Get The TechniqueI'm Cary, an Assistant Managing Editor at Martha Stewart Living. The Crafts Dept asked me to share my most recent craft project. Hope you enjoy it!
I knew that these pushpins, from a story in the January 2008 issue, were a perfect way to display pictures of some of my favorite people. But without a good place for a bulletin board at home, I’d kept this project in the back of my mind for more than two years. When my husband and I recently bought a new desk, I hung some 24-inch-long, 1-inch-wide cork strips above it and got to work.
1 I am not a crafty person, but this was so easy. I didn’t worry about pictures fitting the circles perfectly; it was more important for me to have lots of people represented.
2 Once the resin dried, after 24 hours, I used a hot- glue gun to attach thumbtacks to the backs of the caps.
3 I got a little impatient and didn’t bother to seal the images or glue them down before pouring in the resin, but the project worked fine anyway
4 Now I love looking up from my computer to see so many smiling faces in a row.
One tip: Fill the bottle caps until the resin is about to spill. The fuller caps have a rounded, glassier look.
From: Sarah Sarniak | 5/11/10 at 7:30 pm
This is so cool, I will be using this for my office. Thank you!
From: Color Printing Flyers | 5/12/10 at 3:37 am
Really cool photo tacks! Like seriously! I think it's pretty ingenious to use something like used bottle caps for this
Adds a personal touch!
From: Eliza B. | 5/12/10 at 10:58 am
What a cool idea! "Personalized" thumbtacks would be a cool addition to any message board (and kill two birds with one stone when it comes to displaying photos). You could even subsitute public domain artwork or clip art pictures for a thematic board.
From: Katie D | 5/12/10 at 1:30 pm
I love how this turned out! I can't wait to make my own.
From: Rowaida Flayhan | 5/13/10 at 4:12 am
amazing and great idea!
From: Cap Crafts « wishful thinking | 6/15/10 at 10:02 pm
[...] similar to this project can be found @ TheCraftsDept, Martha Stewart’s Craft blog. Just substitute magnets for tacks. [...]
From: Tribal arts and crafts | 10/11/11 at 5:16 pm
Wow, really nice idea! Thank you for showing it!!
From: Aiknami | 3/1/12 at 3:56 pm
I have done similar in the past but always encounter the problem of taxis calling off - no matter how strong my glue! To prevent this, I started pushing the taxis through the cap before putting my image in the well. That way the resin holds it in with the photo on top! It is also possible to use glass gems (like the ones used to fill vases) if you want to avoid resin (no time, don't know how, can't stand the fumes, etc), just glue the glass into the well!
From: design and print | 1/6/13 at 10:55 am
This is a great idea with the tacks. Another design could include attaching a magnet to the back to hang on the fridge or magnetic board.