Have you ever been scrolling through Etsy and found something adorable and then balked at the price? I know I’ve seen super cute projects that I’ve thought, “Oh I could make that! You want how much?!”

Handmade can be expensive! Sometimes if you were to **actually** make it yourself, the materials alone could cost you almost as much as the Etsy listing, and then you still have to skillfully make the dang thing and hope it turns out cute.

Which brings us to another beloved site: Pinterest. In an indignant huff you leave Etsy and it’s overpriced-ness and head to Pinterest. Let’s just say there’s a reason why there are multiple websites solely dedicated to DIY’s gone terribly wrong.

So, I came upon the following DIY in a similar way — actually saw the final product integrated into an adorable room on Pinterest, and couldn’t believe how much they were charging on Etsy for them. In my indignance, I didn’t return to Pinterest to find a DIY, I decided I could wing it. The following is my own DIY:

1. Here’s some of the original inspiration. Clusters of fabric-covered cork circles on a wall in a cute office area.

2. WHAT TOOLS YOU’LL NEED:
- sharp scissors
- sharpie (not too far off from the fabric color)
- stapler

3. THE SUPPLIES:
- cork square : thrifted 5 squares
- fabric: thrifted XL peach floral kimono

4. Rummage through your house for a bowl (or in my case a small trash can) that matches the size you want the overall project to be.

5. Pick the best spot in the fabric for that size, with the understanding you might do more than one, and use the sharpie to trace the bowl on the *backside* of the fabric.
6. Measure roughly an inch out from the sharpie line and cut the fabric out.

7. Go around the circle, stapling the fabric to the cork. I did 4 anchor staples at the top, bottom, left and right to keep everything in place as I went along. Make sure to pull the fabric taut as you go.

8. When you’re done stapling all the way around, the back should look like this, but with more fabric. Use the scissors and trim the excess fabric so the final project can lay smoothly on the wall.

9. ta-DAAA! Now you can take these steps and repeat with different fabrics, and different size circles for a colorful and unique cork board cluster.

I’m gathering up thrifted shirts and skirts that I no longer wear in complimenting colors and patterns to complete my collection of DIY boards.

It was so fun to be able to do a project start to finish in one sitting - I’m all geared up and want to MAKE CUTE STUFF!

What is your thrifty craft? Do you secondhand DIY? Tell us about it!