Sunday, June 20, 2010

Beer Caps and Bottle Tops—A Sunday Favorite

writeroval-1-1 I have a confession to make.  I have an ulterior motive in what I am reposting for this week’s Sunday Favorites, hosted by Chari at Happy to Design.

It is one of my favorite posts, and got 30 legitimate comments when I first ran it on March 3, 2009.  But it is also the post that is most often hit on by spammers promoting everything from Viagra to male enhancement drugs.

A few months ago, I started moderating my blog so that I could reject their nastiness before it got posted.  But I’m so afraid I’ll accidentally hit “publish” instead of “reject” that I’m trying a different approach.  By republishing it here, under a new title, and deleting the original (which I’ve never done before), I can hopefully preserve the post and foil the spammers.

Besides, any dad would love one of these for Father’s Day!

1memo board 007

Several people have asked me to "show and tell" about my magnetic memo board, so today seemed like a good day. First, the idea idea was not original, but the best ideas are often the ones you "borrow."
 
I was with some friends at an inspiration home in town, sort of like a decorator showhouse but on a smaller scale. In the kitchen over the desk was this wonderful magnetic memo board that incorporated old bottle caps on the frame. Almost everything in the house was for sale, but when we looked at the price of $350 for the memo board, we decided we could make one ourselves. All we had to do was find a suitable frame, obtain some old bottle caps and purchase galvanized metal.
 
1memo board 012 Frames for our first efforts came from Olde Time Pottery, a warehouse type store that sells everything from dishes and glassware to artificial flowers and framed "art." We didn't need the art, but we did need the frames, and finding the right kind of frame is not as easy as you might think. You need a frame that has a flat place on it that is wide enough for the bottle caps to fit.
 
1memo board 010 EBay proved to be a great source for bottle caps. You can buy both beer and soft drink caps in all sorts of quantities, but I don't mix beer and soft drink caps on my boards, since they are not exactly the same size. I also like for each cap on the board to be different, so when I'm making a purchase on eBay, I study the picture carefully to make sure the lot contains a good variety of caps. When I'm doing a frame with soft drink caps, I always like to incorporate a Grapette cap if I have one, since Grapette was invented in my hometown.
 
The galvanized metal can be purchased from Home Depot in rolls large enough for several memo boards. Fortunately Glenda's husband is very handy with tools, so he always gets the job of removing the glass from the frames and cutting and installing the metal. Then he usually puts the glass back in the frame behind the metal to give it some support.
 
1memo board 001 Since the backs of the bottle caps are hollow, we decided that we would need to glue something into the back of each cap before gluing it to the frame. We found the perfect thing when we discovered packages of small wooden hearts at Michael's. The heart shape wasn't important, but the size was just right. It's important to imbed the heart in plenty of hot glue (what did we use before glue guns) so that it doesn't turn loose from the bottle cap. Once that's done, you then glue the caps to the frame.
 
memo board 005 You can use any kind of magnet, but I always like to make magnets out of bottle caps by gluing a small round magnet into the back. You can also purchase these at Michael's or any craft store. Michael's also sells a frame that looks like old weathered wood. It's perfect for the memo boards as you can see on this one that I made for my sister-in-law Susie.
 
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10 comments:

Unknown said...

I've always loved yours, but you never told me the story on it (other than the blog post).

A 2 Z said...

WOW! This is just fantastic. It would make a personal Father's Day gift and I guess to a son as well. I love it! Thanks for sharing.

Anne-Marie

Candy said...

Now that just tops them all. Way to cap off this project and thanks for sharing the how-to.
Busy is a bloggers middle name...I've been out of pocket as well and missing all my old visitors.
Have fun and visit when you can.
Cheers ;-)

Keetha Broyles said...

That is way cute, and I see that hog right there in the mix!

My dad doesn't drink beer, not even pop - - - so I wonder what kind of small items I could use instead? Oh well - - - he's downsizing and probably doesn't want any more "clutter" to clear out anyway.

Now, I wish I knew what your OLD title was - - - why was it bringing you so much spam I wonder? No, don't tell me here - - - the spammers might find that, but oh DO e-mail me a keepiedaniece(at)yahoo(dot)com

Pretty please???

susan said...

All the guys in my family would love one! In fact, my son covered a coffee table with tops while he was in college....ahh, we were so proud :) The school is Briarcrest! Hope you had a happy weekend!

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Kathy, I remember this post so well. I love Susie's magnet board you made her. Even if you are borrowing an idea, you were definitely creative in coming up with ways to execute this idea. I'm always amazed that those spammer comments seem to go to the same few posts most of the time. I get so tired of deleting them, but I'm determined to not let them take away annon. comments from my blog. It does make it a little easier that now I know exactly where to go in my Edit page to find the few that they attack all of the time. So glad you re-posted this great idea. laurie

Coloradolady said...

This is really cute....I love how you found a frame that went so well with the tops. This is a great idea for anyone really! Thanks for stopping by the other day and leaving a comment. I know all about being busy.....I am ready for a slow down of some sorts! Have a great week!!

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

What a great idea! And nowhere NEAR $350.00! This is really cute!

Thank you for stopping by and commenting on my cabinets. Yes, you can see the grain of the oak, but I actually like that look. I had been warned going in that I would be able to see it and I can. But I am loving the transformation and it has just brightened up my kitchen so much!!

Hope you have a great week! Heading to the Gulf on Friday for 5 days. Hoping the oil stays away!!

Lou Cinda :)

nanny said...

that is such a neat idea!!! love it!

Keetha Broyles said...

Kbeau, you just left me this comment: "Your humor, evident in this post, is why I keep coming back"
to which I say "Awwwwwww, you make me feel sooooo affirmed!"

I love coming here too!