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Reversible Fall to Thanksgiving Home Decor Blocks Craft Tutorial

November 18, 2013 By Laura 8 Comments

 I’ve got one last Fall-themed project to share with you this season, before I move on.
You may remember I shared these happy Fall blocks in this post, in which I was giving you a little close-up tour of my Fall mantels. I mentioned that I had made these blocks, that they were more versatile than they appeared, and that I would share why when I got to that project post.

Well this is that post!

Here are the blocks already shown to you.   They were created to look well worn, long loved, and a bit old.
Just how I like everything.  🙂

And shown here, are the blocks backsides . . . .
I made the block to transition from every day Fall, to a Thanksgiving-themed message for those weeks in November.
What do you think?  Nice surprise? Good idea?  I was thinking so!

They are really simple to make.  I just found making these blocks fun and relaxing.
I tend to get a little Zen, working in my studio anyway.
So if you think you’d like to make some, sometime, I’m going to show you just how I did it, right now.
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I started out with 10 blocks, just like these.
Well, actually, I started out with 8 blocks just like these. Then 9. And finally 10. But that is a frustrating story I’ll tell you about later on.   But the project took 10 blocks, anyway.
These simple wooden blocks come in various sizes; these are the 2″ blocks.   I got them at A.C. Moore’s. They are not available at my local Michael’s, anyway.
They are smooth and finished-feeling on 4 sides, except for what I considered the tops and bottoms.
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I chose my favorite Fall hues of acrylic paint, and painted them all. They did take two coats.
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Next I had Michael cut two inch letters out of vinyl, and weeded out the letters.
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After covering that sheet with transfer tape, I cut each letter block to size.
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Peeling off the back, I then applied them well to a face of each block, one at a time with a squeegee, and pulled off the transfer .
It was important to make sure the rough surfaces were not used. The vinyl would work as a mask.
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I had a pile of scraps that looked like I had been working really hard, so I photographed it, and left it for awhile. 🙂
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White acrylic paint and flat brush, ready to go.
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All painted in.  I think it required two coats.
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Before the second coat dried all of the way, I carefully peeled off the mask.
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Now while painting them was rather enjoyable for me, these next steps are the part I really love to do….
But I didn’t really photograph those steps. :/  Sorry!   It’s easy enough to tell you about though.
I’m talking about sanding and aging the blocks.

To sand, I used 100 grit sand paper on a sanding block. I use the sanding block because it keeps my sanding surface flat and hard, for my uniform sanding.  Also, it’s a lot easier on my fingers, which get torn up very easily.  Where do I sand?  I like to hit the surface, to wear that a little. But I really go at the edges and corners, where they would normally wear the most.
But after sanding, we are left with clean, bare new wood. Not good, for antique blocks. Right?

So next I rub around some dark wax, with an old t-shirt rag.  I-love-this-stuff! It really does age the look of the paint, and just dirty things up just right.
You rub it on and essentially, rub it back off to. While working not as hard to get it off, where you want to leave more.
Make sense?  The stuff is messy, as you might guess from that rag up there. And it stinks to high Heaven. But, somehow I don’t mind it much, working with it. It’s like the smell of creativity, at work!

Here’s a closer look at the effects of my sanding and waxing . . . .

And now, my blocks all on display . . . .

Ta-DAAA!!!  I was so happy not to have to put my blocks away, to make room for some Thanksgiving decor.
I’m already pondering making more block sets for other holidays and seasons. In fact, actually, I already have a set for spring (in a very different finishing style and size) I made last year and never shared. I plan to come spring though.
But, back to the here and now.

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Because it’s the details I worked so hard for (in a fun/playing sort of way), that make these blocks look like maybe one of our grandmothers passed them down to us, I couldn’t stop photographing them . . . .

Ok enough of that. Now, you can skip this little story-paragraph if you want, right down to after the next photo.

