DIY Reversible Summer / 4th of July Blocks

We  had a craft day at church the other weekend and I was in charge of this craft.  Perfect for a summer time display.  It is super cute and super easy to make.

You need 7 blocks.  I think we had 2x4's cut into the following sizes (you don't have to be exact):

6 blocks cut to 2.5" by 4"

and 1 block cut at 2" by 6"

The blocks were sanded and left as is for our project, but you could stain or paint them if you wanted.

Then we used patriotic and summer colored scrapbook paper cut to fit inside the blocks.  6 patriotic colored papers and 6 summer colored papers were cut to 2 1/8th" by 3.5".  One patriotic paper and one summer paper was cut to 1 3/8" by 5.5".  

Vinyl lettering was cut out using my Silhouette machine and applied to each paper.

Then the paper was Mod Podged to the blocks.  I just applied Mod Podge to the block and then smoothed the paper on top.  You could also apply Mod Podge over the paper for a more durable or shinier finish.

I love a 2 for 1 decoration.  I have mine turned to summer right now but when July rolls around, I'll flip it to the patriotic side and then flip it back to summer to use until school starts.

The idea was found HERE and the possibilities are endless.  You could make these for Easter/Spring, Winter/Valentine's Day, or any holiday and season.  I love a simple, easy and versatile craft. 

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DIY Word Art for Girls

As mentioned in my last post it's been 9 months since we moved to our new home.  My two girls are no longer sharing a room so I have two girly rooms to decorate.  My youngest loves all things glittery gold and pink.  She requested a pink and gold unicorn room.  I'm happy to report that I'm almost done.  There are a few little things I want to do/make but for the most part, it's done.  Since we reused zero of the art/pictures from their shared horse themed bedroom, she needed some new art on her walls.  We browsed through Pinterest to see what I could make.  

She liked these two ideas:

They are sold on Etsy (HERE and HERE), but I knew I could make them cheaper.  Here are my versions:

I used 12 x 16 canvas boards and spray painted them with Krylon "ballet slipper" pink spray paint.  Then I just cut out and applied the vinyl.  I used a bright vinyl sampler pack for the first wall art and a glitter gold vinyl for the second wall art.  I hung them up with Command Strips.  (Amazon affiliate links provided for your convenience in case you want to make these too.  I receive a small commission when you purchase from my site.  Thank you.)

   

They were pretty easy to make except for the part where my vinyl didn't want to come off the paper backing.  That gold glittery vinyl was a pain to work with.  Other than that, it was a quick and easy way to customize her room.  I'm pleased with how it turned out and can't wait to show you the rest of her room including how I got away with not having to paint her walls pink yet her room still looks pink!  

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GIVE THANKS Banner

I didn't mean to pass over Thanksgiving when I posted the JOY Christmas craft the other day.  To redeem myself, I made a Thanksgiving banner.  

This was another easy craft. All it took was some scrapbook paper, black vinyl letters that I cut out using my Silhouette, and some twine.  I started by cutting out the scrapbook paper into the banner shape that I wanted.

Then I applied the vinyl letters.

Strung it all together and hung it up on the mantel.

  

As you can see some of the pumpkins from my Halloween decor now double and Thanksgiving decor.

I know, I'm a little lacking in Thanksgiving decorations.

All the more reason I needed to make this banner.  Plus, I can reuse it for years to come.

I also added some vinyl to the soap dispenser in the powder room.  I had "BOO" in vinyl on there before as part of my Halloween decor.

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Personalized Teacher Pencil

The end of the school year also means giving out teacher gifts.  I stop giving teacher gifts once the kids get into middle school and have a different teacher for each subject.  So just as one kid left elementary school last year, another one started, and the way my kids are spaced out, I'll be doing this for another 9 years.  Good thing there are lots of ideas on Pinterest.  Because I like to put some thought into what I get the teachers rather than just buy them a gift card to Target, that "thought" usually requires me to make something and this year is no exception.  With a little help from Pinterest, here's what my kindergartner is giving her teacher this year:

As luck would have it, I just so happened to have a piece of wood laying around.  It was roughly 9 inches long by 3.5 inches wide and an inch thick. 

