Quick 2x4 Gift

Here is a cute little 2x4 idea. It holds pictures and is a simple and fast gift.

Start with a 2x4. Cut it to any length you want. This piece was left over so I used what I had.
Drill holes on the top of your piece to hold your wires. Do as little or as many as you like.

Cut a piece of paper to the needed size and Mod Modge your paper on. Press it down and then let dry. When dry you can sand the edges to create a more rough edge.

I used my Cricut to cut the word FAMILY in white vinyl.

I also used ink to darken my edges.

Twist your wires.

I added a ribbon around the board. I stuck my wire through the ribbon and into the pre-drilled holes.

All done. This took me only about a half hour. It would have been faster if I didn't have three kids bugging me!

Now I think I am going to give this to one of my friends. Hope she likes it!

New Family wall

Here is my new family photo wall. I had them hanging in a different room but decided to move them into my front room so guests could see them.

I got this rod at Rod Works on sale. I got two rolls of white organza ribbon at Joann's.

I already had the vinyl wall art. It reads "All because two people fell in love".

I chose to use black and white photos because they look so much more classy, less distracting.

I need to get a black and white of my daughter up there.
Sorry for the glare. I think it turned out really nice. A fun way to display photos for everyone to see!

Established sign

You all have seen these before, but I just wanted to show you mine.

Two different fonts, colors and sizes work great together in this fun sign. Apply it to any old board you have. Paint your favorite color, sand and distress if you desire, apply vinyl and tadaa! You have a super cute (and informative) vinyl board.

Family Picture up-do

I always had the hardest time putting family pictures up on a wall. I thought that they looked cheep and disorganized. Until I decided to do this...

Years ago I got this super cute vinyl saying at a craft show. I decided to apply it to a peice of wood and hang it with white organza ribbon. Then I got several black frames. All of them are different styles but work together because they are black. I also got several pictures changed to black and white (everything looks better in black and white don't you think?)

I did a mix and match of the frames surrounding the phrase board. Because I did not try to make them all level it was MUCH easier. This way it looks like I wanted them to be this way.

Isn't my family cute?!

Summer!

This is a fun decoration I made for the summer. I used old wood that I had left from a dresser that was being trashed. Instead of just dumping it all in the trash I decided to keep most of the drawer pieces.

This is a drawer side that I mod podged with a cute paper and added vinyl to. I drilled some holes and strung some ribbon as well. Fun and easy!

Summer Activity Jar

Do your kids wine like mine do?

YES?!

Well here is a small idea to give you SOME reprieve.

A Summer Activity Jar that your kids can reach into every day and find a wonderful surprise.

Start by planning out your summer. I printed out blank calendar months and filled in any summer plans; ie. swimming lessons, vacations and camps. Next I added all the other things that happen in town; ie. free movie festival and Home Depot/Lowe's kids clinics.

Then I made a list of other fun stuff we can do this summer. I made categories and color coded them. I had 5 categories.

1. Crafts

2. free stuff to do at home

3. free stuff to do outside of the home

4. stuff we have to pay for

5. food

I cut small pieces of paper and wrote on each piece what the activity was. The reason I color coded (besides being anal) was so that at the first of the week I could pick out one paper per color and put them in the jar. This way I know what we will be doing that week and I can plan in advance in case I need to get supplies.

Next I decorated my jar. I had this one in the cupboard. it had been used for several activities and worked perfect for this one. I could have used a clear pasta jar or pickle jar just as easily. I cut out some vinyl on my cricut and added some ribbon to brighten it up.

And here it is! The kids love it and it gives them something to look forward to every day. Here are some of things I have in the jar.

1. Make a volcano or other science experiment

2. Make giant bubble wands out of wire

3. Plant flowers in Tera cotta pots that kids have painted

4. Backyard camping

5. Sidewalk paint

6. Pudding painting, fun and edible!

7. Water balloon fight

8. Wash the cars

9. Go to the movies, FREE or payed

10. The dollar store – give the kids a few dollars and let them go nuts!

11. The drive in movies

12. Roller skating

13. Bowling – check for discount nights/family nights

14. Make cookies

15. Make cupcakes and decorate

16. Make homemade ice cream

17. Lowes/Home Depot kids workshop, most Saturdays (at home page enter in search “kids workshop”)

18. Library

19. YMCA/community pool

20. outdoor Hike

21. Pet store

22. the Lake

23. nature preserve

24. Kids Free Movies

25. Go out for ice cream

26. museum

27. Make an indoor fort

2x4 Father's Day Gift

I made this for my Hubby for Father's Day.

So cute! I got the idea from How Does She?

I also made this for my sisters birthday. A variation on the father's day gift.

Dry Erase Family Calendar

I have wanted to have a "real" family calendar for awhile now and I decided to just DO IT!

I recently got a Cricut and decided to put it to the test. In retrospect I should have done some things differently, but oh well! Live and learn!

I started by finding a cheep frame. I got mine from Kirkland's Home. It was on sale already and I had a $5 off coupon also. So it ended up being only $6!

I took the back off and took the original picture out of the frame. Then I mapped out what I was going to do on paper. It was a good thing I did too! I made several mistakes before I got to the actual glass. When I had it figured out I drew my design onto the cardboard mat provided in the frame. This way all I had to do was follow the lines.

Finally I started cutting my vinyl. I cut them by hand (should have used the cricut!), and applying them.

This is what it looked like while in the process and when I was done. I am going to flip the glass around so that the vinyl is on the BACKSIDE of the glass. This way I can use a dry-erase marker on the front and not damage the vinyl. Next I cut out our family name, I made sure to do it in mirror image so that it is readable once I flip the glass.

Whalla! The lines aren't super straight and I would have done a few things differently if I could do it again (which I can thanks to the magic of vinyl!), but I like it. I chose a white background so as not to distract the eye.