Knock Your Socks Off Organizer

Check out this Knock Your Socks Off Organizer from Melony Bradley and never suffer the loss of another sock again. This DIY organizer combines wood, painting and fabric crafts into one fabulous project. You'll love adding the finished product to your organization systems. Not only will this organizer keep those socks from running away, it also will add a stylish touch to your laundry room. The fabric birds that adorn this wooden plaque add a sweet touch to the entire display that cannot be rivaled.

Materials:

Wooden Plaque
Paint
Fabric
Clothespins
Needle and thread
Die cut machine
Sewing machine
DecoArt's "Deco-pauge"
Beacon Adhesives Gem-Tac
Alphabet stamps and ink
Cardstock

Instructions:

Tear fabric scraps into strips, each measuring about 2" x 8." (The length and width of your torn strips will vary according to the size of the die cut you will be using, discussed a bit later) To join the strips together, simply overlap the pieces slightly (1/4") and sew a straight stitch down the center.
Cut a cardstock bird out first to make sure the fabric strips cover the entire die.
Die cut birds from the joined fabric strips, three of them.
Use sewing machine and black thread to free form sew around the edges of the birds.
Paint the wood pieces. Bear in mind that Cadmimum Yellow is a transparent paint. It will take several coats to cover the board or you can use a more semi-opaque paint such as Lemon Yellow for a similar shade and color. Paint clothespins black.
To create an aged effect on the board, which gives it a little more interest and matches my shabby chic decor, paint yellow over the black and sanded the surface to let some of the black show through. The opposite applies to these teardrop shaped wings. Paint them yellow first and then black.
Assemble the board using DecoArt's new medium, "Deco-pauge" with a foam brush to apply the birds to the sign board.
Use a heavy duty adhesive such as Beacon Adhesives Gem-Tac to attach the clothespins. Make sure you use a liberal amount of the adhesive as these clothespins will be handled frequently.
Use some 1" alphabet stamps and black pigment ink to stamp "missing socks" on the surface of the board.