pinterest – Page 6 – emerald city diaries

my weekend in pictures.

{woke up friday morning to a double rainbow. so beautiful!}

{my first time making baked potatoes in the crock pot. success! wash potatoes, wrap in foil, set crock pot on low, & cook for 8 hours. aaron wanted the skin crispy so he put a little oil on the skins & put them in the toaster oven.}

{my calendar at work. yes, tgif!}

{3-person carpools: one of the many reasons we take the bus to work.}

{yay, pumpkins at the store. happy fall!}

{i need a bang trim.}

{aaron ran (& survived) tough mudder with his brother & some friends on saturday.}

{two ferraris valeted at the westin in bellevue. no big deal.}

{on sunday we took my grandmother to yogurtland for the first time. she was literally a kid in a candystore, you should have seen her bee-line for the candy toppings!}

{i got caught up on a few of my magazine subscriptions. yep, that is still the vogue september issue that i haven’t gone thru & i already have the october issue.}

{perusing my food pinterest board for recipes for dinner this week.}

{we celebrated sadie’s birthday on sunday & boy was she spoiled: a new squeaky toy, a big bone, & a birthday cookie!}

how was your weekend?

the big kitchen reveal.

this is the post that you have all been waiting for: the big reveal!

i have shown you the kitchen updates in pieces, but it looks so great when its all put together.

in case you missed the updates, here are links: painting cabinets, painting backsplash tile, painting counter, & roman shade.

{a reminder of where we came from.}

{sorry in advance for the dark pictures. when we had lots of sun in seattle, the kitchen was still a mess. naturally, as soon as i was ready to take pictures, the rain came.}

crazy, huh? it is amazing what a couple of coats (okay, a lot of coats) of paint can do to a space. when we first bought the house, we thought we would have to eventually gut & remodel the entire kitchen (including taking out the pantry). but, after seeing it, i think we may be able to replace the countertops & the appliances. {sidenote: i didn’t like the appliances when we first moved in, but come to find out, older appliances work amazingly! despite not getting consistent temperatures in our oven, i can get boiling water in two minutes!} also, we are thinking of eventually replacing our kitchen table with a kitchen island (since we have a table out in our dining room).

i also added a bit of art to our kitchen walls. i really loved the idea of framing vintage flashcards into sayings {see here} but i was too lazy (& cheap!) to find all the flashcards i would have needed. so, i decided to diy it. i also couldn’t find red frames either, so i diy-ed those too by spray painting white target frames red.

to make the flashcards, i just typed out the phrases i wanted, printed them out on resume paper, cut into long rectangles, & rounded the corners. then i glued the “flashcards” onto white cardstock.

i would love to hear your thoughts about our new kitchen. is your mind blown? (mine is.) it doesn’t even look like the same room. i can’t believe it every time i walk into the kitchen. it is so much more light & airy.

i still need to add some more color back in, as well as find new kitchen lights (aaron & i both hate the track lights that are currently in there). future plans: globe pendant lights, brightly colored rug(s), fresh flowers, colorful trivet.

what have you updated lately? have you ever thought of painting your kitchen?

kitchen mini-blind update (or pinspiration: no sew roman shade)

the most recent update to the kitchen was to change the face of the mini-blinds. we have mini-blinds all over our house, including on our kitchen window {obviously}, but the truth is i really hate mini-blinds. we had them on our living room windows until we put up the curtains & i had aaron take them down about six seconds after the curtains were up! we also have mini-blinds in both our bedroom & the office, but until i find curtains or another window covering, those will be staying put. unfortunately.

but, more about the mini-blinds in the kitchen. we really don’t need a window covering at all since privacy isn’t an issue & we get lots of morning sun into the kitchen via the window. i would hate to put something on the window that would prevent the sunshine from filling the room, but since the mini-blinds were already there, i decided i would try to spruce them up a bit {& if that didn’t work, i would just take them down & leave the window bare}.

i had heard about being able to make a roman shade from mini-blinds months ago, & i found this tutorial floating around pinterest.

