Birthday & Anniversary Board

A while back, I saw something similar to this but can't remember for the life of me where.

I'm really sorry! I wish I could give her credit!

I decided months ago that I was going to make one for my mom for Christmas. The original one I saw only had birthday's but I decided to take it a step further and include anniversaries as well. Even though I decided months ago to do it, I really didn't make it until the few days before Christmas. I bought the frame and metal board from the wonderful Wood Connection and just painted the board black. 

I am not very good at scrap booking, so I cheated and created the months all on the computer and had them printed as a 4x6 picture at Walmart. I downloaded a whole bunch of really cute FREE digital scrapbook pages from the Shabby Princess. Did I mention, it was all FREE?? Best part! Then I took put a magnet on the back of each picture to put them on the metal board. If you didn't want to do the metal board, you could Mod Podge them on to the back of a normal frame or even on the glass of it.

Because I know our family is not complete, and probably never will be. My mom will want to continue adding names even for her great grand kids. I decided to print all the names on the same background I put the month on... Then Mod Podged them on the pictures. (Extra step that didn't need to be taken.) I didn't love how that turned out. If I had more time, I would have changed it before I gave it to her. If I liked my handwriting, I would have just written them all on with a black permanent marker. (Makes it the easiest way to add more names.) I'm still going to fix and re-do the months. I had the great idea just last night of printing the names on a clear label. That makes it an even easier way to add names to it. My mom can still write the new names on, or you can always print a new label for a new birth or marriage. 

To finish it off, I cut out our family name along with "Birthdays & Anniversaries" with the Cricut in white vinyl and stuck them on the top and bottom of the board. (Sorry I didn't take pictures of everything along the way. I actually finished this on Christmas day so I could give it to my mom.)



I'm linked up on:

50+ Saying Block Letters...

As I mentioned in my last post, I participated in the Handmade Gift Exchange over at Craftaholics Anonymous. I was paired with the fabulous Angela over at Comfie Corner Crafts. I decided to make her these blocks I saw at a friends house awhile back. I've been wanting to make them for myself but still haven't gotten around to it. (Isn't that how it always turns out?)

Anyway, I've gotten a lot of great feedback on the blocks from my friends and family, I decided to do my first tutorial! And yes, I'm going to make these again.

First off, you start with 15 square blocks. You can do 2 1/2x2 1/2 or 3x3, whatever size you prefer. I think I used 3x3. I went to Lowe's and had them cut my wood down to size. I know places such as Wood Connection has square blocks already pre-cut, but are a little more expensive. Lowes does not charge to cut the wood.

Before you start your project, of course, you need to sand, sand, sand. This by far was the most time consuming part of the whole thing. You may want to use a power hand sander... I definitely will for the next time around. 15 blocks is a lot to sand... just saying.

Next, stain the blocks using a darker color stain. You really only need to do the edges because you are going to cover the sides in cute scrapbook paper.

After your stain has dried, cut your scrapbook paper down to size. On this one, I chose to put the same paper on the front and back, then another paper on the 2 sides, and another paper on the top. I think the next time I do it, I'm going to use the same paper on all 4 sides, then a different paper on the top. You can deifnitely do this anyway you want. I like the look of seeing the paper on top that you are using on the sides as well. It brings all the blocks together. (In my opinion.) Be sure not to cover the bottom, you need to write the number of the block on it. Also, because your blocks can be used YEAR ROUND, you probably want to avoid the seasonal paper prints.

Once you are done Mod Podge-ing the paper on, it's time to cut the letters. By this point, I was ready to be done. I wont lie. I used my trusty NEW Cricut (yes, I got a new one on Black Friday!) and I cut the letters out of vinyl using the Sure Cuts A Lot program. (If I haven't said it enough, I LOVE SCAL!) If you dont have this awesome program, you can use any letter cartridge or even just print and cut the letters out yourself. If you don't use vinyl, just use your trusty Mod Podge again and glue them on. I did this for the Christmas Tree and the other decals I wanted in a different color. Also, I used black for my letters, you can use any color you want. If you are lazy like me and decide to use vinyl, it might be a good idea to paint over them with Mod Podge (which I didn't do because again, I was ready to be DONE! HAHA.)

 As you are glueing/putting your letters on each block, be sure to number the bottom of each block. With the #'s 6 and 9, be sure to underline which the bottom is so you dont get them mixed up.

Once you are done, you can use the free downloadable cheat sheet to see what letter combinations will spell what! Below is another Christmas-y saying that you can create with your new blocks!! Check out the cheat sheet for other ideas. You can use them YEAR ROUND!



Handmade Gift Exchange

Remember when I said I entered in the Handmade gift exchange over at Craftaholics Anonymous? Well, I'm finally posting about what I sent to my awesome partner and new friend, Angela, over at Comfie Country Crafts. I wanted to brag about and show what I received! She was so sweet! She is an excellent crochet-er (is that a word? haha).

First of all, she made the cutest Christmas card she included! How cute is that! I didn't even think to put a card in my package to her. I felt really bad... sorry!! She also made me an adorable Christmas apron that I've already worn a few times. Also, she made me a cute beenie hat! But she didnt stop there! She also made one for the baby! Totally love them all! Thank you SO much!!!

Below is the gift I made for her. I'll post a tutorial on it soon:

Thanksgiving Point Family Pass

If you love Thanksgiving Point as much as I do, you don't want to miss the give-away going on over at A Little Tipsy and less cake {more frosting}! They are both giving away an Annual Family Pass to Thanksgiving Point. How great is that?! Go on over and enter to win!