DIY: Freestanding Display For Craft Shows

If you're like me and have spent countless hours searching the net and coming up short on how to build a display; then look no further. This one is very simple to do and can be customized to however it suits your needs.

Here is what will be making:

It is 2' Wide and 5' Tall.

Supplies:

1-2'x4' Peg Board ( They come in 1/8" or 1/4" thickness, so that is up to you. However, I suggest the 1/4" as it seems to be more sturdier overall.)

2- 1"x2"x5' (sides)

2-1"x2"x20"

2-1"x2"x16"(legs)

4- L Brackets Preferably the heavier duty brackets that are 1" wide. (or just use what you already have)

Box of Roofing Nails

Now I will warn you that I am not a handyman or liscensed in any way so if there is something that I forget or doesn't seem right, feel free to comment. I wanted to make this with ease and for any skill level.

Before starting:

Clear an area of debris and give yourself plenty of room for this project. I had to rip or cut all of my existing wood so make sure you have an area for cutting if you haven't already. I used wood from a pallet that was left in the garage from the previous owner. So just use your imagination and recycle if you can.

Step One: Building a frame

Lay the 1"x2" x 5' boards (2) parallel to each other and lay the pegboard right side up, on top of it. The right side is the smooth side. Make sure that both the tops of the lumber and the top of the board are on the ends running down the 4' side. Hammer a nail in the top corners first making sure that the ends of the board are all flush and straight, then on the outer bottom end of the pegboard. Doing the top first allows you to move the bottom around if its not straight. Then nail 2 more along the middle and again on the ends.

Using the 1"x2" x 20" place them along side the top ends like shown. Again nailing 2 on each side of the lumber and 2 in the middle. Please remember this is face up still!! If you do it face down you will not grab the peg board or the nail will be poking through, ouch!

Step 2:Applying the legs

Stand your display up so that it is standing on the 2, 5' ends. Take your 1x2x16" and mark a line at 8". Place each leg on that mark. ( I am using this for hairbows and dont have to worry too much about counterweight. Depending on how heavy of a product you want to use, you might need to make the legs longer. Just play around with this part untill you get it at the right formula)

Next, take one of the L brackets and center it in the middle of the bottom board ( 1x2x16) and flush against the leg. You might want to have some help on this step as you will need to keep the display perfectly straight. Hammer in the nails in the bracket slots, preferably bottoms first.Or you can put an L bracket, one on each side of the leg that way when you hammer in the nail it will not hit the nail on the opposite end.

That is it!! Now you can paint it or leave it in its natural color. Also if you have some casters you can apply those to the bottom making your display very portable.

A quick how to on making your own photo shoot

For some reason my camera does best with hallogen lighting vs natural sunlight. I think this could be due to my yard is either 100% shade or 100% sunlight. I have 9 trees in my backyard and then a " no mans land" that is just a solid patch of open area. Althought that is a great area for volleyball and teeball; it is not great for pictures. So what to do?

I figured since my garage is a perfect little area for making my photo shoot ( it also easily contains the little ones so you are not chasing them all over gods creation ); I figured I better have a looksie and see what I have laying around before I even attempt it.

In my garage we had an old wooden pallet about 4' x 6' which was perfect to hold a backdrop. Now if you don't have one of these laying around, that is okay. You can either look around to see if you have something of that size, maybe a closet door, Or you can use pvc piping to make your own like this one:

It will cost you approx

bucks and you can find the info on parts here.

Then you will need to something for a backdrop. Sure you can go to the fabric store and purchase some muslin, however a sheet will do just fine. You need to pick one that has a higher thread count though. The more thicker it is the better. You dont want to be able to see through it. It will also give your camera a break as well. Cameras will see that there is a mix color if the backdrop is see through, and give the background a very pixelated look. Here is just an example of what I came up with:

My husband had an old hunting chair that is armless that was perfect to sit underneath. However you can use anything you prefer.

So that is basically it! Youre next step is just to find a good angle to shoot and take loads of pictures.

How to make recycled Bow Cards!!

Im always looking for a way to use what I have at home and with craft fairs coming up; I really didn't want to spend anymore money than I already had to. So I thought there had to be a way to make bow holders/cards and use what I already have at home. After pondering; I found a cool solution to recycle and have a unique look.

What you need:

• Cereal boxes, shipping boxes, or any sturdy cardboard box or paper.
• E600 glue, Tacky glue, double sticky tape. Anything that you already have at home that will bond well and hold strong.
• Pen
• Ruler or bow card template ( I used 2 square templates from my scrapbook pack)
• Scrapbook paper or any kind of paper that you would like to decorate the outside of your card.
• knife or hole puncher ( my hole punch was broken so I found that a steak knife still did the trick)
• hair bows
  

First things first; make sure your box is clean and free of scrap cereal or dirt. If you are using a cereal box, open it all the way up by opening the tabs and the flap on the side of the box like pictured.

Cut off all the tabs of the box, just using the front and the back of the box. Be sure when you are cutting that you are cutting inside the seam not in the middle of the seam. If you cut in the middle then the sides will not bond well when you glue the paper to the cardboard.

Next, place and mark your lines of your templates. I used 2 different sizes; a smaller one for aligator clips and a larger one for boutique bows. You can use your best judgement and make them any size you wish. I find it much easier to mark the board before you put on the paper. You can let it sit for longer without disturbing it.

Now if you are wanting some of the print to show on the back side; I suggest going ahead and cutting it out.

Make sure to glue the end that will not be showing. Apply the glue side to the back of the paper, NOT THE PRINT SIDE. I folded over the paper to show you that I have my template showing on one side and the print side on another.

I then took the pieces that I cut out, where I wanted to see the front of the cereal box. I put glue on the back side and applied them to the remaining edge of my scrapbook paper.

Now take something heavy like a phone book or novel and set it on top of your work while it dries. You can even take the book and with a little bit of pressure, gently push it back and forth on top of your work, almost like your sanding it with the book. This will help remove any air bubbles and also help seal the edges better. Give it the proper amount of time to dry please.

So when you cut them out it should look like this. The far left is the top, the middle is what it looks like with the cereal print showing, and the right is just a blank back. You can add whatever you wish to these. Whether adding more paper to the back or just adding your business card; that is up to you.

To add your bow, simply use the prongs as a guide to where you need to cut the card. Make 2 lines and either use a hole puncher or some sharp scissors and cut your circle. I did not have a hole punch so I decided to try cutting them. Precision doesn't matter on this step because your holes will be covered by the hair bow.

Just add the hair bow and your done!! Now you can either attach your business card to the top or add another hole punch to hang it. If you have nice handwritting, you can even just print your web addy on the top. Either way, create it to your liking. Enjoy!!!