Monday, January 24, 2011

LOVE Blocks

I mentioned before that I have never been big on Valentine's Day but this year I am really making an effort to decorate with love. Awww, doesn't that sound sweet? The fact that I got to use a 2x4, my palm sander and some paint made this Valentine's project a lot of fun for me. 2x4 projects seem to be like hand bags, you must have one for every season. Or holiday.
I'm still a little apprehensive about using our saw without the Tall Man so every once in a while I'll bat my eyelashes and ask him to cut some pieces for me. I'm blessed with an incredible husband so he's always willing to help me craft. I'm not sure if it's because he really wants to help me or maybe it's because if he's cutting something that means it's most likely going to leave his garage.
Anyway, I asked the Tall Man to cut a 2x4 into some random but similar sized pieces and that's exactly what he did. I sanded the edges with my palm sander, thank you favorite father-in-law, then painted them with some white paint.
I let the paint dry over night and finished them up the next morning. I took a few pages from my designated book page craft book and Mod Podge'd them onto my blocks. If you haven't used Mod Podge before, it's very easy. You simply use a foam craft brush to apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the block, set your paper on the block and smooth the paper out with an old credit card or I use a Pampered Chef pan scraper thing.
I used the Wall Decor and More cartridge for my Cricut for the letters and heart. Have you seen this cartridge? It is quite possibly my favorite. SO many cute possibilities. After my letters were cut I applied them with a little more Mod Podge then used an ink pad to distress the blocks and book pages a little bit. When the ink was dry I put a thin top coat of Polycrylic over the each of the blocks. They look more finished now.
I haven't finished my Valentine's decor so here are a few simple shots of my LOVE blocks and different ways they could be arranged.
Blessings.


9 comments:

  1. These are so cute! Love the font you chose!

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  2. Ah-dorable! Thanks for the eye candy!!

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  3. Stopping by from Modge Podge Rocks. I agree with Amy...love the font.
    All my best,
    Alisha
    http://craftybrooklynarmywife.blogspot.com

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  4. Thanks so much for your kindness ladies!!

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  5. Those turned out really cute! I like the layered-effect of type and letters. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  6. I love how you layed the printed pages under your layering and gave it jagged edges. Fun and a twist on the recycled book pages and block letters so popular right now.

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  7. Very cute! I love the touch of black print in the background! Makes the red POP!
    Jennifer
    Scissors & Spatulas

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