Bad Ashley.

This little DIY came about because of Nate' now lack of cubical. Which means he went from an office where he could display his random toys and nostalgia, to it being spread all across the house. One of those things were his patches that he has collected over the years. They were the smallest items, which should have been easy to keep out of the way, but they are Velcro. And we all know that stuff sticks to everything you don't want it to. So, I came up with a project to turn his patches into art. I figured not only is this a great idea for storing them, but he'll be able to hang it in his next office and keep adding patches on.

This was probably one of my easiest DIYs that I've done in a long time, but at the same time, probably one of my favorites. So pay attention (especially you military peeps...cause you know there are patches laying around your house)!

Step 1: Measure and then cut the foam board so that it fits into the frame.

Step 2: Measure and cut the felt, making sure that you have about 2 inches of extra fabric all the way around so you can fold it over the back.


Step 3: Spray the adhesive onto the foam board (It's a really good idea to do this outside...so you don't make everything sticky inside. Yeah...learn from me and my mistakes).

Step 4: Lay fabric onto the foam board and smooth...smooth...smooth out those air bubbles!

Step 5: Spray the edges on the back of the foam board and fold over extra fabric. You can cut the edges to make the fabric lay nicer.


Step 6: Flip it over and admire the fact that everything is actually working and that the fabric is staying in place.


Step 7: Staple...or in my case...staple...then realize my staples are too short and aren't going through the foam. Cuss. Then pull out the hot glue gun and glue that bugger to the frame.


Step 8 (optional): If your frame doesn't have a wall hanger...attach one now. This means lots of measuring to find the center point. Do this...so you don't have to fight lopsidedness.

Step 9 (optional): If you're crazy like me, you hate when frames rub up against the wall. Stop this by adding a rubber door bumper on the each of the bottom corners.

Step 10: Now go gather up those patches and stick them on!



A few of his patches didn't have Velcro on the back, so I just bought some and glued it on. That way they stick, but are still movable like rest.

This was such a quick and relatively cheap project. The price really depends on how much you spend on the frame and fabric. The adhesive is about a one time $5 hit, but I've been able to use it for a lot of other things as well. The foam board is usually about $3 or less. So really this project could be as cheap as $20, if not cheaper!

Most of Nate's current patches are from when he went to the Academy, but a few were given to him and others are his uniform patches from where he worked. This got hung in our current office next to a gift he got when he left his last job and his diploma. All of which, will go with him into his new office at his next station.

So there you have it...a DIY to start off the new year!