Day 15 of 31: Re-imagine

Sometimes what worked perfectly in a previous home just doesn't work technically in a new home.

A few years ago, I made two linen pin boards...one as an inspiration board in my creative space and another for hanging necklaces in my closet.

Our old closet had built in shelving, and I cut the pin board to size in order to fit it tightly in place in the back of one of the shelves. In front of it stood my jewelry box, so it was quite convenient for getting ready in the morning.

Our house here has only a bit of wire shelving above the clothes rods...so I was at a loss on how and where to place my necklace board...and as a result, the beginning of the summer I spent necklace-less. Out of sight, out of mind.

I thought I'd share today an easy DIY project for the linen pin boards and show you my jewelry board with its location re-imagined, hanging like a picture on our closet wall.

You'll need:

1 sheet of foamcore, cut to desired size
enough linen or other fabric to cover the foamcore
batting by the yard, again to cover foamcore
regular stapler
decorative stick pins, I love these by Maya Road
ribbon for hanging
scissors
needle & thread

1. Unroll batting and place the foamcore in the center, with enough batting on each edge to fold over onto the back. Open the stapler (as you would if you were stapling a bulletin board) and staple the batting into the foam core about two inches from each edge, spacing staples a few inches apart, or as needed to prevent gapping of the batting. Trim excess batting about 3/4 of an inch from the staples.

2. Using the same technique as with the batting, place the covered board batting-side down on top of your fabric. Fold fabric around the board and allow fabric to extend beyond the stapled batting on the back.  Pull fabric taut and staple the fabric into the foamcore. You may need to occasionally staple the fabric and batting areas.

I stapled the long sides of the boards first, then the short sides. Try to eliminate any unnecessary batting and fabric in the corners, so that the back of the board can lay as flat as possible.

3. At this point, if you're placing the pinboard in between shelves, you're done! Put some pins in (at an angle) and hang your jewelry!

In our new closet, there is about four feet of space between our door and a window on the wall adjacent to the closet door. I decided that it was the best location for the pinboard.

I found a wide, sage-colored grosgrain ribbbon in my ribbon collection and stitched each end of the ribbon to the fabric on the back of the board. There was already a nail in the wall at the perfect height, so I folded the center of the ribbon twice (so the ribbon would be supported well and so it would hang nicely) and placed it over the nail.

It still looked unfinished, so I took each end of the ribbon and made a loose knot right above the board and then tucked the ends of the ribbon into the fold of fabric.

I'll be honest...I prefer my board tucked into my old shelves...it had a built-in look to it. But in this home, a slightly-less perfect spot still offers a solution for my necklace storage.

What do you have that needs to be re-imagined?

~This is Day 15 of 31 Days. You can find all posts in the series here 31 Days of Making this House our Home.