Pastel Inspiration Boards + 30 Second DIY Hardware Store Hack

Don’t get me wrong, I love Pinterest as much as the next girl, but there’s something about having a physical (real life) inspiration board that cannot be replicated online. No matter how many pretty pictures you and I pin. Right?

That tactile process of physically pinning new things to the wall, taking older items down…I don’t know…I just really enjoy the slowness of it, I guess. And the fleeting aspect of things…as soon as you remove something from your wall, it’s gone. It doesn’t continue to exist online or continue to sway your direction / style / thought process / etc. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

So, as a quick exercise, I thought I’d share my current inspiration board and how it’s changed, even from just a few weeks ago.

I feel like I change out inspiration board items as often as I change my outfit, most of the time. But at the moment, I find myself stuck on one thing in particular: pastels! Which probably comes as no surprise, if you’ve been keeping up with my DIY projects lately ( exhibit a // b // c ).

This last week or two, I have been filling my little half wall, by my desk, up with things that I’ve collected since the office makeover wrapped up. Along with a few things that I completely forgot I had (and recently found when I was cleaning out my craft closet the other day)…like that handmade crochet plant pocket that was made by Lemon Cucullu (which you might remember from this post).

I’ve kept a few things up, that are the same as before…it’s kind of hard not to be inspired by photos that my grandpa took, right? And there are a couple of photos from our Palm Springs trip, etc. But other than that, it’s feeling a little more fresh. Don’t you think?

And definitely much more pastel. Well, minus that neon accordion organizer, which is actually a hardware store hack.

So, my 30 second hardware store hack…

I was scrolling through the aisles at a home improvement store a while back and found these lawn mower air filters. They come in interesting colors (the one I have is neon red and there was another one that was seafoam green, which is what originally caught my eye) and I thought they would work pretty well as a little accordion organizer. So I bought a couple and hung one close to my desk, to use for notes, business cards that I want to keep handy, etc.

All you need to do is remove the filter from the package and hang it on the wall with a nail (the back side has a wire grid that makes it super easy to hang from, so you don’t even need a hook). Packaging to wall. Done! Does that even count as a DIY?! Who cares, I’m counting it!

So, that’s my hardware store hack for the week. I love walking through those aisles so much. Don’t you? I always walk away with something random. And I love it.

Concept, photography, and styling by Brittni Mehlhoff

Do you have a physical inspiration board in your workspace? What does it look like right now? Cluttered and colorful? Minimal and monotone? I’d love to know!