Saturday, January 16, 2010

Quite Possibly the Cheapest DIY Memo Board Ever

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I actually did this little project when I was in college.  It looked great in my dorm and apartment, but it's been sitting in a closet since I've been married.  It hasn't quite matched my decor for quite some time now.  The only reason I've been hanging onto it is because I thought I could use it if we were having a little girl.  Well, we are havin' a little boy and it's just taking up space now so I thought I'd share it before I repurposed the materials or trashed them altogether. 
I dug this out of the nursery closet and set it up against the crib to take pictures, so they're not that great.  Forgive me.

Here's why this memo board was so cheap.  Instead of messing with a piece of plywood or something pretty solid I used a foam board.  They're about $2.00.  You'd think that it would be flimsy, but the board has held up for about six years and three or four moves.  The fabric I used was about $3.00/yard...I think I got half a yard...and it was from Wal-Mart.  Yup, Wal-Mart.  I had a chat with one of the employees in the craft section a while ago and discovered that Wal-Mart gets their fabric in remnants from high-end fabric stores.  I've seen the same stuff in Wal-Mart that I've seen in stores like Printer's Alley, and I've rarely seen fabric for more than $6.00/yard there.  Unfortunately, Wal-Mart doesn't sell fabric in their newer stores and finding good stuff is pretty hit or miss.  I used some quilt batting and just glued the fabric on with fabric glue.  The ribbons were also glued on and I sewed on the buttons.  The needle went right through the board.  Here's why I don't mind tearing this thing apart.  Take a look at this fine craftsmanship:
 
Yikes.  I used tape to keep the fabric down and keep the thread in place for the buttons then hung it with mounting tape...so classy.
 
The back is so sad, but it looked great from the front and did the job.

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5 comments:

  1. Hey, Love the memo board... Just stopping by from finding fabulous... I am a teacher's aide and love to decorate with things I have...Some of my class room pictures are on my blog, would love for you to stop by... Lezlee

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  2. What a great memo board! The front looks great;) That is beautiful fabric...thanks for the tip! Lisa

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  3. hey, i love reading your blog! :) i made a memo board like this in college too. I used the same foam board, but covered mine with a beach towel and hung it with a ribbon. it was glued together with hot glue. classy. But, it worked! :) thanks for your ideas!

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  4. Great post!

    Also, see you got your new crib set.. How did you manage to find it so quickly?

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  5. My wonderful husband spotted it in a Target near our house!

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