When I lost a friend of mine this past April, I decided to make a memory board to honor her beauty and tireless spirit. Memory boards are a great way to keep cherished memories alive and proudly display your loved one’s accomplishments, passions, ideas and gorgeous, unforgettable personality.
So, what exactly is a memory board?
A memory board is like a scrapbook for your walls, gathering together and displaying photos and other mementos. It is a fabric-covered bulletin board, laced across with ribbon to help hold precious memories without damaging them. Rather than buying a pre-made memory board from a store, DIY memory boards are customizable to a room’s decor or a love one’s personality, and are all the more special because YOU made them for someone you LOVE.
Things You’ll Need:
• Cork board
• Cotton batting
• Fabric
• Staple gun
• Staples
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Screw eyes
• Picture wire
• Pictures and mementos of your loved one
Directions:
- Cut the sheet of cork board into any size and shape you would like. Stick with an ordinary rectangle for a simple design, or cut out a star, heart or even a cloud shape instead. Use a circular saw for simple cuts or a jigsaw to cut more elaborate shapes.
- Cut the cotton batting to the same size as the cork board. Apply a little glue from the hot glue gun all over the cork board and press the cotton batting down over top.
- Lay out the fabric flat on your work surface and place the cork board on top with the batting side facing downward.
- Bring the edges of the fabric upward and onto the back of the cork board. Pull firmly to remove wrinkles in the fabric.Use a staple gun to stable the fabric to the cork board. Space the staples about 1-inch apart, making sure that the fabric remains taut as you work.
- Cut several pieces of ribbon, each long enough to reach diagonally across the cork board and wrap around to the back. Add the ribbon to the board in any design you would like. The classic design is criss-crossing the ribbon. To do this, start by making an “X” that runs from one corner to another. Staple the ribbon ends in place against the back of the board.
- Install screw eyes or other hardware and use picture wire to hang the memory board.
Tips:
- Attach additional embellishments by sewing small decorative buttons at each ribbon intersection.
- If you want to make a lighter board, use pre-stretched canvas instead of cork board. Proceed in the same way as with plywood but omit the batting. Staple the fabric directly onto the canvas’s wooden frame.
- You can replace the ribbon with colored elastic and use the elastics to hold mail and other important papers.
We’d love to see your beautiful DIY memory boards! If you’d like to share with us, please email vivian@toodamnyoung.com!
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