{the original tutorial: no sew roman shade from a mini blind.}

i also found this image on pinterest around the same time i found the tutorial & knew that black & white stripes would look great in our now-grey & white kitchen. i also liked that the stripes are vertical.

{image via}

supplies:

mini-blinds
scissors
glue (i used fabri-tac)
fabric (amount depends – you will need about 2 inches longer on all sides than your blinds)
iron (optional, but it would be difficult to iron your fabric after it is attached to the blind)
ruler or measuring tape
washers (optional. i used one on each string to help me not have to tie such huge knots)
needle-nose pliers (optional, but i found them helpful to undo the original knots)
masking tape (optional, but i used it to hold down the string while measuring)

this project was pretty simple & only took a few hours. just be sure you have a big table or do this on the floor (i opted for the table plus the ironing board since i didn’t want dog hair all over the fabric!). i followed the tutorial & only had to improvise when re-tying the knots at the bottom of the blinds.

first i had aaron help me take down the mini-blind from the window & i laid it on the table. i took off the long, skinny wand that makes the blinds turn up & down (you won’t need that anymore). i also should have dusted or cleaned the blinds, but i didn’t.

then i untied the knots below on the ladder string & clipped the string from above too. {the ladder string – this is what i am calling it since it looks like a ladder – is the one that holds the blinds & turns them, not the one that pulls them up & down.}

once the top & bottom were free, i just pulled on the ladder string & cut each little “ladder” section.

i decided to keep five blind slats for the roman shade.

i spaced each blind slat seven inches apart, starting from the top.

i taped down the ends of the string so they would stay still as i measured where each slat would go. be sure that you have enough string at the end to tie knots to re-secure the slats. i put the tape right at seven inches so i would be ready for the next step.

when i got to the bottom, it was time to re-secure the end of the blind (that i had taken off in the beginning). i put it up on its side right against the tape (so it would be at seven inches) & began my knot tying.

i ended up finishing the knot later in the project (you can see the fabric is already on) but i essentially used the washer in order to not have to tie an enormous knot. then i kind of stuck the washer into the bottom of the blind.

{black & white stripey fabric from this etsy store.}

i measured the fabric so that each side was two inches longer than the blinds, cut the fabric, & ironed it. then i ironed half-inch seams on all four sides. {sidenote: i originally planned to sew the seams because i thought it would look nicer, but because of the two-color fabric, you would have been able to see the seam.}

{fabri-tac. this glue is great because it is very quick drying & clear.}

finally, i laid the blinds over the fabric, re-measured the seven inches between each blind slat, & glued each slat down to the fabric (put glue on the rounded side of the blind). let the glue dry before hanging; i waited a couple of hours just to be sure.

then re-hang your blind & admire. i sort of like the look of some folds in the fabric, so i didn’t pull the blinds all the way to the top.

even though these roman shades didn’t add much color to the kitchen, i love the simpleness & whimsy they bring to the space.

this is the last post before i reveal the entire kitchen, so definitely stay tuned.

do you have mini-blinds you don’t like? would you consider converting them to roman shades?

kitchen counter update.

the last major update to the kitchen was to the laminate countertops. as much as we loved the salmon pink color of those counters, we knew the color had to go. since we didn’t want to make a huge investment into replacing counters yet, i decided to try a new paint by rust-oleum that is meant to resurface laminate counters. there is no sanding, priming, or sealing & for about $25 it seemed like an easy decision.

supplies:

cleaner (i used fantastik degreaser)
rust-oleum countertop coating (home depot or lowe’s)
paint tray
smooth paint roller (i used a leftover roller from painting the cabinets)
paint brush
paint thinner (i didn’t have this but highly recommend it to clean your brush)
painter’s tape
painter’s paper (optional)

