The Inspire Me Board

Last December Ally (Ally's Corner) left a comment where she said she makes a "vision board" each year. She said "I put on the board everything I would like to see happen in my life in the New Year. Last year I was able to pay off some debt and clean and organize my house. Both of those were on my vision board."

I've been thinking about this ever since! Inspiration boards aren't new. Decorators and artist use them all the time, but to use one to help you reach a goal was new to me. I'm a very visual person and have been wanting some way to have a visual reminder of the things I'm working toward. I've really been thinking about what I want to do with my life a lot lately. I guess it's because my daughter will be going off to college in a year and it'll just be me and hubby! I need something to help inspire me to reach my personal goals. So I thought I'd do an "Inspire Me" board.

First I needed some kind of board. Well I have two of these black and white toile boards but I want to put this in my office where I'll see it every day and the colors are more muted and romantic in there and this would bother me. So I, of course, have to makeover this board!

Your Inspire Me board can be anything, an old cork board, a frame with some chicken wire or cardboard behind it, anything you can tack some things that will inspire you to meet your goals. But if you have a memory board that you want to makeover here's how. If you already know how to make one then skip on down to the bottom!

Step 1 - I took the ribbon and buttons off the old board mainly because I wanted to keep them to use in the future. If you don't care about that you can just cover the board with a layer of polyester batting and proceed from there.

I'm sure I can use those cute toile buttons on something else -pushpins, magnets maybe?

Then I cut my fabric a few inches wider than the board as it's going to wrap around. Better to cut too much fabric than to not have enough to wrap. You can always trim it later. Position your board in the center of your fabric.

Next you're going to start stapling. I love my automatic stapler! It makes it much easier to do these types of projects! First you're going to wrap the fabric around one side and put a staple in the center. Then you go to the opposite side and you're going to pull the fabric over the frame taut and staple in the center. Repeat this on the two remaining sides. Then go back to your first side and start stapling the fabric on the frame. Repeat on all sides leaving the corners which are next.

There a couple of different ways you can do corners. I take the center part and and pull it taut and staple it to the corner of the frame. Then I take the sides and fold them in and staple so it looks like this

You shouldn't have too much excess fabric but you can trim it if you do. Now you're done stapling and you can flip it around and it should look like this.

You can keep it this way or you can add ribbon. I decided to add some ribbon. Not as much as was on it originally. I LOVE this fabric!

I took some ribbon and layed it diagonally, stapling it onto the back of one corner and then pulling it fairly taut to the other corner and stapling that one on the back as well. Make an X with your ribbon.

It doesn't have to be perfect!

So if you want to add more ribbon do so. I am just keeping the two and I put a staple in the center because I'm going to add a covered button.

Get a covered button kit and follow the instructions on the back. I've never done one before but it was really easy! Just hot glue the button over the staple.

There you have it! Now for the fun stuff!

Start collecting pictures, articles, sayings, quotes from people you admire anything that is a reminder of your goal or that you feel will help you reach your goal.

Here's the beginning of mine.

I've always been interested in self-sufficiency and I've always wanted to combine that with some type of out reach program. I'd love to be able to grow food year round and combine it with beautiful flower gardens. I love to have chickens maybe ducks and rabbits too. I'd love to know how to can, weave, knit, crochet, a lot of things that could be categorized as "homesteading skills". But most importantly, I'd like to be able to share these things with other. Whether it's me teaching people or me providing the facilities for workshops. I'm still working on exactly how I want to do this, but for the time being that's what I'm working toward.

So on my Inspire Me board I have a few pictures from magazines and some key phrases that fit with what my goals are. I'll add more as I find things that speak to me.

There are no rules as to what you can and can't put on your board. Your board will probably change, maybe you'll take things down as you reach those goals and add new ones. Maybe you'll decide to change goals. Whatever you do, it should be a visual kick in the behind so to speak to remind you to work toward your goals!

Let me know if you make one. I'd love to see it!