Family Blocks

This project "accidentally" started when I went down into the wood shop to clean up and got a little distracted (this is nothing new for me).  I started picking up all of the scrap pieces of wood that were littering the shop and my first thought was "these things have got to go"....but then I thought "I could TOTALLY make something with these...".  This is how a lot of my projects begin.  I don't want to just throw away something I could use, so I make something to prove that I have a reason to keep the item...even if there are hundreds of them!

So I picked out a word I wanted to spell.  My first thought was the spell out our last name but I went with the word "family" instead so that I could later sell this at one of my craft shows if I wanted to.  I grabbed enough pieces to spell my chosen word and trimmed up a couple pieces (I didn't want any to be the same size).

I started by painting the sides and fronts a dark brown.  Since this was intended to hang on a wall, I didn't see a point in painting the back.

After painting them brown I decided that this was WAY too boring for me.  So I decided to add some color.  Next I painted the sides a turquoise color (which I LOVE).

I knew that I wanted to distress these blocks...so I didn't mind that the brown showed through the turquoise a little bit.  Once the paint was dry I went outside and distressed them with my mouse sander and this was the result:

My original idea was to add vinyl letters to the blocks but once I distressed them I knew that I need to use paint and stencils so that I could distress the letters as well...it would just look better.

So my next step was to cut stencils using my Silhouette Cameo and contact paper.

Once the cream paint for the lettering was dry I took the blocks back outside to sand again.  I love how the distressed look turned out...it was definitely a better choice.

Next it was time to assemble the blocks.  I took them back down to the wood shop where this all began.  I decided to line them up across the bottom so the it would look nice hung over a framed family photo.  Once I had them lined up I turned them over to glue and staple a thin piece of wood to the back.  I also used wire to make a hanger.

Then it was all done and ready to hang.  This was a simple and quick project I did in a couple of hours.  I think I may make ones with my boys names to put up in their rooms!

Custom Photo Refrigerator Magnets

I got inspired by this project from Do It, Gurl on YouTube.   Since I needed a gift for Father's Day, I decided to give it a try.  The project took me about an hour including drying time.  The steps are so easy and the supplies are readily available.

I gathered scissors, cork, a paintbrush, cookie cutters, glue, mod podge, photos and magnet strips.

First step is to choose your shape and size and cut the photos out.

Next, brush glue or mod podge onto the cork and place the photos.  Then, brush a thin layer of mod podge over the photos and let dry completely.

After it has dried,cut the shapes out.

The final step is to just cut some magnetic strip to the size you need and stick it to the back. The kind i had was adhesive so I didn't even need to glue it.

DIY Cupcake Toppers

As far as we are concerned, celebrating birthdays is a must...and making cupcakes for said birthday is a requirement.  Our friend Jamie turned 30, so naturally, we celebrated a couple of times.  The first event involved a night out with the adults (and some awesome cupcakes) but these cupcakes were for a BBQ-type event so they needed to be more "family friendly" than those for the first event.  I did a search on pinterest to get some ideas and found this great photo:

Unfortunately, there was no link...just this photo.  So we set out to make our own version.  We started with a search of Jamie's facebook page...we figured if she posted this picture of herself then she wouldn't mind seeing it reproduced several times and placed on top of capcakes, right???  

Once we selected the perfect picture I used Publisher to "design" the toppers.  I have a 2" circle cutter, so that is the size I went with.  I figured the punch would be much easier than cutting the image out by hand.  Plus, this shape left a perfect space to write "Happy Birthday".

Be sure to print the circle outline on the picture so it is easier to line up with the punch later.  I printed these 12 per page on photo paper (I liked that the paper was thicker so it stood up well).  Once it was printed I just turned over my punch and took off the plastic piece that generally catches the punch (so I could see exactly where it would cut) and cut out all of the circles.  Then we cut little birthday hats out of colorful paper.  We just randomly cut these different sizes and trimmed them later if needed.  Now I like in the sample picture how they used pom poms on the top of the hats, but it was last minute and I didn't have any of those!  So I just used a standard hole punch to make small white circles for the tops of the hats.  Again, this was last minute and we were in a hurry, so we didn't use any glue...we simply taped everything together.

Once the tooth picks were taped to the back, they were ready to go on the cupcakes!  And the best part...you don't need to get fancy with the frosting because honestly, everyone will be looking at the topper anyway!

We have made many cakes and cupcakes...but these are one of my favorites!  I laugh every time I look at them.

And the birthday girl LOVED them!  Happy 30th Birthday Jamie!!!!

S'Mores Bars

It's close to summer time here in Washington and for me, that means Car Show Season, Barbecues and Bonfires with the family.  And what goes better with Bonfires than S'Mores?  If you want that S'Mores taste without the fire, this is a great alternative.

