American Girl Art and Message boards - Get one for your daughter and two for you!

Good morning CraftyStealers!

When Stephanie told me about today's steal, I was so excited to check it out. You see, as soon as I heard the word "board", I had a project in mind (you know how it is, there's always something you've been meaning to make - and I have a very long "to-do" list!).  I saw the American Girl Art and Message Board, I knew it would be perfect!

Before I share my project, let me tell you a little bit about these boards. Each one is a bulletin board, covered tightly in fabric, and surrounded by a white metal frame. They have two keyholes in the back for easy hanging. The cool thing about these boards, is that the board is held into the frame with screws. So if sometime in the future you'd like to change the fabric with the decor of your room, it will be very easy to do so! Here's a peek at the back:

Another great thing is the size - they are 11x14. So you could get a few and make a wall of boards, or you could hang one where you may not have much space, say above your desk in your craft area for an inspiration board:

The white frame is a great canvas for any kind of embellishment or even paint markers! On the above board, I used some adhesive pearls by Creative Charms to dress up the scallops while still leaving it simple. Below, I used some fun butterfly and flower embellies from Creative Charms to make it look pretty while holding all of the treasures my preschooler comes home with.

Now, back to the project I originally had in mind when I heard about the boards.  This project kicks it up a notch from a plain old bulletin board. I took some ribbon that coordinated with my daughter's purple and green big girl room, and made it into a bow, barrette and accessories holder. I hung it low enough for her so she could have fun choosing her own bows (and maybe that will also help her put them away! Wishful thinking, right?).

Another fun thing to do is to fancy up some plain thumbtacks by adding any spare embellishments. On these boards I used pearl and gem adhesives, crocheted butterflies, sequined flowers and large gem brads (with the prongs removed), all from Creative Charms, and glued them to the ends of clear pushpins. Super cute and ridiculously easy (and if you need some more to replenish your stash, check out the different embellishment bundles on the CraftySteals Past Steals page!).

So go grab yourself this CraftySteal, make it your own, and then don't forget to come back and share a picture on our Facebook wall to show us how you are using it!

Happy Crafting!