Updating a regular bulletin board

I love bulletin boards in my studio. I like to tear things out of magazines for inspiration and have them in front of me. Patterns and colours I see in home decor and fashion magazines help inspire not only my home, but my stationery.

Although I like bulletin boards, the cork colour isn't my favourite. So the same night I updated the bulletin board on the opposite wall, I wrapped this board with the same canvas (the same as we made a tent out of!) This board had a frame that made it the perfect contender for some nail head detail.  So this is what I started with...

And I updated it to this...

SUPER easy.
I stapled the canvas over the bulletin board using my desk stapler. Lots of awesome tutorials out there on that but really, you stretch the fabric and staple. Done.

Next, I wanted to make it more finished so I decided to do nail heads. I had heard that upholstery nail head detailing came on "trim". It is quick, and easy. The way that this  trim works is that it nail heads (with no pins) come on a piece of "trim". Every 5th nail is a hole, you punch in a "matching" nailhead that has a a tack that holds the trim in place, and it is supposed to blend in. I searched EVERYWHERE for this and finally had to buy it sight unseen from the manufacturer in Toronto. Total cost for this, $30 + shipping.

Problem is. The stupid "Matching Nails" that are every fifth spot didn't match! Want to see the proof, look at the picture below. The best spot to look is the top row. How on earth can they sell it like this? Bah. So mad. I think my exact words when I saw it was "You've GOT to be kidding me". Even though they didn't match I tried to see if it would work. Nope.

In an ode to Tim Gun I said to myself "Make it work". I bought some silver paint and tried to paint the little matching heads to blend in. Looked awful. I then cut pieces off the trim and glue gunned the nice looking pewter heads over the discoloured. But the problem is, the ones I glue gunned we're higher than the rest so, well, they still stood out. I threw my hands up. The easy route of this trim was not for me.

So, I went to MacFab here in Toronto, where they had a HUGE selection of nails and bought 500 individual nails and...

It is a little hard, and requires some concentration to put each one in in a straight line but I had a natural guide of the frame. Even still, any variation in the angle I put one in, could throw the whole look. But I'm really happy at how it looks...



Love it. Probably also because it reminds me of my beloved Colette Bed.

(And pssst, you can see the start of a matching project on the other wall)