At the end of last school year, while we were living in Seminary housing on a University campus, we did something ultra-thrifty…. we went dumpster-diving! In our defense, you would not believe the kinds of things college kids throw away when it’s time for them to clean out their dorm room and head home for the summer. Couches, TVs, vacuums, lamps, small refrigerators, luggage, clothes…. you name it, they throw it away. It’s just easier to haul it to the dumpster in their parking lot than to find a local charity to take it, I guess – but I wish that the University would invite Goodwill to put collection bins in their parking lots during that week. But regardless, it sure makes for a fun week for poor seminary students!
One of my many finds last year was an old corkboard that someone had glued (glued?? Do they not know the purpose of bulletin boards?) pictures to. Last week I finally decided that it was time to pull that old board out and get it re-covered so that I could use it over my desk.
Gross, huh? But the cork and frame were still in good shape, and I wanted to see if I could salvage it.
I pulled out some free burlap bags that I scored from a local coffee shop, and realized that if I cut one open along one side and bottom seam, I could open it up and stretch it to cover the entire board.
I also discovered that that cheap wood frame on the bulletin board is stain-able! I brushed on a couple coats of a stain I already had on hand, used a glue gun to stick the burlap onto the bulletin board, and voila…
…a cute, vintage-look bulletin board that cost me nothing. Love it!!
The Reclaimed Life 