Ballard 'Burlap Message Board' Knock-Off Tutorial

 I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday. 

Ours was filled with family, friends, and lots of travel. We had a wonderful time, but we are definitely glad to be back on a schedule. 

We started school yesterday, and it's nice to have the whole day planned out. 

We took the entire month of December off because we started school so early, so there wasn't any rhyme or reason to most days before Christmas...just maxin' and relaxin'. 

Since I had so much time on my hands, I was able to get a few projects knocked out.

Outside of being a full-time stay at home mom, I am also a licensed hair stylist. I have a little spot set up in the laundry room with a shampoo sink, and I occasionally get to use my stylist skills.

I am in the process of getting my laundry room turned into an "at-home" salon. My goal is to make it look less like a laundry room and more like a salon...however, the big fat washer and dryer still make it look like one;-)

Budget and time are big factors right now, so I can't do the major renovations I want to do, so I have been doing small projects to make the space a little more decorated.

I am really excited to share with you one of my latest projects. 

It's a Burlap Message Board.

I found my inspiration from the Ballard Designs catalog.

(photo source)

This project took around an hour, and I will have to say, I couldn't believe how easy it was.

And, it was super cheap!

Are you interested in making one for yourself?

Here are the supplies you need:

Cork board(found mine at a yard sale for $2)

Quilt batting(had some on hand)

Burlap(purchased mine from Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupon)

Brass Tacks(they were $1.99 at Hobby Lobby)

scissors

hammer

low temp glue gun(a must!!)

glue sticks

picture hanger for back

I loved the little gold flecks in this burlap. 

If I spot something sparkly, it usually ends up in the cart:-)

Let's get started!

You want to wrap the batting along the front of the cork board.

You'll flip it over, and glue the batting to the sides of the frame.

 It should look a little something like this when you are finished.

 Trim the excess batting all the way down to the frame. You won't want the extra bulk when wrapping the burlap.

 Next, lay the board on top of the burlap. 

 This process is similar to recovering a cushion on a chair. You will start on one side and glue the burlap down to the back of the frame(not the sides, like the batting). This is why you definitely want a low temp glue gun. Your fingers will thank you!!

Once you have one side glued down, then you will glue the opposite side, making sure to pull tightly.

Repeat on all sides.

 Your corners will be sticking up, so just put a glob of glue in the corner and mash.

Make sure it's LOW TEMP or you will burn your fingers to bits.

 When all sides and corners are glued down, you should have something that looks like this.

 Next come the tacks. I measured here and there, but they are by no means perfect.

 I measured just enough so that they wouldn't be too wonky.

Just start hammering away until you get the desired look.

 The last step is to add the picture hanger on the back. You will definitely want a more precise measurement for this step so that it will hang level.

And this is the end result!

I love the result, and it does a great job in covering two massive holes in the wall that will be fixed...someday:-)

Let me know if you decide to make one too. I'd love to see what you come up with!

Tweet

Ballard Knock Off-Corday Accordian Drying Rack

Happy Monday morning to you all! I trust that you all have almost wrapped things up with your Christmas shopping, and are completely relaxed and ready for the big holiday approaching...HA! Funny, right?:o)

Anyway, as promised, I am sharing my Ballard Designs knock off that has been hanging on my wall for months.

 There is NO tutorial on this. Sorry girls. 

I found this drying rack at a yard sale last summer for $5...not in it's current state, mind you. 

And I apologize that I do not have a before picture. 

It is made of pine and at one time was probably part of a home filled with country blues and pinks that we all loved so dearly....20 years ago.

When I saw the Accordian Drying rack from Ballard, I kept trying to figure out how in the world I could get the hubs to construct it for less. It just seemed like too much work, but I knew that I wouldn't be forking over the $199-$269 that they cost.

So I just resigned myself to the fact that I would never have one.

Photo Credit

You can only imagine my excitement when I came across the drying rack for 5 bucks! We already had bead board and hooks on hand. 

I took the shelf apart and the hubs used his jig saw and cut bead board to fit the back of the shelf. I spray painted the whole thing, and then he added the hooks.

I am so glad that I found this piece and it has been perfect for air drying the kids clothes and a few of mine. 

  

 So for now, the laundry room is finished. Someday we plan to put up bead board on the walls...another project for another year:o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Participating in:

Tweet

Guest Posting over at Infarrantly Creative

Hey Guys! Just wanted to give you a heads up. I am guest posting over at Infarrantly Creative today. I made a knock off version of Ballard Designs' Pruvost Plaque.

To see how I made it, head on over and check it out!!

Tweet