Craft 3: Menu Board - Taking the Guesswork Out of Dinner

This past weekend a good friend came over and things got a little crafty up in here. We made Menu Boards!

I give her all the credit for the idea. She'd seen them on Pinterest and asked me if I was interested in making one. I have to say, craft time with a good friend is on my list of 'Things That Are Awesome'. So, how do you make one and how does it work?

Step 1: Buy the materials.

• Some sort of board to act as a base - we actually found wooden plaques in the clearance section of Hobby Lobby. Christmas is over so these were knocked down from $20 to $4. The best part is that since it was an actual sign, it already had the hole drilled in the back to hang it up. 
• Scrapbook papers - 4 or so different prints that go together nicely. For me, picking these out this was the most time intensive. I think I spent a long time looking at all that HL had to offer and figuring out the 4 I wanted. I found it helpful to lay them down on the floor in a rough estimate of how they would be used, just so I could see how thy looked all together.
• Scrapbook letters - I got 3D ones which look really good when the project is done.
• A little book of scrapbook paper. They sell books that all have matching patterned 6" x 6" paper. 
• Ribbon for across the top and bottom (I used some left over I had on hand)
• Clothes Pins
• The Usual Crafting Suspects: Tacky Glue, Modge Podge, Paint Brush, Ruler, Paper Cutter, Glue Gun, Scissors, Pen, Pencils  (most are not in picture)

Here is everything all together:

(I had extra paper I didn't end up using)

Step 2: Cover the sign with your base papers.
You know the old saying "measure twice, cut once"? Well it's just plane smart. :) I used a ruler to measure and a paper cutter to cut the right size. I then spread a thin layer of Modge Podge on the back side of the paper and carefully pressed it into place. You have to be kind of quick about it or the Modge Podge will dry on you. To make sure there aren't any air bubbles, start on one end and smooth the paper down as you go.

I found it helpful to first get the main piece in place before cutting the top and bottom pieces.

Step 3: Attach the top layer of paper and envelopes.
My 'top layer' was this fun pink paper. I decided how wide it should be by placing the clothes pins in place. I knew I had to leave enough rough for the strips of paper with the actual menu items on them.

For the envelopes I couldn't find anything I liked at HL. My friend bought actual little scrapbook envelopes and her's looks super cute; so if you can find some that match I would go that route. However, if nothing goes with the papers you like, you can make some:

To make the envelops:

• Cut you paper in the shape shown in the top left corner. It kind of looks like a suspension bridge. 
• Fold the sides and bottom back.
• When folded the back side of the envelope should be shorter than the front (see top right corner) so that when the envelope is glued onto the board you don't see the back of it at all. When you have everything where you want it, unfold it and make a second envelope the exact same size.
• Next place them on the board and see how the spacing works. I had to re-do my first envelope because it was too tall. They will be holding little strips of paper that are only 3" tall, so the envelope can't be too deep or it will be hard to get the papers out.
• Glue the back side of the envelope together. I suggest using some of the clothes pins to hold the paper in place. Not only does this help it dry in the right shape, but because of the clothes pins, the envelope will naturally be slightly opened, making it easier to use.
• Using tacky glue (stronger than Modge Podge) glue the envelopes in place. I used two cans to make sure they wouldn't get bumped/moved while drying.

Step 4: Create and attach days of the week clothes pins.

To make my days of the week clothes pins I first created a letter for each day. I used 3D letters and I really like the way it looks. I found my biggest letter (it was the W for my set) and figured out what size paper it would fit on, then I cut squares for each letter. It's hard to tell, but the yellow paper is from my 6"x6" pack of scrapbook paper. It has a faint pattern on it that my camera isn't really picking up in these photos. When finished, I thought the letters looked a little small so I glued them onto another square of paper (matching the envelopes). This not only gave them a boarder (making them larger) but added that much more substance. I don't want these wilting on me in the hot kitchen.

I then figured out where my clothes pins would go on the board. I used a ruler and some rough measurements to make sure they looked even.

Once it was all in place, I used a glue gun to attache the letters to the clothes pins and the clothes pins to the board. This is another time when you have to be quick or the glue will harden on you.

Step 5: Decorate.
Now you're done with all the practical pieces, it's time to make it look pretty! I created a label for the top using the same letters and paper combo as the days of the week.

Then I added some pink ribbon and two labels: 'Ideas' and 'Done!'. That's all the decorating I did, but you can add tons more if you want.

I left the bottom blank on purpose. I want the option of adding clothes pins with my kids names on them in the future. I've seen these used to assign chores.

Step 6: Creating the menu items.
Remember that 6"x6" scrapbook paper? Well pick out some pages that go nicely with your board and cut them into 1"x3" strips. This means each page produces 12 strips of paper. Now, here is the part that I haven't finished yet (I plan to work on it this weekend). You write a meal option on one side of a strip (let's say you write 'Tacos') and then the major ingredients on the other side (for tacos I would write "Beef, Cheese, Tortillas, Seasoning, Chips, Salsa, Beans, Rice"). All these strips will be housed in the "Ideas" pocket like so:

My board starts with Monday because I know I'll only have time to plan meals like this on Sunday nights. Ok, so Sunday night I take down my board and look through my ideas envelope. I pick out seven meals that fit the upcoming week's schedule (some of the strips should say "eat out" or "left overs" for when you know that's what you'll be having). Once I have my seven I flip them over and see if I have the ingredients I need. It's a simple way to make sure you don't forget to buy anything at the grocery store. If the menu idea is from a recipe book, put the book name and page number on the back so when it comes time to cook you don't have to waste time looking for it. After the grocery list is made you just pin the strips of paper on the board under the appropriate day and Ta-Da! You've got your meals planned, your list made, and anyone in the family can see what's for dinner without bugging you! Next week when you go to repeat the process put the used strips in the "Done!" envelope. Only move them back to "Ideas" when you've almost emptied the 'Ideas" envelope. This will force you to cycle through you meals and help you not eat the same thing every night. I know this will be super helpful for me because if I don't plan it out we end up eating the same 2 or 3 meals each week.

I'm excited to start using the board. I even found a great spot for it in my kitchen:

The fun thing about this is that the supplies you choose can make it look completely different! My friend who suggested this craft loves neutral tones (let's be honest, most people don't love the bright colors as much as I do!). Her's turned out really great! I love the buttons as decorations:

So, have some fun with it! It's a great craft that produces something practical...and how often does that really happen? Putting the board together only took 4 hours, which isn't much considering how much time it will save me. Of course, I did spend nearly 2 hours at Hobby Lobby picking out the supplies....but let's be honest, that's half the fun!