But I’d like to explain the story of the 10th block: 
For weeks, I only had 8, and then 9, blocks. Because that’s all there was at the store!  In fact the first trip, I bought none, because there wasn’t enough to spell what I wanted!  I needed 10 to do this project. I inquired though, and the lady assured me that if they were low, more was coming in the next day. So I returned the next day, and there were still only 8!!  So I figured…I need to buy those, so they be sure to get more! (Because supposedly, it’s all electronic.)

Next trip, the bin there was still empty. I was desperate!! So I plopped down on the floor and pulled out all of the other sized blocks onto the floor, hoping to find some 2″ers  in the wrong bin.
And I found ONE!!  ARRGGG!!  So I worked with the 9 I had. I got those all done, and had enough to make my HAPPY FALL.  But I’d need that last one to complete GIVE THANKS.
Finally, a new shipment of them came in, and I got my last block, which I did start to finish, all by itself, just in time. It was the “A” in THANKS.

What to do with the other side? . . . .

I made an exclamation point!  To use from then on, with my HAPPY FALL(!).  Because if you all know me, you know it’s worthy of an exclamation point.  I do love Fall, that much!

If you love what I’ve done here, believe me when I say, (if you have a vinyl cutter of any kind), you can do this!  And if not, other crafters will love you for sharing the idea!

So go ahead and PIN the image below on Pinterest, share on Facebook – whatever!!


That’s a wrap for projects for this season this year. ( I think. 😉  )   Time to start thinking about Christmas!
Thanks for making my day, and coming by! 
Hope you take a moment to share your thoughts, and say hello!
~Laura

 

 

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Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project, FALL Crafts and Creations, FALL Home Decor, Holiday Crafts, Home Decor, Mantel Decorating (Ideas), Seasonal Crafts and Creations, Seasonal Home decor, The Homestead, Tutorial Tagged With: aging-painted-wood, antiquing-painted-wood, craft-tutorial, crafts, fall-crafts. fall-home-decor, fall-decor, finishing-wooden-blocks, making-wood-pieces-look-old-worn, sanding-painted-wood, thanksgiving-decor, using-dark-wax-on-wood, wooden-block-crafts, wooden-blocks-diy, woooden-decor-blocks

Pinwheel Wreath | Tutorial and Decor

May 29, 2012 By Laura 19 Comments

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Is there anyone, who doesn’t love pinwheels? They are just so fun, so whimsical, and can give anyone that feeling of childhood joy as it spins, no matter how old we are.  I am so smitten with pinwheels lately, that projects involving them just keep popping into my head! This idea of a pinwheel wreath, however, has been on my brain since last year!  I wasn’t sure exactly how I would design it, but I figured it out as I went along, and the results just make me smile!  Just like I knew it would.

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What do you think?

I found it fun and easy to make.  They don’t spin, as this project was strictly decorative. But I’m already thinking about designing another one that works! For this pinwheel wreath however, I just wanted it to have a summer feel, with lots of pops of color, so I chose summer hues accordingly. But imagine all the different and fun color combinations that you could come up with! 

 Let me show you how easily I made this wreath.

002_pinwheel-wreath-supplies
Supplies
Needed: 

**I got everything on this list at Michael’s Arts & Crafts**

  • a styrofoam wreath base
  • a pad of double-sided cardstock (called a Solid Mat Pad) -papers size 4.75 in x 6.75 in.
  • 4 or less double-sided designer 12×12 in scrap papers you love (heavier stock)
  • eyelet brads
  • eyelet setting tool set (had in my toolbox)
  • a small hammer (had)
  • long pins (- with the ball on the end. I got metallic ones.)

Optionals:

  • wide ribbon of choice
  • scissors, or a Fiskar Trimmer! (Which I highly recommend as a constant craft tool I have!)

___

Next I am going to show you how to fold paper for pinwheels. But to start, you need your pinwheel paper in squares – size depending on how big or small you want your pinwheels. (You may want to experiment to decide that.)

The multi-colored pad of 2-sided paper I bought was 4.75 in x 6.75 in. So the easiest and fastest thing for me to do was to take 2 inches off, and make them square, at 4.75 in x 4.75 in.  So I had a little pile of those cut to size in no time (with my Fiskar Trimmer), and ready to fold.

