One of the projects I was busily wrapping up in my office/guest room last weekend was this totally re-done picture frame corkboard:
like night and day!
I hung the glossy-white-burlap-covered-goodness on the wall, and after gazing at it for a moment or two I thought to myself,
Self, you can’t just put a tear sheet up on that cute thing with just any ol’ thumbtack! That would be heresy and defeat the purpose of prettifying that corkboard!
My eyes settled on a long-ignored tub sitting on my stuffed to the gills and cluttered bookshelf [note to self: purge and organize said bookshelf] and the lightbulb went off: button thumbtacks!
You see, a few years ago I was really into making rings out of vintage buttons I would find at thrift shops and antique stores (or gifted from super thoughtful friends like The Girl). I wore them all the time and frequently gave them to friends for birthdays and whatnot. That craftiness, like many other noble quests of mine, fell by the wayside long ago… BUT, lucky for this project, I still had a slew of cool buttons stashed on the bookshelves, ready to add some blinga-blinga to the new corkboard.
STEP 1: Gather supplies
Luckily I had all the supplies I needed right at my fingertips:
- Cool buttons (preferably plastic – affixing metal to metal is not easy)
- Flat-headed thumbtacks
- Button shank cutter (it cuts off the “loop” on the back of some buttons)
- Superglue
getting ready for the project
STEP 2: Prep for gluing
First, I picked out the buttons I wanted to use for this project, and then proceeded to cut the shank off of those buttons that had it. Now they’re ready for gluing.
The flat-backed thumbtacks I happened to have on-hand had colored plastic covers on them. So, I used the button shank cutter to bend back the edges of the plastic and remove the covers so they were totally brass-colored.
covers removed
STEP 3: Glue away!
Turning the buttons pretty side down, I squeezed out a blob of superglue onto the backs of the buttons and placed the thumbtacks smack in the center. Make sure you let them dry all the way!!! – don’t get impatient! I would probably allow 4-5 hours until you try to stick them on your corkboard.
drying future thumbtacks!
STEP 4: Use and enjoy
Stick those button thumbtacks up on your corkboard and you’re set! No unsightly circus-colored thumbtacks to be seen!
perfect!
just what the corkboard ordered!
Seriously folks, this little project (not counting the drying) took all of 10 minutes. And what a difference it made!
How about you? Any easy – but big impact – projects you’ve done recently? I’d love to hear!
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Super cute – love the corkboard and the thumbtacks. Might have to take something like this on once I’ve made the old boarded-up window (yeah, don’t ask… you’ll understand once you’ve seen [hint hint] the house) in our office into my own corkboard. Was just asking my dad earlier this week for some instructions. Seems like it’s a project on the brain for a lot of us!
Love, love, love the button thumbtacks! Definitely copying this idea!
such a cute way to dress up an already fab cork board!
This is such a cute idea! I’ve got a tone of spare buttons left over from clothes I don’t wear anymore, and this would be a good way to use them.
Great project! If you want to save a step, they actually sell the thumbtack backs in the jewelry section of most craft stores. They usually come in sets paired with a backer (for lapel pins or something?)but they have a large, round, flat top perfect for gluing things onto and a very pointy, sharp end!
I glued pearl beads onto these pins to use as custom thumbtacks for a memory board at my wedding last winter.
Anne – that is a great resource! If only I had had some on hand…they would have been perfecto and certainly saved me some time. And I bet your pearly thumbtacks were just the cutest. Thanks for saying hi!
That was a brilliant read,I count on many more post from you.
That was a awesome post,You gain knowledge of new stuff every day.
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