{the basic supplies}

{we decided on grey mist for our counters. it seems a little bit lighter in person than that little swatch.}

first, i taped & papered the door trim, tops of appliance, anything i didn’t want paint on. i didn’t tape off the tile because when we took out the old caulking, it left me just enough space under the tile to get a paint brush. {sidenote: if you get this paint on tile, immediately remove it with a wet papertowel or rag, or else it won’t come off!}

then, i began painting the edges of the counter with the paint brush. i then moved onto painting the rest of the counter with the roller brush. {sidenote: i recommend using a paint brush as little as possible with this paint because it leaves brush marks. also, i found painting in small sections helped: paint a foot or so of the edge of the counter with a brush, switch to roller & paint the rest of that counter section, move onto the next section & begin with brush, etc.}

i ended up doing just two coats, letting the first coat dry 24 hours before beginning the second. then, the paint needs 3 full days to fully cure.

i am pleasantly surprised with the finish as it is really smooth & even. there are a few places where you can see brushstrokes, or where something stuck to the paint & dried, but all-in-all i am really happy. this countertop paint is a really great & economical way to update & change the color of your laminate countertops.

{we also began the caulking process once the counter was dry. this was sort of a fail & we still need to caulk under the tiles.}

stay tuned next week for a total kitchen reveal! it is really amazing how much a few coats of paint have completely transformed our kitchen.

are you looking to upgrade your countertops? have you considered painting them (if they are laminate)?

disclaimer: i was not paid by rust-oleum for this post. i used its new countertop coating product & was happy with the results.

pinspiration: hanging jewelry storage.

here is another project that has been done for some time, but i have been delinquent about posting…

when we moved in – which was ten weeks ago! – i didn’t unpack my jewelry right away. in fact, it sat in the bags & boxes i had packed it in for weeks. weeks! i have a pretty good sized jewelry box that holds earrings (that is basically all that is in it), but nothing to hold bracelets, bangles, necklaces, etc. i knew i didn’t want to unpack & have it be a mess, so i waited.

then i found some inspiration on pinterest. {surprise, surprise!} i fell in love & knew this is exactly what i wanted to do. it was simple, but also displayed jewelry like art. perfect!

{the image is originally from bhg.com}

i was a bit bummed when the link from pinterest was just a bunch of images on another blogger’s website. i even enlisted aaron to help me search for the original image online. we ended up finding that the source was better homes & gardens, but it was just an image, no tutorial. sadly for you, this is also not really a tutorial post as aaron really ended up doing the work on this project. i can, however, walk you thru his process.

supplies:

frame(s)
plywood
paper to cover the plywood (or you could paint it instead)
knobs
dremel tool
washers
heavy duty glue
ribbon
craft glue

i bought three frames: the two rectangular ones to hold necklaces & the oval one to hold earrings. the oval frame is from this etsy store & the other two frames are from the goodwill (you will likely have to dig a bit, like i did).

first, i took apart the frames. i didn’t need the glass, or the frame backs, just the frame. then, i spray painted the smaller rectangular frame with chalkboard spray paint. {sidenote: i realize that i won’t be able to write on the frame, but i like the matte black color of chalkboard paint.}

after the paint was dry, aaron took over. i will do the best i can to summarize what he told me he did. {sidenote: aaron’s work was on the two rectangular frames, the oval frame was all me & i will describe that process below.}

first, he cut plywood pieces to fit inside of the frames. then, i glued paper onto the front of the plywood with craft glue. both pieces of paper are from michael’s; the big frame’s paper is just cardstock that looks almost like a brown paperbag & the small frame’s paper is white with dark grey cursive writing.

after the glue had dried, aaron worked his magic. i bought ceramic knobs from anthro; two for the small frame & three for the big. {sidenote: knobs from anthro are a bit pricey, but i figured since i got such a great deal on the frames, i could splurge a little on the knobs.} aaron drilled holes into the plywood for each knob. i decided i wanted them centered in the frame, but you could also put them up towards the top too. then, he had to cut down the metal rods that extend out the back of the knobs (what are they called?) with the dremel so they were flush with the back of the plywood. he used big washers (about as big as the knobs) to help keep the knobs in place, along with a nut, & then he added heavy duty glue to the end of the metal rod where it met the plywood.

