Medal Diaplay Board

One really neat feature that comes from running races is receiving all of the cool finisher's medals. I've been collecting for quite some time now and I've been looking for a fun way to display them. I've simply kept them all strewn together in a decorative bowl on one of my shelves, but have been searching for a more creative decorating idea. My friend Sam created these cute display stands:

This past week I found what I have been looking for - allow me to explain. This month's ladies book club event took place at a local wine shop. (The company, our gossip and the lack of conversation about our awful book choice: wonderful. The wine ... not so great.) While the winery's homemade drinks weren't top notch, the atmosphere was fantastic and featured some really cool decor ideas. As I was paying I noticed something hanging on the back wall that caught my eye. I headed over and got a closer look at the amazing feature. It was a window shutter outfitted with many hooks, each of which held one of the winery's award medals (although I am not sure why they won so many awards with that awful tasting wine!) I loved how it looked and knew I had to copy the idea for my own.

I spent my Saturday down the block at an amazing local antiques mall and came away with a few more good finds than I was anticipating. In addition to the shutter I was searching for, I also purchased a cute vintage purse, a new outdoor bench for my patio and a lovely wooden armchair I have already re-upholstered (working with leather is tougher than it looks!)

The shutter came attached double-wide, so I unscrewed the two panels and am keeping one in storage in case it is needed for future use. I cleaned the piece down (super dusty, grimy and dirty) and then used my new favorite tool - the staple gun - to attach some light weight batting to the back of the shutter. I was afraid that after time some of the dirt I could not remove might permanently stain my white walls. And I am a renter. Yikes. I strategically laid my medals out on the board to determine their best placements. I took each medal and trimmed the ribbon down to a suitable length and re-stitched the ends back together. Then I simply screwed the little golden hooks into the board and hung all of the awards. Viola! Here are my finished results:

I am very proud of the piece - and very proud to display all the medals that mark some of the biggest accomplishments in my life! Next step: running more races to add additional medals to the collection! (And actually hanging it up ... sometime when my grouchy neighbor isn't around so she won't mind me hammering nails into the wall!)