A couple of months ago, I discovered that quilting squares make really cheap, colorful backgrounds. However, I couldn’t figure out how to hold them up. The next afternoon, I was out back with the dogs and noticed one of their hurdles I created out of PVC pipe.

Light bulbs went off in my head. I rushed to Home Depot and bought a couple of pipes and some connectors to create a backdrop stand out of PVC pipe.

I used it for a couple of months, and it worked great. But I found myself using parchment paper, too. Two weeks ago, someone suggested that I attach the parchment paper roll to my background stand, so that I could just roll it up when I was done.

I nixed the idea because I didn’t want to take the stand apart to replace the roll too often. More light bulbs went off — I can use inexpensive paper rolls, like the rolls that come on kids’ art easels. But not just any paper roll. HUGE paper rolls, so that I don’t have to replace it very often. After some searching, last week I found a 900-foot long roll of white, uncoated butcher paper. Oh yeah. I’ll probably never have to replace that roll.

Yesterday afternoon, I went back to Home Depot and got some more pipes and connectors. I absolutely love the result. I don’t have any fudge made at the moment, so Jelly helped me model the upgraded stand. Unfortunately, she was more interested in hoovering up the kibble I used to lure her up to the stand than in looking at the camera.