A Very Merry DIY Christmas: Hand Lettered Wood Signs

Hello and welcome to part three of my Christmas gift series! Of course these wood signs are fabulous for gifting for any occasion or holiday. I love that they can be used year-round. I got the wood from the Home Depot and they cut it there for me. These boards are approximately 12"x15". To see how we stained the wood, check out my last tutorial here. 

If you love the look of hand lettered signs but don't have the time or patience to create your own look, shop them on Brooke Gordon Designs. 

This first design is for my Hawaii family 🤗

I used basic acrylic paint and this brush set to tackle this project:

I used the flat brush for the thick strokes and finished with the rounded tip for thin lines and rounded edges. 

A Very Merry DIY Christmas: Fabric Cross Wood Sign

Welcome back to part two of my Christmas gift series! This beautiful (and easy!) fabric cross is a great piece for gifting. It is relatively inexpensive and thoughtful and you can put your stamp on it, or theirs, to personalize it. Here is what you'll need to complete this DIY: wood, stain, fabric, hot glue, fray-check, ribbon, and nails. A huge thanks to Brooke from Brooke Gordon Designs for helping me with the process! You can check our her wood signs on Etsy.

Check out the time-lapse and then keep scrolling to see the step-by-step pictures!

A Very Merry DIY Christmas: Photo Ornaments

Welcome to part one of "A Very Merry DIY Christmas" gift series! My goal behind this series was to find inexpensive gifts that still show the receiver that you put time, thought, and effort into it. This is also a great option to add on to another gift, or even use it as a gift tag to identify presents under the tree. 

Here's what the project requires: 

-clear plastic disc ornaments

-photos

-thread/fishing wire

-printer paper

-ribbon

-decorative snow (optional)

My project started at a craft store where I purchased two medium/large clear plastic disc ornaments and three smaller ones. I used my local Walmart photo center to print 5 4x4 photo prints. You can always use photo prints you have around the house, too! 

Identify how much space you want your picture to take up in the ornament. I made mine approximately the size of the bulb to use most of the space. Trace out a circle and cut the same size for your picture and printer paper backing. I printed out the text for the backing to my ornaments but you can always hand-write anything in. Use sticky dots or a glue stick to secure the printer paper to backside of the photo (both right-side up!). 

Fonts (top): Bromello and DK Yellow Sunshine; Backtalk Sans BT
(bottom): Daydreamer; Bromello; Cheddar Jack

I used a needle to make a small hole in the top of the photo and used thread to attached the hook of the ornament. This step felt tedious but it's important because if you don't secure the photo to the top, your photo inside will shift and it could end up upside-down.

Roll the photo up and place it into the bulb. Using photo paper allows it to roll easier than using cardstock. You may have to give it a little shake and tap to get the picture to open up flat. Good thing our bulbs are plastic, right?! If you would like to give your ornament a snow globe feel, add some artificial snow. This also gives it more of a festive holiday feel!

I really enjoyed using the pictures of my great grandparents. One set I knew as a child- even knowing my great pap into my young adult years- and the other set I never met. It's a nice way to connect family, past and present, around the holidays. A warm reminder that they are always here with us.

Let me know if you have questions about the project! Be sure to save this on Pinterest and I hope you check out part two of the series next week!

No-Sew Fleece Tie Blanket

It's almost Christmas! Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

I made this fleece blanket for my sister for part of her Christmas gift. My friend made me one as a gift previously and I wanted to try one out for Rachel. She loves laying on the couch covered in blankets and since I got more than two yards of fleece, it will also be large enough for her to throw on her bed. She is studying aeronautical engineering which is why I chose the purple cosmic fleece. Turquoise is also one of her favorite colors. 

First, buy no pill fleece from your local fabric store (or Wal-mart). I asked for 2 yards but got more for free since one fabric was close to the end of the roll, which was awesome! Jo-Ann fabrics had all their fleece 50% off and had an additional 25% your entire purchase. Find a coupon, seriously!

Second, lay the fabrics on top of each other completely flat. Make sure you have no bumps or clumps of fabric. Cut any excess fabric along the edges so each piece of fabric is even in length and width. 

Third, Cut a 4x4 inch square out of paper or cardboard. Lay on each corner of your fleece blanket and outline to cut out the square. Once you have cut the squares in each of the corners, cut the cardboard so that it as wide as you want your ties. This will ensure that each tie will be 4 inches in length. Try to measure the fabric before determining the width of your ties to ensure one wont be super small. Mine were 1.5 inches.

 

Fourth, Once you have cut all the ties, you can begin tying them together for the basic version or continue reading for a different version. Flip the top fleece layer as depicted above. At the base of the ties, cut a small slit where you will pull the bottom layer ties through. Once you have the bottom tie pulled through the top layer tie, tie in a knot and then another for a double knot that won't fall out. 

Enjoy your fleece blanket! Be sure to re-pin, Thanks!!

Need more inexpensive DIY holiday gift ideas? Check out this chalkboard frame by MonkeySeeMonkeyDIY!