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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DIY Valentine's Day Wood Conversation Heart Wall Hanging

I've been wanting to make these wooden conversation hearts for a while now.  Three years to be exact.  Go ahead and read THIS POST to refresh your memory, I'll wait.  

Well, I finally got around to doing it.  Earlier this summer I found some wooden heart plaques, I wasn't even looking for them.  Every other time I happened to be at a craft store and happened to remember to look for the wooden hearts, I couldn't find them so of course I had to get them.

The first step was to paint the hearts in pastel colors.  I used some of the acrylic paint my daughter got for Christmas and added some white to it so it would be lighter.

Then, I used my Silhouette machine to cut out the names in a dark pink vinyl.

I was on a roll and did this much in two days.  Then, I couldn't find the staple gun.  So my progress came to a halt.  Finally I took the time to really look for it and there it was, neatly put away with the rest of the tools in the garage.  For some reason I thought it would have been left out with the last staple gun project which, by the way, is still unfinished and sitting in the basement.  

After a two week hiatus for this project, I picked up where I left off by stapling some wide ribbon to the back of each wooden heart.  I used dark pink ribbon to match the vinyl letters.

Then I doubled over the top of the ribbon and put a key chain type ring on it so I could hang it.  

I didn't want the ring to show so I prettied it up with a bow made out of the same ribbon.

In my original post about wanting to make these wooden hearts, I thought I would hang them in the foyer.  Then I realized that might look weird since I don't have any other Valentine's Day decor in there.  So I decided to hang on the wall next to my fireplace since the mantel is where all my Valentine decor is.  

This is the before picture of that wall.  I just took down the two pictures and hung the hearts from the top nail.  

The ribbon and hearts cover up the bottom nail so it all looks nice, and not too low for little ones to pull at.

Here's the Valentine decor on the mantle.  In the original post I mentioned how I wanted to make a cute heart banner.  Well, I never got around to making that but I did find this pre-made heart banner at an after Valentine's Day clearance.

I still display the 'You & Me' sign, which is just a gift bag I put into a frame (you can read all about that in THIS POST), and the infinite love block I made in THIS POST.

I still haven't made the LOVE blocks, but I did add this LOVE sign.  It's just a thin wooden LOVE key glued onto a card stock frame.

From this angle you can see all the Valentine decor.  

  

What Valentine crafts have you made?  Link up in the comments below.

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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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