wait to try other designs. It would look great carved with an initial too.

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