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As you may be able to tell in the above 3rd frame photo, I did not open the paper to make the second fold, the first time when I photographed this. But you should…..it’s easier and makes a nicer second fold.  I also zoomed in, so don’t let sizes fool you.  But looking at the 4th frame, I am sure you get the idea of how the folding needs to get done. It kind of looks like a little square kite!

Next, is the cutting that needs to be done on the creases.  Now, you CAN just use scissors for this! Just be sure to note where you need to stop cutting.  There are 4 cuts on each square, and none of them go all the way to the center. But for mostly all of my craft paper cutting, I use my awesome (older model) Fiskar Trimmer.  In case you have one, or are going to get one for this craft, I have made some labeled photos with directions and tips here below, of exactly how you can cut them all quickly and easily. I hope they explain well for you.

 

005_how-to-cut-pinwheel-paper

006_how-to-cut-pinwheel-paper So if you just study these photos above and read the notes, you’ll find that cutting the square papers can be done in a zip! That’s what I love about the Fiskar Trimmer…….it’s fast, and the cuts are straight and perfect. I use it a lot!

 

007_pinwheel-wreath-supplies In this photo above, I’d like you to take note of the eyelet setter tool set, and the pins.  I hope you are familiar with eyelet (brads) and the tools needed to set them?  They are used a lot in scrap booking as well. In a nutshell….a tip makes a hole in the paper for the brad to be put in.  The setter is used on the backside of the eyelet or brad, to ‘splay’ the metal open and hold it in the paper. You do this with a little hammer, and it’s fun!  You’ll see how it looks finished in a moment.

 

008_how-to-fold-pinwheel Here I have my little squares of paper all cut.  When folding a pinwheel, you need to bring every other corner to the center of the square. So I have numbered them to give you the visual of that.  Also, you can now get a good look at how the cuts do not go all the way to the middle, and about where they should stop.

I could not take photos of every step of this process, because it takes a lot of tight holding with very busy hands, and I couldn’t hold a camera too! But if you need to see how eyelet brads are set step by step with the hammer method, you can check this video here.  There are newer tool sets out on the market, that set eyelets or brads with a spring-action tool, and another method as well. You will see the options at the video link above, but the hammer method I use is demonstrated.

 

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FRAME 1

Every other corner is brought to the middle, with the point quite passing the middle. Each corner overlaps the previous, and you really need to hold them all exactly in place.  Then, taking your eyelet hole puncher, you tap out the hole with the hammer on the top of the setter. With 4 layers of paper here, you really need to hit it hard a few a couple of time! ALSO NOTE:  Just like when using an ordinary paper punch, you don’t want to punch a hole off the edge of an of the papers. This can be tricky with 4 corners on top of each other! So be sure they are all in place before making the hole.

FRAME 2

The eyelet brad has been put into the hole, held in there carefully while flipping the pinwheel over, and the back of the eyelet has been hammered and ‘splayed’ (I like that word…lol) out, to hold the eyelet in place. Careful not to crush your pinwheel too much!

FRAME 3

What the finished eyelet looks like on the front.

Seriously easy as 1-2-3!  (On repeat mode. ; )

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OHHHHhhhh….It’s about to get even more fun, now!

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Taking your pins, and putting each one through the eyelet of each pinwheel, you can start pushing them into your styrofoam wreath!  The pins can be easily put in and taken out, so you can really play and see what you think looks good to you.  You’ll also get an idea of how many pinwheels you’ll need, and how many bigger pinwheels you’d like to use, if any. I added 3 larger pinwheels to my smaller ones.  The larger ones were made with 12″x12″ 2-sided designer scrap papers.

 

0111 Before you get all of your pinwheels put in and in place just how you’d like it, you may want to add ribbon to the inside and outside of your foam wreath.  I think the ribbon just makes the whole wreath look more finished.  There are different ways you can do that, such as wrapping and winding around the wreath. But I had beautiful turquoise wide ribbed ribbon that laid flat nicely all around the inside and outside, so I chose to do that.

