31 January 2011

ClothesPin Organizer/Art Gallery/Message Center/...

I went to a Girls' Night Crafting Party last year, and one of the ladies brought this neat little organizer.  She explained to me how to make it, and it was really easy, but so cute.  She made hers for her daughter to show off her artwork, but mine is for making me more organized...hopefully.  (But I do have my baby's first coloring attempts hanging there at the end.  Just a couple of days ago, she figured out coloring, and she LOVES it!)


I don't have any pictures from making it, but it's so simple you don't need them.

You will need:
a 2x4 of whatever length you want your organizer to be
cute cloth to cover it
some clothespins (the kind with hinges)
glue or Modge Podge (I just used regular ol' Elmers)
a junk one inch wide paintbrush to spread out the glue
small nails (two per clothespin)
maybe a drill
hammer
picture hanging supplies


Take the 2x4 and coat it with glue or Modge Podge.

Position the fabric on top and press it on.  Be sure to get rid of any bubbles caught under the fabric.  Fold it around the ends like you are wrapping a Christmas present.  (The glue will probably soak through the fabric, so be careful to not glue your project to the table.  Or your lap.  Yes, I made mine on my lap while I watched a movie with my family.)

Coat the outside with glue, too.  I like the nice, slightly shiny finish the glue gives, it protects the fabric from jelly-covered fingers, and fabric just looks different when the glue soaks through, so this way those spots blend in.

While that's drying, take apart the clothespins.  You'll probably want to drill small holes (to fit the nails) into the clothespins so that they don't split when you hammer the nails in.

When the glue is dry, attach the picture hanging hardware of your choice to the back.  (My husband did this step for me after the clothespins were attached...It's easier before.)

Position the clothespins where you want them to be and nail them in place.  I used two nails per clothespin so that they couldn't spin around to random angles.

Put the clothespins back together.  Now you're done!  That was easy.

Now mine is hung up in my almost-finished kitchen.  Hurray!

5 comments:

  1. this is a really cute idea!

    I am stopping by from TGC Would love to have you take a look at my project, too : )

    http://xsurvivingmotherhoodx.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. I saw this referenced on another blog. I'm going to use the idea for my appointments. Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I LOVE this!! I wanna do it!!

    P.S. your dry erase calendar turned out great too!

    Chrissy @ ForMamas

    ReplyDelete

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