I got another craft project crossed off the list today. When my husband and I married almost 6 years ago, I moved into his home. I always love the idea of a large bulletin board in the kitchen of the house, and he had one that fit the bill. But, it is a little bland. So, for 6 years I have been meaning to add some sort of interest to it, and finally got it done today.
First, I'll say it stands across the hall from my large antique potato bin--so, I went with the potato theme, which fits a kitchen.
I measured the bulletin board, and went on the hunt to find a potato sack that would fit the board. I found one on e-bay that was a good size. It arrived today, and thankfully it didn't smell too bad. Often, burlap will have a smell and need to be aired out well, or cold water washed and drip dry, or even dusted with baking soda for a few days before you can work with it-but not this one.
I then took the bulletin board off the wall. I then discovered the frame on it could not be removed, so I couldn't do my original plan of removing the frame, adding the burlap and then re-framing it. So, I went to plan B.
I measured the inside of the board (inside the frame) twice, as my husbands motto is measure twice, cut once. I then cut the burlap bag, so that the back of the bag came off (saving it for a future project). Then I centered (best I could--when the bag was printed it wasn't quite center--it was made for hauling potatoes, not bulletin boards in a farm house...). I then laid it over the board and stretched it, and temporarily stapled it into place to hold it. Next, I took a butter knife and poked the edges under the wooden frame. Then I removed the staples, and put in new staples along the edge of the frame, where they can't be seen.
Then, I rehung it. So far I have only put the calendar back on it--it will fill up soon enough.
This is the potato bin across the hall from the board. I think it was probably made in the late 1800's. I bought it last fall at an antique store in the city. It is missing one size of tongue and grove which happens to be the same size of what is on our front porch, which we will be doing some repairs on when we get some warmer weather. So, I can fix that with the wood we remove from the porch, and I have enough of the green stain left to make it match.
Monday we used a carrot for something, and I saved the top. The two preschoolers like doing this. I put the top in a jar with a small amount of water, then placed it in a sunny window. (You have to keep an eye on the water-don't let it go dry). In a few days you will start to see growth on the top, and depending on the carrot variety, it may grow up to a foot tall. It is rather lacy and pretty to look at, and the little ones like checking its progress.
Inexpensive homeschooling fun and learning! This makes a good science project for preschoolers or kindergartners--to see what fruits and vegetables this will work for, and which it doesn't.
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