it was a bit of a process & one that aaron probably doesn’t want to repeat, but it was so worth it. take a look…

the oval frame, as i mentioned above, was going to hold earrings, so the process was different. obviously knobs are not the most effective method for hanging earrings, so i used ribbon instead.

i took the back off of the frame & removed the glass. then i covered the back with paper (the same paper i used for the big frame above). i cut lengths of ribbon & laid them across the frame back & then glued the ends to the back of the frame with craft glue. i didn’t do perfectly straight lines because (1) it was easier to do diagonals because the frame was oval, and (2) i thought it might be good for different earring lengths. once i was done with the ribbon, i just put the back back into the frame.

{my jewelry all organized. i am in desperate need of a mirror for above the dresser, but i think i may be getting a new dresser in the near future since i am too short to see the top of it. {hence, why the frames are on the sides of the dresser & not above it.) sad, i know. so, i am hoping to find a shorter dresser that will give me as much storage space & then find a fun mirror for it.}

how do you store your jewelry?

pinspiration: wine box garden.

this is a bit of a belated post, especially since it was completed back in may!, but better late than never, right?

as soon as we moved into our house i knew i wanted some kind of a garden. since i didn’t want to take on too much (like building raised garden beds), a small herb garden seemed fitting for our first garden. especially since i am not exactly known for having a green thumb.

almost as soon as i pinned this idea on pinterest, my friend amanda commented that she had two wine boxes that would be perfect for the project. i knew it was meant to be!

{the original tutorial link: diy wine box vegetable garden.}

supplies:

wine box(es)
dirt
seeds or plants
drill for making draining holes
1×2 & screws if you want legs
cork, sharpie, & bamboo skewer if you want to make signs

the wine boxes that amanda gave me were gorgeous. they were high quality & already had the dividers inside. my dad added the wooden legs by screwing on pieces of a 1×2 (i think) & then snapping off the end of the top screw so that i wouldn’t cut myself when i was planting. my mom drilled a couple of drainage holes in each section as well.

my mom & i decided the best place to put the garden boxes was over on the side yard (east of the house). here, it would get sun & rain, but not be in the way (like they would have been on the porch, which was the original spot for them).

we filled the boxes up with dirt, & then planted seeds for basil & baby greens, & plants for thyme & chives. we also added a rosemary plant in a separate planter as it was too big for the wine box.

i had some corks lying around from our wedding (we used them in our centerpieces & in the bulletin board my mom made for our seating chart) & we used those for marking the different herbs. i used a (purple) sharpie marker to write what the name of the herb was, & then we stuck the cork onto a bamboo skewer, & then stuck the skewer into the dirt near the plant.

{left box from l to r: thyme plant, basil seeds, chive plants. right box: baby greens seeds.}

it has been really fun to have our own herb garden & be able to use the herbs in our cooking. it is so much cheaper to grow an herb plant than to buy the cut herbs at the store. i think next year i will also add parsley to the mix.

{those tiny little green leaves are my basil plants! once they start growing more, i will have to thin them out.}

{the chives are flowering!}

{the baby greens!}

do you have a garden – herb, veggie, fruit, or otherwise? what is your choice of planter?

a test case: the entryway.

our entryway is small & dark, but takes care of the basics of housing a doormat & a few hooks for coats.

i wanted to jazz the space up a bit by adding some color on the wall, a little artwork, & a few hooks. at some point in the future we would like to add a light in this space, but there is no electrical in the room, so a light will have to wait.

