Huckleberry Finn: A 5-Minute Message Board

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"When he wants to send any little common ordinary mysterious message . . . 

 he can write it on the bottom of a tin plate with a fork and throw it out of the window."

Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn

Receiving and delivering messages around here is not our strong suit.  

When it comes to remembering and writing down information, my children have the attention spans of gnats.

But I'm at fault, too. 

I try to avoid listening to phone messages in the first place, much less writing them down.  I think it is my silent rebellion against the answering machine with its bossy flashing light telling me that there just might be something more important to attend to in my day than categorizing Pinterest boards.  

Pshaw.  As if.

But every time I see those cute fabric message boards with their crisscrossing ribbons and happy fabric, I wonder if there is a side to the message world that I haven't considered.

So this week I decided to swallow my pride, put my Pinterest boards on hold, and break out the glue gun. 

The only problem was that I literally had about five spare minutes to fiddle with this project.  I figured that if it was an utter disaster, I was only out 5 minutes, and I probably didn't need to organize my messages anyway.  Then again, if it was a smashing success, I had a completely legitimate reason for pinning my project (and 10,973 others while I was at it).

So off I went.

1. I removed the glass from an inexpensive 16x20 frame.  
2.  I then hot glued a rectangular scrap of quilt batting to the glass within 1/2 inch of the glass edges.  
3. I laid out a piece of fabric I had left over from my LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER and placed the batting face down on the fabric.  
4. I pulled the fabric tight and glued it on the backside of the glass.  
5. I strung the ribbons across the fabric and hot glued them on the back of the glass as well.
6. Finally, I CAREFULLY placed the glass back in its frame, replaced the back, and hung it on the mudroom wall.

WARNING:  If you are thinking of turning one of your own frames into a message board, USE THE CARDBOARD BACKING AS YOUR BASE for your batting, fabric and ribbons INSTEAD OF THE GLASS.  The glass seemed like a good idea in the beginning, but I wouldn't do it again.  It is simply too fragile and nerve wracking to work with when you have a tight fitting frame, one minute left on your project timer, and children who are using your kitchen/craft space for races.

I was reluctant at first, but I am now a card-carrying member of the Message Board Society.

And no kidding, all it took was 5 minutes.

It's not perfect.  It could probably use more measuring, less ribbon, and some blingy medallions for the crisscrosses, but at least it is a step toward being responsible message takers around here.

Feel free to call me so we can talk about it.

But I must warn you, I'll probably let the machine get your phone call while I get these pictures up on Pinterest.

So leave me a message.

You never know . . .  it just might end up on the board.

Sharing at . . .
Between Naps on the Porch
Homestories A to Z

Tip Junkie
Cedar Hill Ranch
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Southern Lovely