Memento Board

     Looking for a way to display photos, cards, or other mementos?  This memento board enables you to showcase these personal items.

Materials:

*Very large photo frame (project can be done without photo frame)

*Foam board large enough to fit inside photo frame (if photo frame came with cardboard backing, you may not need this item)

*Enough fabric to cover front side of the foam board

*Ribbon

*5 large fabric flowers, large buttons, or other such items

*Fabric glue

*Scissors and/or X-acto knife

Directions:

*Cut foam board down to size such that it will fit inside photo frame.  Depending on your board, this may be more easily achieved with an X-acto knife than with scissors.  If the frame came with some sort of cardboard backing, you might be able to use this in place of the foam, though it won’t be quite as thick.

*If you are not using a frame, size the foam board however you wish.  Cut off the corners of the foam board (this step is only necessary if you are not using a frame)

*Cut fabric such that it is about ½ to 1 inch longer than the foam board on all sides. 

*Lay fabric face down on a flat surface and place foam board on top. 

*Run glue along the edges of the backside of the foam board and adhere the fabric to this.  Make sure to pull the fabric as tight as you can while gluing so that you won’t end up with bunches of fabric on the front side.  Let glue dry.

*Once the glue has dried, turn the board over so that the side covered in fabric is facing up.  Cut a strip of ribbon slightly longer than the length of the diagonal of the board.  Stretch ribbon across the board diagonally and glue down one end of the ribbon in one of the corners.  Pull ribbon as tightly as you can (this is very essential, otherwise the mementos may not be able to be held up by the ribbon) and glue down the other end.

*Repeat for a length of ribbon going across diagonally in the opposite direction.

*Where the two ribbons cross one another (which should be approximately the center of the board), adhere the bottom ribbon to the board, then adhere the top ribbon to the bottom one.  Glue a fabric flower or button over the intersection of the two ribbons.

*Arrange lengths of ribbon to form a diamond shape, with each corner of the diamond located at the halfway point of one of the sides.

*Glue down the points of the diamond, then glue down any intersections of ribbon.  Glue fabric flower or button over any intersection.  Let dry.

*If using a frame, frame your creation.  Slide in your favorite mementos, then hang on the wall. If you are not using a frame, attach a ribbon loop at the top of the board so that you can hang it up.