{this is the best & only picture of the entryway before i got my hands on it.}

some of my inspiration came totally from my own head. i adore chalkboard paint & pretty much like to use it wherever i can. i loved the idea of having a chalkboard wall (you know, floor to ceiling) but there just didn’t seem to be a good space in our house for it. until i started brainstorming for the entryway. yep, it is covered in chalkboard paint. you may be thinking that i am crazy for wanting to paint such a small space with no light a dark color. you are right, i was probably a little crazy, but the great news is that the room really isn’t too dark, even with the nearly black walls.

the bad news {isn’t there always bad news?} is that i really didn’t consider how messy a chalkboard wall would be. i think all of that creativity got in the way of reality. so, i may eventually try to add some kind of board & batten wall treatment in order to keep that chalk dust at bay.

my other inspiration is actually a pinspiration.

{see original post here}

i love this simple, clean look of empty frames. i was able to find a few fun frames from etsy, but am still on the hunt for a few more. i also originally planned to paint the frames white like in the pinspiration photo, but i sort of liked the original frame color & decided to keep it until i added more frames. i am also sort of loving the idea of painting the frames gold.

so without further adieu, our entryway:

{my welcome sign in fauxligraphy & frames. that little teeny white dot next to the lower frame is actually a magnet. i painted a couple coats of magnetic primer underneath the chalkboard paint so the middle of the walls are a teeny bit magnetic.}

{two sets of hooks for aaron & me. i added a framed chalkboard mirror on this wall too.}

i did actually paint chalkboard paint in the entire little room, even above the doorways, to be consistent because it is unlikely we would ever write anything that high. although my friend amanda suggested that i write something way up high that is semi-permanent. i am still thinking about that. i seasoned the walls by rubbing them with the side of a jumbo piece of chalk. then i wiped the walls with a damp cloth many, many times to try to remove the excess chalk & help with the messiness. the purpose of seasoning a chalkboard is so that when you go to write or draw on it, whatever you write or draw won’t become permanent {well, permanent in that you will always be able to see it even after it is erased}. i am torn about the seasoning of the walls; i am glad i did so that we can erase things, but i am sad i did because (a) seasoning with the chalk is what is making the walls so messy, & (b) i wasn’t tall enough (& was too lazy to get a ladder or chair) so the seasoning only goes up about 5.5 feet. oh well.

i would like to find a fun, colorful, & durable rug for this space, but for now, our old front doormat works. any ideas on where to get a good doormat?

would you paint any of your walls with chalkboard paint, or is it just me?

source list:

doormat {target}
hooks {anthropologie}
frames {etsy}

diy baby shower gift: baby swaddler.

when it came down to the gift that i wanted to give amanda at her baby shower, i knew i wanted to make something. amanda is one who loves things handmade – you should see the beautiful cards she makes! – plus, i liked the idea of hand making something for the new baby (seems more personal).

this could be considered another pinspiration project because i found the idea from pinterest!

from the very little that i know about infants, i do know that swaddling is a way to help them feel like they are back in the womb. however, amanda & her husband are first-time parents & the process of swaddling a baby seems, well, difficult. a wailing infant with flailing arms & legs? no thank you.

so, why not a swaddler. an infant-sized sleeping bag that allows those arms & legs to be gently velcro-ed in. genius! {sidenote: i really hope this was a thoughtful present after all, meaning that i hope it really works!}

*update: the little babe i made this swaddler for was only about 7 pounds when she was born, so the size of this swaddler is too big. if you know how big the baby is, you can adjust the size accordingly.*

{original tutorial: snuggler}

{sidenote: the gal’s blog who posted the original tutorial makes an amazing amount of things by hand. if you want some inspiration, definitely check out her blog!}

supplies:

pattern printed {updated link!}
instructions (attached to the pattern pdf)
1 yard fabric – fun fabric for outside of swaddle (i used fabric from pacific fabrics)
1 yard fabric – flannel or soft cotton fabric for inside swaddle (i got organic cotton flannel from this etsy seller)
pins
fabric scissors
fadeout marker (the type of marker that either has disappearing ink or disappears with water)
velcro
thread (i used white)
iron
sewing machine
ruler (i used it to help me transfer the dart pattern)

