Organizer Board - From Wood Scraps, Ribbons and Sticks

I always had lots of business cards scattered on my desk and didn't know where to put them on a visible and organized place. I thought it would be good idea to make an organizer or a board to stick, I wanted something simple and "masculine", but my girlfriend wanted to a more natural looking, so I followed her idea.

It's really simple to do it. I just used some things that I already had, like wood scraps, cardboard from shoe boxes and other things, put them together and... Tah Dah! A beautiful (and not so masculine) Organizer board.

So let's get started!

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Most of the materials that I used was just scrap things, but basically you will need the following:

• A piece of wood, bigger enough to put the things you want to organize. Try to use a light weight wood.
• Cardboard, from old packaging boxes or shoe boxes.
• Ribbons from different colors and shapes.
• Wood sticks from different sizes.
• Artificial (Or natural, dried & pressed) flowers.
• Scissors, Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks, a proper tool to cut wood sticks.
• Optional: Wood Stain, to make look better the piece of wood.

How to dry natural flowers and leaves: To do this, just use the old method of putting them inside a big book and put more books over it. After a few days the pages of the book will absorb most of the humidity of flowers. 

Step 2: Building Your Piece of Art

If you choose to stain the piece of wood, this is the moment, be sure to do it in a ventilated area and use all the protection needed.

Warning: Be careful with the glue gun, you don't want to have a blister...

1. Cut some stripes of cardboard, from at least 5cm (2inch) wide to make a frame for the piece of wood. Glue it with you hot glue gun to the wood.
   
2. Start to glue the ribbons to the cardboard frame in several & random places, go across on some of the ribbons with other ones and cut the excess.
   
3. Now the most tedious part (But not so). Start to glue the wood sticks in different positions, horizontally and vertically. You may need to use a proper tool to cut the sticks in a proper size (I used a Multi Function Folding Tool, maybe my favorite!). Doesn't need to cover all the spots.
   
4. Now cover the possible uncovered spots with some artificial (or natural) flowers and leaves.

Step 3: You're Done!

Now you have a beautiful board organizer to hold your business cards, letters, invoices, photos or whatever you want. You can try to use different things to decorate the board, like ropes or paper stripes instead of ribbons or pasta instead of wood sticks! If you don't have a piece of wood, but have a big cardboard, then you could use it too. 

To hang it on the wall, just place a couple of nails in the back and tie a string or wire between them, then hangs it to your wall using the rope / wire.

--My first intention was to make it for me, I wanted to make it just with sticks and rocks... But my girlfriend put her hands on this... Now I must do other for me >.< (ohh the love...)--