Memo Board Organization

It is the start of a new year and everyone is talking about organization. From the kitchen to the laundry to the bathroom...just pick a room and get started...

Easier said than done, right?

I think the best place to start would be the area(s) that drive you the most crazy. For me, this was the kitchen counter! It is the dumping ground for receipts, coupons, schoolwork, mail, bills, etc. and it was driving me crazy. A woman needs her space in her kitchen. Having a nice open workspace makes you more motivated to use it for what it's intended for...making meals for your growing family! When your kitchen space is dirty and messy, you don't feel like starting dinner because the thought of cleaning before you can start makes you want to order in, which isn't always an option if you're on a budget.

So I have been seeing memo boards everywhere. They are priced around $25 each in stores. I decided to make one for much less. The best part about this is that you can pick out any fabric and ribbon you want and totally customize it!

You'll need:



Wrapped canvas (mine is 16 x 20).

Batting (the $5 bag  will be enough for at least 6-8 boards).

FABRIC  I used 5/8 yard for a 16 x 20 canvas

Ribbon

Jewels/buttons to embellish the corners

Steps:

1. Cut batting to size of your canvas

2. Lay fabric face down

3. Center batting on fabric

4. Lay canvas face down on top of batting.

5. Wrap fabric around canvas, pulling tightly and stapling as you go. In my picture you'll see a regular stapler, but a staple gun works much better.

Turn it over and admire yourcraftiness...

6. decide you how far apart you want to place your ribbon, lay it in place, then staple it onto the back to keep in place.

7. Hot glue your embellishments into the corners where the ribbon meets.



This one is hanging in my dining room where I usually sit down to plan my grocery shopping, clip my coupons, pay bills, help with homework, answer the phone, open mail, etc. so I think it's perfect! I happened to have fabric on hand from a previous table runner I made last spring.

Here is my kitchen counter space that is thanking me right now! Lucky for me, I didn't take a "before" pic, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I tell you that I could hardly see the counter!



The other area that needed some organization is the girls' hair accessories in the bathroom. I make flower bows so we have a small collection of those growing. We also have bottlecap bows, headbands, you name it!  I took my youngest to Hobby Lobby and helped her pick out a cute girls fabric since this is for her room. This one went much quicker since I'd already made one.



I filled it up very quickly...I think we might need a bigger one!

So now my oldest wants one for her room too to display her sports awards and pictures. So I'm thinking another trip to the craft store is in my near future!

My cost for these projects:

2 canvases ( they came in a 2-pack)...$8

Batting...$5

Fabric...5/8yard was $3.50. I already had fabric for one of the boards.

Ribbon...$4.00 for 2 spools..if you're very crafty, you might have ribbon on hand, but I don't have a huge ribbon supply.

My total for both of these memo boards was $20, so I was able to make 2 for less than the price of 1 in the stores! Not too shabby!