{sidenote: please excuse the bad lighting in the last set of photos. i was taking them in the evening without sunlight, so the color is funky. the real color of the green fabric is mint green & is best seen in the first part of the tutorial.}

this was the first time i made something from a pattern, so i was a bit nervous. plus, it was intended to be a gift to a crafty girlfriend who was expecting her first baby – no pressure! after my first read-thru (& second & third!) i found some of the instructions a little confusing. my remedy was to just go ahead & start, & i would work out the finer details as i came to them; turns out, this was a pretty good method!

first, print out, cut out & tape together the pattern (there are two main pieces). then iron your fabrics (after pre-washing them in hot or warm water to prevent later shrinking!).

fold the printed fabric in half & pin the patterns to the wrong side of the fabric, lining up the folded edge to the inside of the pattern (there is a note on the pattern where it should line up with the folded edge). cut out the fabric along the pattern.

before removing the pins, trace the dart pattern onto the wrong side of the fabric. i placed a pin at the top point of the dart triangle (so that i could lift the paper to expose the fabric) & then used a ruler to draw very faint dotted lines onto the fabric with my fadeout marker.

the instructions also tell you to transfer dotted lines where the velcro strips will be placed. {sidenote: i did this, but in hindsight i think it is unnecessary. the velcro “placeholders” that i made were much bigger than the velcro i ended up using & so there was a lot of blotting with water to remove the ink from the fadeout marker. i think that once you are at the point where you add the velcro – later in the tutorial – you can look back to the pattern to determine where the velcro strips should be sewn on.}

sew the darts into place. this was my first time sewing darts, but it is a fairly easy process. you basically fold the fabric in half (the middle dart line becomes the fold) & pin. then you run a seam towards the raw edge of the fabric. then you cut off the extra fabric.

{darts completed on both fabrics. you can see the remaining ink lines here; i blotted the ink with a damp washcloth to make it disappear before i sewed the pieces together.}

repeat all above steps with the flannel fabric. then, you should have two identical pieces, one in printed fabric & the other in flannel fabric.

then you place the flannel piece (inside out) into the fabric piece (inside out) & pin the pieces together. then attach the pieces by sewing around the half moon piece, as well as along the arm pieces, leaving a couple inches at the bottom of the left arm open (to flip the fabric). trim the seams.

flip the swaddler right-side out. i used a chopstick (clean, of course!) to help turn the corners & edges.

then hand sew the remainder of the edge shut.

grab your velcro & lay out the pieces. cut three lengths of velcro (both pieces!) a couple of inches long. one piece goes on the front half-moon piece (middle picture) & two go on the outside left arm/inside right arm (far right picture). i sewed the rough piece of velcro to the front half-moon & also to the front side of the left arm; the soft velcro pieces are placed accordingly so that the velcro will properly close.

{the final swaddler!}

what do you think of handmade baby shower presents? also, to my readers who have infants or kids, did you swaddle?

diy baby shower project: paper flags.

i wanted to add some extras to the baby shower dessert table & thought cupcake toppers & stripey straws would be perfect accessories! {sidenote: we didn’t actually use the straws during the shower, but they were very festive!}

not surprising that i found some pinspiration!

{ribbon flags on drink stirrers: oh joy! blog}

{paper flags on stripey straws: etsy}

amanda (the mama-to-be) loved dalmations as a child – the dog breed, not the movie! – & so i incorporated a bit of animal print into the shower theme.

i couldn’t find any dalmation printed paper at my local craft stores, so i scoured the interwebs & found this pdf of dalmation spots. i simply printed a few pages on my home laser jet printer.

supplies:

paper for flags
glue stick
ruler
pencil
something to glue flag onto (straw, lollipop stick, bamboo skewer)

{stripey straws from amazon//lollipop sticks i picked up at michael’s}

i turned the paper so the printed side was down (this way you can see your pencil marks!) & began measuring. i wanted pretty small flags & ended up cutting paper strips that were 3/4” by 3 1/2”.

then i ran a glue stick along the entire back of the paper strip & wrapped it around the straw/stick about an inch or so from the top (this is totally a personal preference). i also pinched the paper closed right near the edge of the straw/stick in order to make sure it was well adhered (see last picture below).

finally, i cut a small triangle from the outside edge of the paper strip. you could use a pencil & ruler to mark this, but i did it just with scissors since it was such a small cut.

