Grandchildren

     I  made this sign for a friend from church, who decided that it would be the perfect gift for her mother.  It was a pretty simple project- paint the wood black, then a sage green, distress with sandpaper, and add vinyl lettering.  I know of a few grandmothers who would enjoy this sign too ;)

Children's Name sign

     First things first, let's give the credit to what inspired me to make this in the first place : http://aimee-weaver.blogspot.com/2011/05/sign-projects.html .  This supremely talented woman makes beautiful signs, which inspire me in a huge way (UNDERSTATEMENT! )  Anyhow, I made this for a friend from church.  I used the technique of printing the wording out, then rubbing in pencil the back side of the paper, and attaching it to my board with a little piece of tape as a hinge.  I then traced around the words, and when I took it off, the paper had transferred a light outline from the pencil underneath.  This is a great technique, and not one I thought of on my own either.  I honestly can't remember where I found it now, since I've looked at so many blogs and sites that have given tips on sign making.  I used my fine tipped brush to paint in the lettering.  It takes a bit of practice, but the second time I tried it on this, I was much happier.  Yes, you heard that right, the SECOND time- because I was not happy with the original font I'd chosen when I painted it in.  So, I PAINTED OVER IT AND STARTED OVER.  'Cause I'm anal-retentive like that.. yes, it's painful being me in so many ways- the least of which is creatively.
       For my board, I used a scrap of MDF board and used a piece of scrapbooking paper with this shape as a template.  I used my jig-saw to cut this out.  This also took a little bit of practice, but I'm getting better at using my jig saw :) .  I used contact paper measured and cut into strips to make the stripes- it makes such a clean line, I love it.  I only had to clean up a few spots here and there.  I would have had this thing done at least a month ago if I hadn't re-done it... bummer.  My friend was very happy with it, and that's what counts, right? ;)

hair goodies

I've been on a hair flower making kick lately- I have 2 girls and they like hair goodies, and have you priced that stuff in the stores? Exxxpensive! I found tons of tutorials online, and used some of them to make these. The hair clip holder is one I made for our MOPS auction (www.mops.org) - I used a metal hanger from Craft Warehouse for a template and traced around it so I could cut one out of thin MDF board with my jigsaw. I will share the links I used for my flowers- all but the middle spikey one I used tutorials for. The link for the first row of flowers (left to right) is : http://www.littlethingsbringsmiles.com/2010/12/felt-fun.html .
The middle row of flowers are made by cutting an approximately 36" x 1" strip of felt, then cutting slits across the one inch side to about 1/4 inch of the end (if you go too far you'll cut it off). At that point, you use a glue gun and glue and roll the felt strip up, and add a clip on the back. You can fluff it out to make it nicer.
The last row to the right- the very top flower, tutorial : http://thecraftysparrow.blogspot.com/2011/11/makeitmonday-twine-felt-fall-wreath.html
The bottom two on the last row, tutorial : http://www.thelittlegiggler.com/2011/06/felt-hibiscustutorial.html The only difference is that I used a hot glue gun instead of sewing.

These are just miniature versions of the big ones on the hair clip board, you can refer to the link above- I didn't use the bigger petals with these, I just used the little petals that lined the bigger ones. I thought they were kind of cute that way.

I found the tutorial for these ribbon rosettes here : http://www.thenshemade.com/2011/03/flower-tutorial-2.html

These are just a handful of the tutorials I've checked out (and the easiest to me). Happy flower making! (and money saving! )

Spring blocks

It's a new season- well, it's supposed to be, but if you looked at the weather outside my window today, you wouldn't think spring, that's for sure! I decided to make some fun "spring" decorations for our MOPS auction- although I'd like to keep these for myself. I don't know why the "n" looks wonky in this picture- I think it was how I was standing, I assure you it's lined up right if you look at the first picture :) . I used my trusty technique of base coating the wood first, then applying vinyl, painting over it, and peeling off the vinyl to reveal the brown underneath. I used the Storybook Cricut cartridge for these images, and I'm happy with how they turned out. So many options to try!

Dry Erase tiles for buffet table/drinks/ place cards

I found the idea for these on Pinterest- and here's the link to the original source (the source that I found) She has a great blog- I'm definitely a fan! http://www.madiganmade.com/2011/11/make-dry-erase-table-signs-for.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MadiganMade+%28madigan+made%29 These tiles were about $1.58 at Lowe's- they're approximately 2x6 inches.. I used the Storybook cartridge with my Cricut to cut out different vinyl, and I love the look of the black on white. You could use any color vinyl you wanted- or tile for that matter. Ooohhhhh, wouldn't red vinyl look great on the white? I could go on and on. These would make a great housewarming/wedding gift. Depending on your budget, you could use these for place cards for a dinner you're having. They'd be fantastic on a buffet table or beverage area. I made these for our MOPS auction, I just need to get a dry erase pen to go with it- I like how she tied them up with ribbon too :) . So check out the Madigan Made blog, I bet you won't be disappointed!

He will cover you with his feathers wall art

Since I've tried this with the tongue and groove board, I decided to play around with a scrap I had, to see if I could pull it off for a sign for our MOPS auction (www.mops.org) Again, I must give credit to the original source of this- I used pretty much the same colors as her and the same configuration, it is her design- I just loved it! http://www.harbourbreezehome.com/2011/11/tongue-and-groove-signs/ Check out her new Etsy shop too, she is super talented and makes some darling signs :) Have I mentioned how much I love this color combination? I used the same technique again, with the Cricut vinyl letters- a combination of the Jasmine cartridge and the Plantin Schoolbook. For the blue lettering, when I painted the base color of the board, I strategically painted parts of it blue where I wanted blue lettering. Fun, fun, fun! :) Oh, a little side note- the bird is from the Storybook cartridge. I hope this does well at the auction- the more I look at it, the more I like it- even though I already have the tongue and groove board version of this in my entryway.

"He will cover you with His feathers.."

Before I say anything else, I have to say that I found this idea from a super talented woman's blog- here's the link to what started a new obsession : http://www.harbourbreezehome.com/2011/11/tongue-and-groove-signs/. She has now started her own Etsy shop. If you check out this link, I'm sure you'll find your way over there. I think my tongue and groove board might be thicker than hers, but I just found some thinner board like this at Home Depot that I want to get and cut down. I'm super excited about making more. Anyhow, I loved the look of her decor that she made- the bird, the colors, and the Scripture. I didn't end up adding the Scripture reference on this sign, but I'm working on another that isn't tongue and groove board that I will include it on. I have this in my entryway with my spring decor and it was just what that whole spot needed. I used the technique that has been super fun for me to use lately : painting a base coat, applying vinyl die cuts, then painting over and peeling the vinyl off before the paint dries completely. It's so fun to do that, it makes me feel like a kid with that little bit of excitement... otherwise known as "CRAFT NERD ALERT!!!!". It's always better if you're enjoying yourself, right? Check out the link and see what else this fabulous lady is coming up with!