The next step was to mark how I wanted it cut, cut it and then sand the rough edges.

I painted the middle section yellow.  I also did the sides and back.

Then I added some pink for the eraser and light brown for the sharpened pencil end.

Black paint was used for the tip and silver duct tape was used for the metal eraser holding part.

Using my Silhouette Cameo, I cut some vinyl and applied the teacher's name to the wooden pencil.

It turned out so cute and really didn't take me that long to make.  This was one project that I was able to complete in a day.

In case you are wondering, my inspiration came from the JM Designs Etsy shop.

These pencils are cute and if you don't feel like making your own, you could always buy one.

You can check out previous years teacher gifts below if you are looking for more ideas:

Influence of a Teacher Chalkboard

Orange You Glad It's Summer

Big Cookie plus a bunch more ideas

And if you're looking for ideas on how to celebrate the last day of school, check out MY PREVIOUS POST.

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Family Quote

A while ago, amidst all the political turmoil, I saw this quote and loved it.  

With Mother's Day coming up, I decided to print the quote out on vinyl using my Silhouette Cameo machine and mail it to my sister in laws - all of whom are amazing mothers who love their kids like crazy. 

I did something similar last year with this quote:

Since I just mailed them the vinyl, they could display it however they wanted.  

I  gave them a bunch of ideas of how to use it such as:

All of these ideas were found through Pinterest here, here, here, here, here and here.

And you can read about last year's Mother's Day quote by clicking HERE.

And to all you moms out there - 

Keep up the good work.  You are doing better than you think you are.

I know you may not have had a decent night's sleep in years, you may smell like spit up, your wardrobe consists of black yoga pants and yesterdays tee shirt, you can't wait until the kids can do things on their own and then you miss those days of giving baths and tying shoes.  Being a mom isn't for the faint of heart.  You may come in contact with blood, sweat, tears and lots of other bodily fluids on a daily basis.  Potty training sucks and teenage drama makes you wish for the easier days of toddlerhood.  But when your kids are grown and you have more than a millisecond to yourself, you realize it was all worth it and you'd do it a thousand times over.  Raising kids, raising this next generation, is the most important job on earth.  And it all starts with love.    

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New Dad Gift

Here's another Father's Day gift idea.  This one is perfect for the new dad and lucky for me, I know a new dad.  My sister and brother in law had a baby last month so while perusing Pinterest for Father's Day gift ideas, I saw THIS and knew I just had to make something similar for my brother in law.

I started with a block of wood cut to size and sanded.  The dimensions were roughly 3 x 7. 

Then I painted it grey.

Using my silhouette cameo, I added the vinyl lettering.

And that's all there was too it.  Simple and cute.

Check out my Father's Day board on Pinterest for more gift and card ideas.

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The Influence of a Good Teacher can Never be Erased

My daughter finished school on Tuesday so that means Monday night I was making her teacher's gift.  I like to have my act together and plan and prepare for things, but lately it seems like I'm barely getting by.  I've known school was ending for months and 9pm the night before I started making this.   Luckily I can always count on Pinterest to help me out.   I saw THIS cute idea and thought it would be perfect.   Here's my version below:

It was easy to put together.

Step 1:  Get a small blank chalkboard.  Mine was about 7" by 10".

Step 2:  Using my Silhouette Cameo machine, I cut out "the influence of a good teacher can never be erased" on white vinyl.

Step 3:  I used contact paper to transfer the words from the vinyl to the chalkboard. 

Step 4:  Admire your work!

My daughter has been blessed to have good teachers throughout her school years.  Each teacher has helped her learn and grow in numerous ways.  They are positive role models for her and it's no wonder when asked what she wants to be, "teacher" is the answer.  

To see other teacher gifts from past years, be sure to check out THIS post and THIS post.

You can also follow my Teacher Gifts board on Pinterest HERE.

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