 S'Mores Bars

(As posted here)

1/2 cup softened butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1-1/3 cup flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 Hershey’s milk chocolate candy bars

1-1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated.  Mix in the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt until it all comes together.

Press half of the mix into the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan.  Next, layer in the Hershey bars, then the marshmallow fluff, then flatten out and layer the remaining mix on top.  

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Wait for it to mostly cool before slicing into 16 pieces.

DIY Custom Kitchen Towels

I wanted to add a personal touch to a wedding gift so I made some custom kitchen towels.  I started by purchasing some plain white towels at Target (but you can buy them pretty much anywhere).  The towels I used were cheesecloth.  These worked best because it was a relatively smooth surface.  

I decided to leave the towel folded just as it was in the package for a couple of reasons: 1.) It seemed like the towel could easily be folded back the same way again once washed...no tricky folds.  2.) I waited until the day of the wedding to make these (I am the worst procrastinator EVER)...so this saved me a ton of time.  I could have wasted a TON of time deciding on the best placement and making sure it was perfectly centered.

Next I placed my stencils onto the towels.  I made the stencils using my Silhouette Cameo and contact paper.  I found contact paper to be a cheap and easy solution for making stencils (you can see mine had a fun print but that obviously isn't necessary).  I placed a piece of cardboard under the layer of towel I would be painting on...this way the paint won't leak through onto other parts of the towel.

I used Behr paint from Home Depot because this is just what I happened to have on-hand. I also used a stencil brush that can be purchased at your local craft store (I got a pack of 2 for under a dollar).

Next just dab your paint onto your stencil and be sure not to use too much paint.  I used two different colors so just make sure the first color is dry before moving onto the second color.  I generally remove my stencils before the paint is fully dry because I am too impatient.  But it is probably best to wait so you don't risk smearing...which is why this is now a set of 2 towels instead of 3.

Here are the finished products!  These were the prefect addition to the gift basket for the happy couple.  While these were a wedding gift, you can use your imagination and create great custom towels for any occasion.

Runyon's Rub - BBQ Rub for any Meat

This year for Christmas, we made gift baskets for our close friends and family.  The baskets included cookies, candies, snack mix, and homemade Cocoa mix, Apple Pie Moonshine and BBQ Rub.

I've already shared my recipe for Cocoa Mix but since it is grilling season, I thought I would share the BBQ Rub mix.  We have used this rub on Beef and Pork Ribs, Chicken, Steaks and Fish.  It really gives the meat a great flavor and  nice glaze on the outside.

Runyon's BBQ Rub

1/4 Cup Salt

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Sugar

2 tbsp Black Pepper

2 tbsp Onion Powder

2 tbsp Garlic Powder

2 tbsp Cumin

1 tbsp Chili Powder

Mix all the ingredients together.  Sprinkle and rub the mixture onto the meat and let sit for at least an hour or overnight.  Grill, bake or pan fry the meat as desired and enjoy.

Block Photo Display

I wanted to make something fun for my sister's birthday and I knew it would go over well if it involved my boys.  She is a very proud aunt so this was a perfect gift!

To start this project I needed to make the wire photo holders.  I used OOK brand of wire that I purchased at Home Depot but you could also use wire from the craft store that is intended for jewelry.  I began with a 14" piece of wire and started to make the heart shape.  

I found these small pliers (in the jewelry/craft section of Wal-Mart) very handy when shaping the wire.

After I shaped the heart, I wrapped the wire around a small paint bottle to get the circle shape.  This also helped to keep the circle shape a consistent size.  The following pictures will help give you an idea of the process I went through to get this shape.  While this is the shape I choose, you could easily make your own design here.

The next step was to prepare my block.  While it may be odd in other homes...in my home I already had a 14" section of a 2x4 cut, sanded and painted black just laying around waiting for a purpose.  I decided to distress the block by sanding the edges since 2x4s are generally pretty rough - this made it look intentional.  Next I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out vinyl letters and place them on the block.  I decided to spray on a clear coat to seal the block before moving onto my next step.

Next I drilled small holes where I wanted my photo holders to be placed.  It is important to drill the holes just slightly larger than the wire - you want a snug fit.  Once the holes are drilled, I used my E6000 glue (found at all craft stores) to glue the wire photo holders in place.

Now you can decide to place the photos so just a little wire heart shows or just the circle.

This is a fun and thoughtful gift that is easy to make.  You can easily change the wording to fit your needs.  It can sit nicely on a desk or shelf and the photos can be easily changed.  You could also use this to hold notes or messages.  I hope this inspires you to make something amazing!