To attach it, I used E6000 glue. Maybe not the best technique. But I squiggled it on, and spread it with some little ripped paper and let it get a tad tacky, before laying the ribbon down.  I was concerned it would soil through, but spreading it out and letting it set really helped, and it worked.  You may want to use hot glue, or just pin it all the way around. I was thinking….my metallic pins would have looked pretty cool.  Like shiny studs.

With the ribbon glued all around the outside and inside perimeter of the circle, I looped another cut piece to hang the wreath from later, before pinning all of the pinwheels in place.

And that is the gist of how my pinwheel wreath was made!  Now you can just enjoy several photos of the finished project!

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013_button-ribbon-hanger

Ahhh yes…..My husband used a flat head nail, and nailed right through the ribbon to hang the wreath. Then, I just glued a big cute button on the nail head!  Love buttons!  I think it adds such a cute element, and I also really dig the white stitching on my pretty ribbon too.

 

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018_pinwheel-wreath-decor My summer-fun pinwheel wreath is hung in our sun room, as a fun and cheery welcome on the wall right in front of anyone who walks into our home through our front door.   I not only love it, but our kids do too, of course!   I hope you are inspired to do a project as fun as this one.

pinwheel-wreath-tutorial-decor Speaking of pinning, feel free to pin this collage to Pinterest, if you are on there! I will be!  We also have added a new ‘P’interest social button in the header, and I’d love it if you’d like to follow me on there as well!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  I invite you to leave me your thoughts or questions! Happy Summertime!

* Come follow us where you are! Or subscribe!
> Buttons at the top of the right sidebar!



Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project, Home Decor, The Homestead, Tutorial Tagged With: craft-tutorial, crafts-with-double-sided-scrapbooking-paper, eyelet-brads, fiskar-paper-trimmer, home decor, how-to-fold-a-pinwheel, how-to-make-a-pinwheel, how-to-set-eyelets, pinwheel-crafts, pinwheel-tutorial, pinwheel-wreath, pinwheel-wreath-tutorial, summer-decor, summer-home-decor

Decorative Wall Initials | Craft Tutorial

August 8, 2011 By Laura 10 Comments

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Every time I’ve gone to Michael’s Arts and Crafts, I’ve looked at these large white initials / letters you can purchase individually.  I knew I wanted to create something using these letters as personalization, for {O}’s room. But I was undecided if I wanted to do her whole name, or just her initial.

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The letters have a nice flat white surface to work on.  But what to do on that surface, was another matter I was undecided on.  Those were the questions that kept me from purchasing any for while.  Finally, I decided just her initial would be cute, as we actually do call her “O” half the time.

To decorate the letter (or letters), I initially (no pun intended ; ), thought I’d probably paint a pattern. But then I took to the idea of picking out some cute scrap booking paper, and Modge Podging the surface.  Not a new concept by any means, but I wasn’t looking for a new invention.

 

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I love working with Modge Podge.  There are so many varieties, but I knew the Matte finish, which I had on hand, was all I needed, as a glue and also a top finish.

 

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We had had a family trip to Michael’s one evening, so {A} could spend her Gift Card she got from her Grandmother for her birthday.  In case you are wondering, {A} knew exactly what she wanted, as she had been wanting it for a long time:  a wood burning kit.  She’s been having fun with that, practicing, and getting ready to do a project. So while we were there at our favorite local craft store, I thought it would be nice to let {O} pick out the scrap booking paper to use, to finish to the initial for her room.

We chose 2, because I had the idea that we could finish both sides of the “O”, and make it reversible!  Naturally, you can’t do that with every letter of the alphabet, but it works for “O”.

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The back side of the letter does have a hanger hole, and stickers, which were way too difficult to get off.  So I left them. The scrap paper is thick enough that I knew they wouldn’t show through. So my plan was to just paper and Modge Podge right over the hole and stickers.

 

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I started by putting a good layer of Modge Podge on the front surface of the letter.

