Cute Ladybug Garden Memo Board Styrofoam

You'll never miss an important message with the help of such colorful reminders.

Materials
STYROFOAM Brand Foam
Sheet, 36" x 12" x 1"Eggs: 2", three; 2-1/2", three; 3", one

Other Materials
Acrylic paints: red; black; bright green; white
Satin varnish
GessoPre-mixed patching plaster
Green/white gingham fabric, 45" wide, 1-1/2 yds.
Extra-loft quilt batting, crib size or 45" wide,
1Yellow jumbo piping, one package
Grosgrain ribbon, 1 yd. each: yellow, 3/8"; green,Artificial greenery, one stem each: ivy cluster;small white flowers; small yellow flowers
Natural raffia
Black plastic-coated wire, 18- and 22-gauge,
Clear plastic push pins, seven

Tools
Serrated knife
Candle stub
Fine-line black permanent marker
Round pencil with new eraser
Yardstick,
Round toothpicks, 17Paintbrushes: medium flat; small round
Disposable palette
Water basin
Paper towels
Scissors
Glass-head straight pins, two
Wire cutters
Needlenose pliers
Awl,
Putty knife, 1" wide
Sandpaper: medium; very fine
Painter's mask
low-temp glue gun and glue sticks
Thick, white craft glue

Instructions

Board -

1. Wax serrated knife with candle stub or paraffin. Use marker
to draw two 10" x 16" rectangles onto foam sheet; cut out.

2. Use glue gun to glue five toothpicks, equally spaced,
halfway into one long edge of one foam rectangle. Use glue gun
to apply glue to protruding toothpick ends, foam edge, and one
long edge of second rectangle.

3. Using yardstick and marker, draw 1-1/2"-wide border around
board. Draw diagonal lines from border corners to board
corners.

4. Cut two 1-1/2" x 20" strips and two 1-1/2" x 16" strips
from batting. Trim strip ends to fit within mitered corners.
Use white glue to glue batting strips to borders. Let dry.

5. Measure and cut on straight grain one 22" x 26" gingham rectangle.
Measure and cut on bias (diagonal) one 14" x 18" gingham rectangle.

6. Center back of board over wrong side of larger gingham
rectangle.  

7. Beginning and ending in one corner, tuck piping seam
allowance into scored edge of border.

8. For hanger, center yellow ribbon over green; secure with
white glue. Let dry.

Ladybugs
1. Wax serrated knife with candle stub or paraffin. Cut all
foam eggs in half lengthwise

2. Insert toothpick into flat side (bottom) of each half-egg
body. Holding toothpick, use fingers to coat rounded surface
of body with plaster.

3. Sand bug bodies first with medium, then very fine,
sandpaper. Recoat, let dry, and sand again.

4. Apply one coat gesso to all surfaces of each bug, let dry,
then sand with very fine sandpaper. Repeat.

5. Use flat brush to paint bugs red; let dry. Apply second
coat; let dry. Using photo as guide, use round brush to paint
black head and wing separation line; use round brush handle to
paint black wing dots. Let dry.

6. For large bugs, use pencil eraser to paint bright green
dots for eyes; use round brush handle to add white highlight
dots to centers.

7. Apply three coats varnish to each bug; let dry between
coats. Remove toothpicks.

8. For antennae, cut the following from 22-gauge wire: twelve
1-1/2" lengths (small bugs); ten 2" lengths (medium bugs);
four 2-1/2" lengths (large bugs). Use pliers to bend spiral
into one end of each antenna. Use awl to poke two 1/4"-deep
holes in top of each head, 1/8" above bottom edge of body and
1/8" apart.

9. Use awl to poke holes in bottom of three medium and all
small bugs. Enlarge holes in small bugs and one medium bug to
accommodate push pins, so only pin protrudes. Let dry overnight.

10. For "flying" bugs, cut two 9" lengths from 18-gauge wire.
Leaving 1" straight wire tail, bend each wire length into
three irregular loops.

11. Use wire cutters to cut three 5-1/2" and three 9" lengths
from ivy. Cut six small sprigs each from white and yellow flowers.

12. Using photo as guide and glue gun, glue two 9" ivy lengths
down left side and one length across top.

the creativity is endless. so enjoy your own favorite guys!