Getting Crafty

What does a 20-something teacher a week away from winter break do on her Friday night? Crafts, of course!

Admittedly I'm not a very organized person, but I really wanted a way to put all the photos and memorabilia from the marathon into one place. I had so many photos, etc, to keep that it seemed like overkill to frame and display them all; a scrapbook seemed like the way to go.

After work I stopped by Target to pick up supplies (and let me just say, the snowbirds were out in full force and I spent a good ten minutes in the parking lot laughing myself into tears at some of the "driving" I witnessed), then spent the rest of the night diligently piecing together my memories.

Photos and supplies are ready to go!

I took a break for dinner and observed the mess I had made of the living room. Being crafty isn't tidy, that's for sure.

A work in progress.

Matt and I watched Edge of Tomorrow while I finished my project. I was pleasantly surprised. I may think Tom Cruise is a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but he's still one of my favorite actors.

I'm really happy with how the scrapbook turned out. I fit in the photos I liked most, my D-tag, notes of encouragement, and pages from the welcome packet. Plus, the blog came in handy; I printed out my recap and added it to the end.

Bart Yasso and the Sub 30 Club got their own pages.

A few pages from the finished book.

Now I can annoy guests by insisting they look through the scrapbook. Isn't that the main purpose of photo albums and the like? The bad news is that I may have found another hobby I want to take up...putting the book together was really fun and relaxing!

How do you save and store your race day memories?

How do you typically spend a Friday night?

Are you a Tom Cruise fan?

ABK

Crafts Day!

For the longest time, I have been coveting these race bib and medal holders from Running On the Wall on Etsy:

Adorable!

I mean, it's definitely better than my current "storage" place, which consists mostly of tossing my bibs in a pile on my bedside table and hanging my medals in my classroom. This weekend I realized the pile was getting cumbersome, so I decided to try my hand at making one myself.

I consider myself a relatively crafty person when I want to be. Matt and I went to buy supplies last night. We got a free piece of "scrap" wood, a half-used paint sample in white (for lettering), and some hooks. We already had black spray paint, brushes, a drill, and sanding equipment at home.

Supplies ready to go.

We sanded the edges of the wood last night. This morning, I spray-painted the wood and let it dry completely. Then, we measured the two basic bib sizes to figure out hook-placement.

This is the first time I realized that safety-pin holes in race bibs aren't spaced in a uniformed manner. Annoying.

Archie helped me drill the holes. (I promise, this is safer than it looks. No need to send the animals rights police after me.)

Hooks in, I put a couple bibs on to figure out spacing for the lettering. I didn't bother getting stencils or stickers; the result is a more "rustic" final product:

Now I just need to find time to remove old safety pins and put about 3 dozen bibs on this thing.

I'm going to take this to school, add the medals, and hang it there for the rest of the year. I haven't added the hanging wire to the back yet, but that won't take long. I'm very happy with this final result! It cost us about $12, plus I get to take pride in my questionable craftsmanship.

If you're not crafty, though, I'd highly recommend the Etsy shop. There are tons of designs to choose from, and the rack is sure to look professional.

On the schedule for the rest of the day: errands, grading tons of papers, and maybe a nap.

What's your plan for the weekend?

Do you display your bibs/medals?

ABK