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Then, I took my letter, and the apple green sheet of scrap booking paper, over to a window.  Placing the paper onto the window, with the backside facing me, I strategically placed the Modge Podged side of the letter, onto the paper.  The reason I did this at the window, was to be able to see the pattern on the other side of the paper, and get as many little blue birds onto the letter as I could, and not cut many or any in half, if possible.  The blue birds were the charm of the pattern to me, so I wanted them to be as much a part of the piece as possible.

decorative-wall-art-initial-modge-podge-6 I took the letter now stuck to the paper, back to the table, and on a self-healing mat, trimmed off the excess paper with an x-acto knife.  Please excuse my mother’s hands. ; )

 

decorative-wall-art-initial-modge-podge-7 Once the apple green paper was all trimmed to size, and rubbed down good,  I repeated the whole process for the opposite side:

1) Modge Podge the white surface of the letter 2) Bring the scrapping paper and the Modge Podged letter over to the window, and place the paper onto the window with the back side facing you 3) *Strategically place the letter onto the paper, considering the placement of the paper.  4) Trim off excess paper with an x-acto.

*Using striped paper, is even trickier! It’s a tad more difficult, with a rounded letter such as this, to place the letter in such a way to be sure that the stripes will be straight.  Of course the striped pattern could go horizontally, or even diagonally. With a letter with a straight edge, it is easier to line up with the stripes and get it straight.  If this is more than you’d want to bother with, be sure you choose paper that is a more random sort of pattern. Or, to be super safe, you could use solid paper, if that’s not too boring for you.

 

decorative-wall-art-initial-modge-podge-8 Once all of the paper is trimmed, Modge Podge the surfaces as a protective coating and finish. Allow one side to dry completely, before doing the other.   Then I sanded the edges, just to rough it up just a little.

I was undecided, it it really looked finished. I’m still not sure! I’d love your opinion, once you see it hanging.

Now, since I made this a reversible/2 sided letter, covering the hanger hole on the back side, I hung the letter with a coordinating satin ribbon. It took a little patience, to double tie the bows, and have them come out nice, so that the weight of the letter did not untie the bows!  With a few deep breathes, I managed.

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Here it is, hung on {O}’s bedroom door.  The plan was actually to hang it inside her bedroom, but there was not adequate light in there (later in the afternoon) when I wanted to photograph it. So I hung it on her door. It may or may not stay there.

As a side note, Michael made this latch door, as he is (still in the process of) making all of the doors in the whole house. I-love-these-doors!  They will actually be a little distressed and made to look older, later on when they are all done, for a more old farmhouse look.

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{O} loves that she can flip her letter over any time she wants, and change the look of it, “depending on what mood I’m in that day”, as she put it.

 

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Here’s a closer look.  I like it, but I am still wondering:  Does it need some sort of trim? Or should I paint the inside edge of the letter, a color that coordinated both sides? Or is it cute as is?

 

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Give me your opinion. This craft may or may not be officially complete.  Either way, I think it’s a quick & easy craft, and adds a little cute personalization to a room. Imagine the creative ways you could make a decorative letter.  Maybe using 3d elements, painting, or hanging with different materials like thin rope, twine, lace…the possibilities are endless.  I’m already thinking of the boys room.

See, we’ve been working on finishing and decorating our home for years. I have SO much to show you, in the near and distant future, as various parts of the kid’s rooms are finished and decorated.  The girl’s each have their own room, and the boys have a BIG room to share.  Very cool features. The kids have very different personalities, and we are creating their rooms in ways to reflect that, and their style. Such a fun process! We are so blessed with Michael’s carpentry skills too, and we ladies know how much fun interior decorating is!  (As money allows, which is why it’s taken us this long as it is.) So I hope you’ll follow us along through our home finishing journey.

But back to the “O”.  Done or not? And have you resubscribed, as you need to, and put yourself in the running for our current GiveAway?




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Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project Tagged With: craft-tutorial, crafting, crafts, decorative-letters, kids-bedroom-decor-ideas, Modge-Podge-crafts, modge-podge-projects, room-personalization, uses-for-scrapbook-paper

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