Menu Board!!

I finally made my own menu board! :) Pinterest is abounding with various versions of this and most blogs that are linked to Pinterest offer tutorials so I wasn't going to do a tutorial here (but I changed my mind ... look below! :) ). Honestly, I just looked at a few tutorials and adapted them to what I wanted. :)  My perfectionist character is not liking parts of my menu board but, generally, I'm pretty pleased with it.  Let's look at the pictures and nitpick over what's wrong with it!! lol

OK, So I'm annoyed that the letters I bought didn't come with a question mark. :) I'm also annoyed that the paper bubbles a bit after I mod poged it on (though you can't see it in the photo). Finally, I'm annoyed at my menu strip boxes that I had to attach extra brown paper to after I attached the original paper. Apparently measuring two times over is not sufficient before cutting. Ah well, it doesn't look absolutely terrible and I rather like the colours I chose. :)

And look at that! I even managed to get it hung on my kitchen wall already! :)

Instructions and Supplies? Here goes!

Supplies:
canvas board (I used a 11x 13 canvas from the dollar store)
3-4 12" x 12" patterned scrapbook paper
Small scraps of complimentary scrapbook papers for title.
Letter stickers (or paper to make letters)
Ribbon - 2 contrasting colours, 1 wide and 1 narrower. Use whatever looks good to you - I used a 1 or 1.5 inch and a half inch.
7 Clothes pins
Fine Tip permanent markers
About 20 12"x12" brown scrapbook paper
Modge Podge
Small boxes (I used a light bulb box cut in half, you can also use a k-cup box or a crayon box).
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions:
Modge Podge the canvas, attach patterned scrapbook paper and Modge Podge over that. This ensure a good seal on the paper and ensures it will stick. :) I do this in stages. Modge Podge on section (sides included so that the paper will wrap like the canvas). Then attach the paper and then Modge Podge that before continuing to the next section. It is good for the paper to overlap each other by about an inch. Once that is complete and dry, make your boxes. I had a lightbulb box (holds 2 bulbs) that I cut the tabs off the top and then cut in half. This I covered in brown manilla type scrapbook paper. Next, with hot glue, attach your ribbons. I just sort of eyed it to see where I wanted it - no real measuring happening here. :) Remember to overlap at the back so that it looks pretty and will be less likely to come apart. After the ribbons are attached, you'll have a better idea of where you want to put your food card boxes. Attach these with hot glue. I hot glued the 3 edges and squished it onto the board. You may need to add a bit more hot glue where needed along the edges.  Next you will add your title. I used some little 9 x 9 scrapbook pages cut in half and put together length wise and then added some plain white scrapbook paper on top. I did this with hot glue because it was easier at this point then Modge Podge but you could probably do Modge Podge too. Then I added the letter stickers. Finally, you need to space out your clothespins to decide where they will go. When you have that figured out, use the hot glue to attach them. You will also cut narrow strips of the brown paper to glue to the clothespins and write the days of the week on with your fine tip permanent marker (using a colour that compliments the other colours used on the rest of the board. When all this is done, you need to cut strips of paper from the brown scrapbook paper to write the meals on. I made 1" x 3" strips and this allowed me to get 30 strips per sheet. I wrote the recipe title on the front and the list of ingredients on the back so that, when I need to make my weekly grocery list, I just need to look at the back of each card to see what I need to buy for the week. :)