Ribbon Bulletin Board

This is something that I've wanted to try making for a long time.  I think these boards are beautiful, and they can be simple or fancy, and functional at the same time.  At the end of the school year, I had important papers (like checking out lists, etc.) that I needed to keep track of.  I had them in one spot, but there are eight other people who spend the day in the classroom with me, and they were accidentally lost.  I eventually found them in the recycle bin! (It sits right next to my desk.)  That is when I realized that I desperately needed a bulletin board-just for me for all those little papers I need.  What a good opportunity to make a ribbon board! So I did.

I absolutely love this fabric!! I originally bought it for curtains for the house in Woodward, but that just didn't happen.  Now I'm glad it didn't.  It gets to go to school with me now. Anyway--

Here are the materials:

Bulletin board

Batting

Fabric

Ribbon (I used grosgrain)

Upholstery tacks

Hammer

Staple gun

Tape measure

Pins

Hot glue gun

1. Cut the batting and fabric large enough to cover your board and wrap around the back for a finished edge.  I left the fabric a little bigger than the batting so I could fold it over the batting when attaching it to the board.  Use enough batting to give your board some puffiness when the ribbons are attached.  I think I used four layers.  This is the part I fumbled.  I didn't put enough batting in, and it wasn't padded enough.  I had to start over.

2.  Fold the fabric and batting around to the back edge and using the staple gun, staple it to the board.  I did one or two on each side so I could get the fabric tight and smooth on the front.  Once I did that, I went all the way around.  I left the corners for the end.  I trimmed the batting and fabric a little because it was super thick.  Then I folded the fabric like a present and stapled it.  The back turned out to look fairly neat.

3.  Figure out where you would like your ribbons.  I think I did mine a little differently, but I like how it turned out.  Make sure they are parallel with each other.  That was hard with this fabric, but I accomplished it!  Pin the ribbon down on each end until you get the upholstery tacks on.  Also, leave enough ribbon when you cut it to wrap around the back.

4.  Once the ribbons are pinned, gently tap in the upholstery tacks at the intersections of the ribbons.  Make sure the tacks are in straight lines vertically and horizontally.  Take out the pins.  Be careful that you don't hammer the tack all the way through the board.  I did this a couple of times.  This is when the padding will really start to look cool.  

5.  Take the ends of the ribbons and hot glue them to the back of the board.  I tucked mine under the fabric if I could. 

6.  Add your mounting hardware.  At this point, I added a ribbon to hang it from.  I think it might need a frame to go around it, so this is still a work in progress!

I was amazed at how easy this was. I will probably make one for the girls also.  They will be able to do a lot of this project on their own.  

Oh! Here's a little side note.  When you've got a cute board, you need cute tacks, right?  So I made some!  I had some large head thumbtacks and some of those glass beads on hand.  I drew flowers that matched my board with a sharpie on the head of the thumbtack, hot glued the bead on, and voila! Cute tacks!

 

Fabric pine cones

Many years ago, I received an ornament from a family that I taught three of their children. To this day it is my favorite ornament that I've been given.  It was home made and looked difficult to do.  This past Christmas I wanted to make gifts for our family instead of purchasing them, since I was on a budget but had a surplus of time.  I remembered my ornament and found how to make them online.  I absolutely loved how they turned out, and how easy it was to make them.  Now I'm obsessed!  I found a pretty iron bowl at Hobby Lobby and knew that it was just what I needed--to put pine cones in all year round.  Now each month I am making three seasonal ones to put on my coffee table.  Here's how to make them:

Supplies

1/4 to 1/2 yard of fabric (I found small prints work better than big ones)

Straight pins with the flat head

Styrofoam ball (I like the 3 inch size)

Scissors or rotary cutter and mat

Ruler

First, you need to cut your fabric into 2 inch squares.  I used a rotary cutter and self-healing mat, which makes it crazy fast and easy.  I cut four layers of fabric at once.

 

 Once you have the squares cut, you are ready to put it together.  First, take one square of fabric and pin it flat to the ball.  This will be your starting point. Then, take a square and fold it in half then in half again.  When you attach it to the ball, make sure the folded ends are facing upward with the double-folded side on the left, like this.

Attach the square to the ball on the left corner (right where my thumb is), overlapping a corner of the flat square you've already attached.  Fold another square and overlap it's left corner with the right corner of the already pinned square, securing the first square down on both ends.  Do this all the way around until you meet back up with your first square.  You will pin both corners of the square when you finish each row.

When beginning a new row, stagger your square so it covers up the pin you just put in.  The trick is to keep all the pins covered so you don't see them.  Sometimes that is really hard to do.  Keep pinning and adding rows until you get to the top and you can't put any more on.  Finish the top with one final folded square.  I like to take that last one and fold all four unfinished edges inward and pin it so there are no fray-able edges showing.  Then, if you want, you can add a ribbon to make it an ornament.  For Christmas I did, but for the seasonal ones I didn't.  This one is my favorite.  I think we will use it like mistletoe. I just love how they turn out!

And here is my February bowl: