Pin it. Clip it.

I love Pinterest. It is a great way to organize and track your thoughts, but there is something about seeing it in front of you. I mean having something tangible that you can glance stare at all day. It gets in your head so you can see things more clearly and work through any issues. 

I found a piece of MDF at Habitat Restore for $2.50 and texted David that it was about the perfect size, but VERY heavy. He said go for it, hanging it wouldn't be too bad (more on hanging below) I also found trim at Habitat for about $1/ft (not as cheap as the MDF but still cheaper than buying new). So total spent on the board and trim was only $15!

The trim was at 45s with the chop saw, two coats of primer and two top coats were rolled on. 

We designed (in illustrator) and cut a stencil (with the silhouette cameo, we got ours from here) and painted with SW Ardent Coral. Stencil is now available in my Etsy shop, click here to view. 

and the next night, we cut out a greek key pattern for the corners and connected the straight lines with painter's tape. 

We attached the trim afterwards because it is easier to stencil to a level line than a raised edge (ie trim) 

We cut the trim so that it would sit on the board but overhang slightly (about .25") Since it sits flush against the wall this gives it a little dimension, and hides the MDF edge. To attach the trim, we drilled through the back with a drill bit that countersinks the hole so that the screw would sit flush with the board. From the back, we used 4 screws (making sure they weren't too long, don't want the screw to come all the way through the trim!) on the long side and 3 on the shorter. See that $2.50 price tag? I got lucky! 

I then picked up a few magnetic bulldog clips at wal-mart (4 for $1.88). A brilliant idea from this project at The Hunted Interior. 

We broke the magnet out (tapping with a screw and hammer from the back). and gave them (and a few screws) a few light coats of Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze. Clipping them to a paint stick is a good way so you can get all sides. 

We measured and installed them with a small bit. It's actually our small screwdriver for fixing sunglass arms. David popped off the end and it fit in the drill!

Finally, hanging it. Since the MDF was very heavy we used D-hooks from a kit like this and wall hangers like this. To be safe, we got supplies that were rated for 50 lb, when in doubt, always go higher! We centered the hangers on the credenza and so far, so good. No loud crashes! 

and that was it! I love the large scale, pop of small pattern with the larger greek key overlay! 

The orchid is from Trader Joes (hopefully I can keep it alive!)

I made the "For Like Ever" print and also framed one of my favorite recent photos of Annabelle. 

Using clips is a great way to avoid pin holes.

Price breakdown:

Wood, $15

Clips, about $6

paint already owned

Total: $21

and total time invested: Painting about 3 hours (could be avoided by not stenciling or using fabric) Construction, about 1.5 hours = 4.5 hours 

So, do you have a real pin board, or just Pinterest? I like having a digital place (check out my Pinterest boards here) for future ideas and things I want to store quickly and a tangible one for more immediate planning. 

The office is almost done! Just the desk (preview in this post), and a few more textiles! oh and also the Eames chairs, how could I almost forget those!

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Don't forget, today is the last day to enter last week's giveaway from Taylor's Eclectic