making and remaking :: a memo board redux

I found this board in the trash.  I know, I know, probably gross, right?  But it was freshly thrown out, sitting on top of some cardboard and far from gross things.  So I picked it up, brought it in, and forgot about it.

But then I quit one of my three (very part time) jobs because I wasn't getting any hours (as in, five or fewer).  This came after my full-time at one job was reduced to half, meaning I went from forty-plus hours a week at work to right about thirty, tops.  So I cleaned, and I found the little board tucked behind the shelf with all my fabric.

Here's how it started:

Cute, yes, but definitely not my style.  There were soft pink grosgrain ribbons, too, but I forgot to photograph the board before I tore them off.  I began to peel the backing off, then the fabric, using my craft knife whenever the glue would not come undone.  It was a mess.

Upon removing the paper and fabric, my first thought was "Ah! So that's how they make these!" followed by "I could totally do that right now if I had some foam and a thin sheet of wood," which I have every intention of doing.

I then pulled out a strip of fabric cut from an adorable bed sheet I found for a dollar at Peddler's Mall.  I love this print and want to cover a million things with it, but anyway.  I learned this: cut the fabric so only an inch overlaps on the back of the board, or you'll end up wasting fabric and glue.  Also, cut a little square out of the corners before you try to glue the sides down--it's so very much easier.

Keeping the lace "ribbons" attached was a nightmare.  I don't have a staple gun (here), ran out of sticks for my hot glue gun, and completely used up my bottle of tacky glue while putting the fabric on.  So I used a regular stapler, which will hold for now.  I'll take it up to Louisville with me later this week and fix it at my parents' house.  Still, the back of the thing was terribly ugly.  There were scraps of paper I couldn't get off and tacky glue dries clear but kind of glossy.  To remedy this situation, I pulled out the roll of wallpaper, which has been the best dollar spent on craft supplies ever, that I used on my headboard and some fall decorations that I apparently never photographed (boo!).  It's uneven underneath, but it looks oh-so-much-better.  The front is what gets seen, anyway.

This is definitely much better.  

Now, where should I put it?

I'm linking up to The Girl Creative, so there's a button in this post again.  I'm trying  to find ways to actually share my projects in places where they'll be seen--is that silly?  I don't think so.  I'd like to know if anyone else likes these things.  Do you mind the extra buttons?  I hope not.

I also have to share what I just found, from the blogger who posted her project right before mine.  It's a Millennium Falcon cake.  My nerdy heart screamed in delight, and I think my sister-in-law must make this for some occasion some time, since I have never successfully baked a cake.