Mousetrap Memo Pad

I've been dying to show you this project, but didn't want to give away any secrets. You see, I made them for a few several bloggers out there in the home décor blogland. And as luck would have it, most of these special women are here at Blissdom! As a tiny token of my appreciation for their inspirational blogs, I put together a little gift bag. Inside (among other things) was this one-of-a-kind memo pad.

With a note attached.

 "My mouse is hooked on your blog!"

Get it? The notepad holder is a mousetrap and I was playing on the word, mouse (the one for your computer). Corny, I know.

So, you want one for yourself? I'm happy to share with you the tutorial.

 

The memo pad started life as a mousetrap (4 for $1) and a mini picture frame also $1 at the Dollar Store!

Materials:

Wooden mousetrap
Small picture frame
Cabinet Toe kick boards or other thin scrap wood (1 - 4.5" x 4.5", 1 - 4.5" x 10")
Wire
Ribbon
Notepad
Corrugated cardboard
Small 2" x 3" picture
E-6000 glue (optional)
Gorilla glue
Primer
Paint
Sandpaper
Needle-nosed pliers
Saw (hand saw is fine)
Drill and bit (for hole)

Start by removing the hook and trap hold parts with pliers. Then remove the bait hook.
All that will remain is the spring and snapping bar.

Cut the excess wood from your mousetrap with a handsaw.
(I used mine in a miter box for a straight cut.)

Sand down the rough edges.

You will need to cut down your scrap wood to the dimensions below.
The 4.5" square piece is the same thickness as the mousetrap.
This insures an even surface for the memo pad to rest on.

 

Following the directions for the Gorilla Glue,
I wet each piece of wood and then added the glue.

 

Glue the 4.5" square piece to the bottom of the larger piece of wood. Then glue the mouse trap right above the square piece. Make sure your snapping bar is facing down, as shown below.

Set a weight on top of the wood to "clamp" it while the glue dries. (About an hour or so.)

  Anyone know what these hand weights are good for?
Beats me, I only use them to weigh down projects.

 After the trap is dry, spray your boards with 1 or 2 coats of primer. 

Then follow up with your favorite color paint.

 

At this point, you will want to drill a hole through the top of your board. 

Take apart your picture frame and discard the backing. 

Replace it with a piece of corrugated cardboard cut to size. Slide in your picture.

Carefully add a small line of E-6000 glue* to the back of the frame and glue it just above the mouse trap. If you use too much glue, it will glue the cardboard to the frame and you won't be able to switch out your picture from time to time.

 *You could use Gorilla glue for this step, but the glue expands and might glue your frame shut so you can't change the pictures.

Create a bow with the ribbon and slide a piece of wire through the bow knot.

Secure the bow by threading both ends of the wire through the hole at the top of your mouse trap memo holder. Twist the wires together to make a loop for hanging.

Add your memo pad and you have a unique little note center.

So do you think those wonderful bloggy ladies will like it? 

It isn't too cheesy is it? (Pun definitely intended!)

Welcome Guest Blogger - Jessica from Decor Adventures

Hey all, I'm safely at Blissdom now and meeting many other inspiring bloggers. Unfortunately, there is one blogger who, sadly, I won't be meeting. Jessica from Decor Adventures. She is as sweet as can be and a real kindred spirit when it comes to DIY projects. Instead she's staying home to kick DIY butt in her basement, but agreed to take some time to meet you all in my absence. Take it away Jessica!

Jessica

Hello Pretty Handy readers! I'm Jessica from Decor Adventures, a professional by day and project addict by night, decorating my new 111 year old house. Today I want to share with you how to hang plates on a wall.  It's so simple, with no visible hardware, you'll be hanging them up in no time.

When we had a housewarming party last fall, we made our guests participate in a fun little activity while helping to decorate all at the same time. I got some inexpensive plates at the thrift stores and asked our guests to freestyle it!  We had them decorate plates to hang in our house with their well wishes for our first place.

First the secret is Dischangers. They are easy to order online, ship super quick and come in different sizes to hold various weight.

To use them, moisten the disc and secure it to the back of your plate then let it dry overnight. Make sure you wait, even if you want them up right away. You don't want any plates crashing to the ground because the glue is wet!

To make my arrangement I used a technique I saw online where you make a grid of your art on a piece of paper, hang it on the wall, nail in the holes, hang up your art, pull the paper away and presto! Art on the wall. This actually can be done with different wall arrangements, plates, art or photos, etc.

To get started I pulled out a piece of packing paper that came in box from an item I ordered. I was that thick butcher paper. I laid it out on the counter space which was just about as big as my wall area.

Then I arranged the plates on the paper how I wanted them to look on the wall. This way I could move them around without having to hammer a new hole in the wall.





Then I traced each plate onto the paper with a sharpie, making sure it didn't bleed onto the counter underneath. You can write on the plates or art which piece it is. This will help to see what you've got going where.

Then I removed the paper from under the plates and hung it up on the wall with painter's tape. Now you'll see the placement of your art/plates.





After that, measure where each nail hole goes,

mark that spot on your "plate" on the wall,

and hammer one in!

Once you carefully remove the paper, you'll have your nails all ready to go.





Lastly, simply hang up your art and you're done.








This is the little bistro corner in our kitchen. So when our friends come over they get to see their handiwork.







Hoped you learned something today with my plate art. Do you have a technique for hanging things up on the wall? Any tips you want to share?

Thanks again to Pretty Handy Girl for letting me visit!




Please give Jessica a round of applause. Wasn't that a great tip for hanging plates? I think I'll be using this technique to hang our family photo wall soon!

You should hop over to her blog where she and her husband are doing some crazy renovations to their home.