VOILA!

{sorry this isn’t a better picture of the cupcake toppers, but you get the gist!}

what do you think of paper flags to decorate cupcakes & straws?

diy baby shower project: paper pinwheel board.

i had a few requests for the projects that were part of amanda’s baby shower. as i mentioned in the original post, i looked to pinterest for inspiration and ideas, so these are all definitely pinspiration projects (this will be a series of project posts).

…

i was fortunate because very early on in the shower planning process i found the ultimate inspiration on pinterest & pretty much ran with that idea. i loved the look of white serving dishes & stands & i knew that i wanted to create a paper pinwheel board that would be the focal point for the dessert table.

{original post here: vintage themed dessert table.}

gorgeous, huh? i hadn’t made pinwheels before, but just a few days later i was catching up on blogs and found this tutorial on making paper pinwheels. it was definitely a sign that i had to at least attempt this project. {sidenote: this was a bit of a time-intensive project that spanned over about five evenings spent in front of the TV.}

supplies:

paper or colored cardstock (i used three different scrapbook papers, plain white computer paper & two different cardstocks; the paper is definitely easier to fold!)
doilies (optional)
hot glue gun & lots of glue sticks
thick cardboard (i cut apart two boxes i had from amazon.com)
thick poster board with a foam core
scissors
medium-sized circle punch (optional)
ruler
pencil

i don’t have any pictures of the process & i apologize. i really didn’t think i would be doing a tutorial of this project, plus my fingers were covered in hot glue which is not conducive to taking photos.

i followed the tutorial from the lovely cupboard: cut strips of paper, fold & glue. the paper strips i used were between two and five inches. i also learned that the bigger the pinwheel, the more strips of paper that you need to glue together before making it into a circle.

perhaps it was because my folds were not always perfectly the same, but my pinwheels didn’t want to lay flat on their own. i remedied this by gluing a small (about one inch by one inch, or so) piece of cardboard to the back of the pinwheel in the center. this kept most of them together & lying flat on their own, & also gave me a good flat surface to attach it to the poster board.

i am not sure how the pinwheel board in the inspiration picture was constructed, but once i started laying out my pinwheels on the poster board, i figured out that i would need to elevate some of them in order to get the right effect (i.e., no white poster showing thru) & to get the pinwheels to overlap. i made about a quarter of the pinwheels before i glued any of them to the poster board, just so i could make changes in the positions of the pinwheels to get the right look. only a few of the pinwheels are actually glued directly to the poster board; most of them are raised up by cardboard. in order to get the pinwheels up off the board, but still attached, i cut lots of little cardboard squares (like the ones i talked about for the back of the pinwheels) & stacked & glued them together into little cardboard towers until i had the right height. {sidenote: if you are interested in seeing more pictures, let me know and i will update the post.}

some of the larger pinwheels also have doilies & smaller pinwheels on top of them; i liked the look of this layering, but you could skip this part. also, i added a paper circle in the middle of each pinwheel in a contrasting paper to give it a more finished look (but also to hide the imperfect folding!). i just cut out circles by hand so they aren’t perfect, but if you had a circle punch that was big enough, you could use that too.

{the pinwheel board right after i finished it. the colors in this picture are really close to what they are in real life.}

{the pinwheel board on the dessert table}

in order to make it stand (it was quite heavy considering it was made out of paper!) i had aaron add cardboard triangles to the back to prop it up; you could also hang it from a wall with poster hangers (like the ones made by 3M) which is probably how it will be displayed at the new house once i find a place for it {anyone have ideas as to where it should go?}.

if you end up making a paper pinwheel board, i would love to see it, so please share pictures!

would you make a pinwheel board for a shower, party or just a fun house decoration?