All points bulletin
So i’ve finally gotten around to unpacking my craft room. It’s been what, two months? But I acknowledge and accept that these things take time. However, I have no pictures because it’s still a total embarassment. Let’s just say I have a lot of stuff. I have craft papers and vintage papers and vintage collectables and vintage things to sell on etsy and well…the room is only so big. I was able to cull and condense 5 large plastic tubs full of stuff, so that’s good. Two of those tubs were full of vintage dresses which I’ve been meaning to sell for a good ten years. TEN YEARS, people. Yikes.
So in the midst of this madness, I determined that I’d become super organized and highly functional if I had a bunch of corkboard on the wall. I love pinning and reorganizing little items into a full-on inspiration board, and by golly it was time to go big. Then I priced out cork and had to recheck that plan – wow! My research led me to this tutorial on making bulletin boards out of homasote.
The author does a fantastic job of explaining the material and the process, so I won’t repeat it all here. I started my quest this morning and discovered that, surprisingly, Lowe’s does not carry homasote. I didn’t try Home Depot because the Lowe’s guys referred me to Shuman’s, a local business that has been on Main Street forever and a day. They’ve been on the brink of closing for years, and i suspect things are a lot worse with the new mall down the road. If you are local and need specialty supplies, please check these guys out.
The 4′ x 8′ sheet of homasote was $35, and they cut into 4 pieces for me: two at 4′ x 3′ and two at 4′ by 1′. I originally wanted a 4′ x 4′ board, but measured my car before my journey and knew I’d have to settle for 3 feet max. I have to echo the tutorial author, let them cut it for you! It’s messy as all get out.
Vintage linens to the rescue! I decided to use the two on the right for the 4′ x 1′ pieces, using the white sheet in a horizontal pattern and the brocade curtain as a vertical board. The bigger boards are a little tougher..I really like the blue and green tablecloth on the far left, so it’ll most likely be used on one of the boards. The pink and orange tablecloth I have stretched out in the photo is JUST barely big enough to cover the board; there can be no mistakes if i use it. I think it (and many of the others) will be a little tougher as they have obvious patterns which I’ll have to keep straight/centered.
I only did the one today as a test piece before the daily rain shower rolled in. The process was very easy, just like stretching canvas over a frame. I’m pleased with how this one came out and am looking forward to getting it up on the wall!