a little something in the meantime . . .: DIY Coffee Sack Cork Board

I made this cork board almost 2 years ago, but I did not actually finish it until last Thursday. The reason for my procrastination? I used staples that were too long and Mr. Mechanic would not let me hang it up in the kitchen with the staples sticking through the coffee sack.

So, for almost 2 years this sat propped up again the wall at the end of our hallway collecting Pumpkin’s dust bunnies behind it every week.

Instead of finishing it, I would just move it to vacuum and then put it right back in the same place for another week. Lazy Claire! Tisk Tisk!

On May 25th, I wrote this note to myself and put the cork board directly underneath it in the kitchen.

I had to look at it every time I walked into the house and it worked!

How long did it take me to finish it properly? Less than half an hour. Sheesh!

When I originally made this, coffee sacks and grain sacks were an up and coming trend. I don’t know if I’ve now missed that boat!

So, rewinding 2-ish years . . .

This started out as a clearance cork board from Winners. I loved the detail on the already distressed frame. With the right kind of wood frame this would be a great look to duplicate.

Since I decided to take on this project in the middle of winter it was very difficult to find burlap with a tight weave. The only burlap I could find was for wrapping shrubs.

I was planning to stencil something onto the burlap but then I came across an actual burlap coffee sack at Princess Auto for $1.99. I remember coffee beans falling out of it when I opened it up!

I removed the paper backing from the frame and used side cutters to pull out the staples holding the cork in place.

Then, I trimmed the coffee sack to size and stapled it around the cork board, folding the corners like I was wrapping a present.

From a distance it looked great, but if you decided to actually use it as a cork board you would risk needing a tetanus shot!

Fast forward approximately two years . . .

I gathered my tools again and the right staples – the shortest I could buy!

See the staples in the blue bowl? That’s all I had to remove to fix this project!

I stapled beside the old staple and then pulled each one out with my side cutters. Mr. Mechanic swears by these and they are proving to be a very versatile tool.

Using 1/4 inch staples, I reattached the coffee sack to the bulletin board and then stapled the cork board to the frame to hold it in place.

Done!

It feels SO good to know that I have finished this project properly. It will serve as a reminder not to take shortcuts just to call something finished.

I still need to pick up a Command Hook so that I can hang this in the kitchen, but I have the perfect spot waiting for it. My goal? To have it on the wall by July! Wendy from Three Chicks & One Egg knows what an accomplishment that will be!

Any guesses what my kitchen chalkboard used to be? That’s one of my pre-blog upcycles that I’ve been meaning to share.

Thanks for including my blog in your busy day!

P.S. Sadly, one of my favourite kitchen transformation projects is in my “fix me” pile. Humidity and repositionable spray adhesive do not get along! I’m definitely learning from my mistakes!