Oh So BOARD

This past weekend, I painted my office.

Do you want to take a guess what color I painted it??

I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with mean and bean. 

Unfortunately the shade of Green I picked (did you guess it??) didn't match my bulletin board =(

I made this bulletin board in college - it was a cheap project to fill some space on a wall. 

I still love this bulletin board.  If I can't find a place for it here, then it's going to my "big girl" office.

I had decided a while back that putting invitations on the refrigerator made the room look too cluttered.  So all the CUTE - ADORABLE invites from the past year, have been hanging out on this bulletin board, except for ONE particular Save-The-Date that stayed on the fridge.  Our save-the-date, which Brian recently took off the fridge and threw it away =(.   I LOOOOVVVVEEEE invitations.   LOOVVVVEEEE THHEEEMMM.

Like Christmas cards, I don't throw any invitations away.  I get a little saddened when I receive an Evite - this still has not stopped me from printing them off and hanging them up as well.

Anywho, so the bulletin board is down and I needed a new place to hang invitations and other important cards. 

Most of my projects I post on here have actually been done for weeks.  Like the hope chest - I did that Thanksgiving weekend, but just posted it two weeks ago.  THIS project is HOT OFF THE PRESS.  Like my fingers are still stuck together from the hot glue gun.  I was SOOOO excited to get off work and start working on it and I just had to share it with you ASAP.

Ok, what is it??? I made a french memo board.  I loooovvveee french memo boards (the 2nd thing I loooovveee in this post - there is one more coming up).  I haven't made one since early dorm days.

See the purple one I did for my dorm?? It was gingham - I USED to love gingham.  Now, my kids rooms will probably be decked out in it =)  

French memo boards are so easy to make and look great in any room.
All you need is:
-Foam display board (like the kind you would use for a science project)
-padding
-fabric of your choosing
-buttons (optional)
-ribbon
-staple gun
-fabric glue (or hot glue gun, it can get rather messy though)

For my fabric, I chose Toile - the other fabric pattern I LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEE besides Houndstooth (OK, that's 3 loves - and 3 is my limit for one post).

I've been needle pointing a pillow with this design on it for -oh-about 2 years now. 

I went to Hancock Fabrics where I found the fabric for $9.99 a yard.  Technically it's outdoor fabric, but who is REALLY gonna know?? Well, besides you now.

Right now, all buttons at Hancock Fabrics are 50% off - which made each set of buttons $.89.
Ribbon was $2.29.
Foam Board was $4.49 - I could have shopped around for a better price, but CVS was on the way home and I was too excited to start this.
And the padding I already had leftover from the hope chest.

Measured and cut my board.  Then placed padding on board from top to bottom and stapled.  

  I use TONS of sewing pins for every project to hold stuff in place for the time being.  My favorite are the ones with the pearls on top

Placed my fabric in the exact spot I wanted it and stapled some more.  Lots and lots of staples. 

Alignment of ribbons is the hardest and most time consuming part.  I cut a ton of different lengths of ribbon and pinned them onto the board.  I might change my mind later and just use it without the ribbons.  

No joke, this is a pain.  I moved them around over and over - I even sat back in a chair and had Brian move them around to see better.  We did one of these numbers, "Ummm, a lil to the left...now down..lower.....urrrrrr.....back up.  Perfect."

JUST in case I change my mind about the ribbon...I stapled the ribbon to the back of the board instead of gluing it.  It's much easier to take the staples out.

OK, here was my blank spot before...

And now....

From the front...

I loooovvveeee it!!!!! Oops, sorry.  I actually was too lazy tired to put the buttons on, so I used the pearled pins in their spot.  And I don't think I am going to take them out either =)

Ok, one more time....

Alright peeps, I'm ready to fill this memo board up with invites =)

Do you know what I LOOOOVVVVVEEEE just as much as I love invitations, memo boards, and toile??? YOUR COMMENTS.  Every time I get a new one, I sit up really straight, give a big smile, and do 3 consecutive lil claps.  I even do a lil happy squeal if I get a new follower. Eeek.  I'm excited just thinking about it!!

Check out other projects here: