Where do you find inspiration? Do you sit in a peaceful corner of your house gazing out over a garden or maybe the softly pulsing waves of the ocean? Is there a scented candle and a sketch book just waiting to record your best and brightest ideas?

I want you to see my workspace as it has been for months now:

Sometimes the reality of inspiration is not nearly as pretty as our imaginations want it to be.  I used to store all of my supplies behind our family room couch; fabric was packed into a large storage bin and everything else could be found in random plastic shopping bags.  Ideal? Absolutely not.  I had so many ideas that never came to fruition because I just didn’t feel like digging for supplies, searching for the right fabric and then putting it all away when I was done.  So I bought some shelves and some boxes and organized all of my materials.  Although it forced a big crack in the dam of creativity it was still tough to LOVE working on a project.  I needed to see my inspiration. I needed the clutter to disappear. I needed beauty right there in front of me as I pushed fabric through the machine.

Here is my workstation now:

My small corner of creativity may not look out over a garden and I may not hear the waves on the beach, but it is clean and organized. The things that inspire me are pinned on my bulletin board and when I feel like I just can’t sew another stitch I look up and see that great t-shirt or the awesome flower arrangement and I HAVE to keep creating.

The dam has broken.  Want to have YOUR inspiration in your face everyday urging you to keep going? Let’s make some foam core bulletin boards.

What you need:

• A frame (or many, depending on your space) I have numerous frames around our home – regular picture frame with backing included as well as canvas frames, which have no backing.
• Enough foam core to fill your chosen frames (foam core looks like two pieces of poster board on either side of a layer of styrofoam. You can get it at craft stores like Michaels and Joann fabrics as well as office supply stores)
• Enough fabric to cover foam core (you will only need about two and a half inches extra on all sides so it can wrap around the board)
• Strong tape, hot glue or short staples
• Scissors
• Exacto knife / utility knife

Here is the assortment of frames I knew I wanted to transform into bulletin boards:

One 24″ x 36″, one 14″ x 18″ and two 8″ x 10″ frames.  First, I removed the backing, poster and glass from the large frame so it was ready to be assembled.

Step one: measure foam core to the size of the frame insert and mark the entire line.  Use the exacto/utility knife to score the top layer of foam core then keep cutting deeper until you have gotten through all layers.

Step two: Stretch your fabric out on your work surface (mine always happens to be the floor) Once stretched put the cut foam core piece on top of the fabric, centered.  Working from top then bottom, left side then right side, secure the fabric to the foam core.  I used packing tape because it was the first sticky thing I saw in my supply closet.  You can use duct tape, hot glue, flat thumb tacks or short staples (long staples will poke through to the front of the foam core)

Step three: Once the fabric is secure pop the foam core into the frame of our choice. If you can’t use the backing provided or you are using canvas frames you can tape the foam core to the frame or use canvas clips.

Continue the process with the rest of your frames and then hang them up! Once you have them placed find some attractive push pins and spread your inspiration all over your finished project.  Believe me, you will be pleased with the results, I AM!