Swim Ribbon Display

I have three kids in competitive swimming. Soon we will be wrapping our third year of schlepping kids to pools nearly everyday, driving carpools, writing swim events on arms with Sharpies, Goggle management, sitting through four+ hour long swim meets, long-term screaming parents (not me, they can't hear us- trust me, I asked) and fun foods like Walking Tacos and Giant Dill Pickles from Costco. We get two weeks off around December and in March. The month of August is also a swim team free zone. Otherwise we go all year long. Most friends think we are insane.

"OMG- I swear you are pool-bound every weekend"

The kids need swimming. When they don't swim the month of August, they are climbing the walls, getting in trouble and breaking things. Yes, they are generally good kids. Kids are kids, they have a ton of energy. Swimming is the perfect thing for them. I love the sport because it is a team thing (Relays) and an individual thing (Personal Best times). There are swimming brackets based on age. So the kids need to learn to focus in order to achieve goals before they age up. Swimming is something you can do till you are in your 90s. At a recent swim meet, a Master Swimmer in her 90s swam at the meet. (I am totally serious).

And the best part? RIBBONS and MEDALS.

"OMG- How many ribbons do you have at your house? You should do a Project Runway inspired dress made from those ribbons"

"You could make a quilt from all of those ribbons"

So each kid had their own ribbon bin under their bed. The bins were filling up and I wanted to create something to hang them on the wall. I found a few ideas on Pinterest and on Etsy, but I wanted something that held MORE RIBBONS.

I bought the boards at Home Depot (approximately 48" x 12"), we painted them white (Semi-gloss), added 30+ white coffee cup hooks (again from Home Depot), then hand-painted the lettering. I wanted one saying to go across all three boards. I designed the saying on my computer, printed it out on letter sized paper, spliced it together and then traced it on the wood (pressing hard with a ball-point pen), then painted the words with a gray paint. This hand-painting took a while. It was a pain, so if you go for it be patient.

We placed the Ribbon Displays in the stairwell on the way to the kids Basement-zone. Now, after a meet they run down there to proudly hang up their ribbons. At the top, is my Daughter's ribbon display. She currently has the most ribbons. The middle child is catching up with her. And rounding out the bottom, is my little guy's ribbon board. He has only been swimming for a year. 

 12 year old kid to give a sense of scale.