Family blocks

Here are some "Family" blocks that I made last year. They are made from 2x3 wood and range from 3.5 - 5 inches high. These are super easy to make yourself!

Here's one way to display them: on a shelf with black and white pictures!

Of course, they can come in any color.

A completed set of blocks is $12 and the vinyl-only is $3.

Hair Bow Holder

I made this hair bow holder for my newest niece using the tutorial here. It was fun and easy to make, and hopefully will be a helpful place to hold all the bows she's sure to acquire.

And here's the darling baby herself, sporting one of her new bows!

Want bows like this? You can make them yourself (if you don't know how and you're close by, ask me and I'll show you!) or you can check out the ones my super talented & crafty friend makes and sells. Her projects and idea blog is here (click on the label hair bows) or more examples are found here. Kim made the clever headband that you can clip bows in and out of.

Welcome family sign

My mom is involved in real estate and had me make this sign for a family that just moved into a house that she was selling. It makes a nice welcome gift for anyone moving into a new home!

Rag quilt

I know this isn't vinyl, but I think I'm also going to use the blog to post other crafts that I make as well. Of course, I don't usually have a lot of time for other things, but it's always fun to share after putting the time and effort into making something. These baby rag quilts have become something of a trademark for me in my last ward and I probably made 10 over the last couple of years as gifts, especially for all the ladies that I served in Young Women's with. This one was for a good friend having her second girl, and she probably didn't really need another blanket, but I didn't want to move without giving her one of these!

What makes me the happiest about this blanket is that I didn't buy a single piece of new fabric for it. I used all existing fabric, hoping to diminish my stash of flannel a little! These are seriously so easy to make and SO much faster than a traditional quilt. That's my style!

Happy Father's Day!

Here is a plaque a friend ordered to give to her dad on Father's Day. It's 7x7 and has a sawtooth hanger on the back.

My friend found a longer quote that goes like this: "A Dad is a son's first Hero and a daughter's first Love." But since there are only girls in her family, she only included the daughter part. Either way, it's a cute saying, huh?

another FHE board example

Here's another FHE magnet board. I'm trying to get pictures up with all the different fonts that I've used on them. This one is uses LD Carefree Black.

I recently learned that using hot glue on the magnet strip doesn't hold up well in the long run. Using liquid nails or epoxy glue does. (We used hot glue for a craft night since it is so fast.) If anyone that has ordered one of these boards from me has had problems and would like me to fix it, please let me know! I apologize for any inconvenience. Live and learn!

My favorite things

Here's another example of the "My favorite things" clipboard that I made earlier. I stained the wood and I really like how it turned out (and so did my friend that ordered it - yeah!).

Font: LD Distorted Drusillus

Now that we've moved, I hope to hang up my board soon and use it for its purpose. My kids are busy painting again now that we've found their paints, so I'm sure I'll have lots of art work to hang up.

I am a child of God sign

Just a shot of my kids' room that includes a sign with red vinyl "I am a child of God" on 1x6 wood...probably about 30 inches long.

Family name plaque

This was a wedding gift for my cousin. It's a variation of a sign that I made at Christmas for another cousin

The wood is a typical 24 inch x 7.5 inch. Fonts: Papyrus and Scrap Cursive.

Mother's Day or Father's Day present

I gave each of our moms this frame for Mother's Day. I bought the frame (at Kohl's) and then added the vinyl. I wanted to buy an unfinished wood frame and paint it, but I couldn't find any that fit an 8 x 10 picture. So this was the next best thing, and of course the grandmas loved it. Who wouldn't with those cute kids smiling at you? :)

Give-away Results

Here are a few pictures from the lucky winners of my recent give-away. First, the name plaque for Mary. A navy board with white vinyl.
Second, the baby plaque for Christine. We decided to include her baby's middle name. I think it turned out really cute.

And then I decided to also do a baby plaque for my cousin that just had her 3rd baby girl. This one is a different size, 10x10.

It was fun making these for you guys! Thanks for all the interest.

My Favorite Things clip board

Here is a new project. It's a 5.5 x 24 inch board with five binder clips screwed into it and vinyl that says "My favorite things". This is a perfect spot to hang up artwork and pictures. Personally, our fridge is in a corner away from everything and it's not a very good place to display the kids' art. So I think this will come in very handy. Also, once we move into a new house, I plan to make a personalized board for each child that matches his/her room. They might say "Marie's Favorite Things" or "Kyle's Art" or something like that. Putting the ribbons on the clips is a fun touch to bring in more color and style. Of course, like always, the board and vinyl can be any color you want.
Vinyl only: $5
Finished board: $20

Also, if you're in the Philadelphia area, we'll be making these at my house on Wednesday, April 22 at 7:30 pm. If you come that night, vinyl will only be $4 and $3 for the remaining supplies for a total of $7 to make it yourself (bring your own matching ribbon). Contact me if you'd like to come.

More Easter and Spring

Here are a few more Spring and Easter blocks. Remember that you can have the blocks painted any colors you want. And if you have an idea of something you'd like to try, let me know. (I don't have enough time to try out all my ideas, but I'm willing to try yours!)

I bought these flowers to make hair bows for my daughter, and then decided they were fun to decorate these blocks with.

These blocks are the same as the "Think Spring" blocks pictured a couple of posts below. I just turned them around and put "Happy Easter" on the back. You could also do a more playful "Hoppy Easter".

And the winner is...

First of all, I just have to say that I'm so delighted with the response to my give-away. It has been so fun to read all of your comments. Thank-you!! I hope you will visit my blog again...I will try to keep it updated and continue to add new ideas and projects.

And now for what you really want to know....

The winner of the family plaque is:

MARY

The winner of the baby plaque is:

CHRISTINE BERRY

Congratulations! I used random.org, so I hope it really is random! :) Please e-mail me at jennywhiting@gmail.com to begin discussing your plaque.

Wow, I just really wish I could pick everyone! I WISH I had the time and resources to make a free gift for EACH one of you that entered the contest. I would love to! Thank-you again for your interest.

As a special deal to anyone that entered the contest, if you would like to place an order, I can offer the following discount: $5 off any order of $20 or more if you order by April 20. Again, just e-mail me if you want to discuss an order.

FYI:

A finished family plaque (7.5 x 24'') is $25; the vinyl only is $7.

A finished baby plaque (7x7) is $14; the vinyl only is $4.

Family Name on the wall

Pictured below is the first piece of vinyl I ever put up in my home! I ordered this a few years ago, and I have loved having it. In beige vinyl was our last name and over it in black was "Home is where our story begins". We always had lots of compliments on it.
I recently took this vinyl off as we are preparing to sell our house and I wanted to both de-personalize things as well as put a fresh coat of paint on. I'm happy to report that it was a cinch to take off and the vinyl left no marks at all on the wall. I also took off the vinyl pictured below (my kids' names) which I had cut myself, and it was also equally easy. So, while I can't make any guarantees, my personal experience thus far is that vinyl comes easily off the wall without any damage to the paint or wall.

Flashcard Font

I have a cute flashcard font that I used to put my kids' names on the wall in their bedroom. Here are some pictures:

This next picture is fuzzy, but you can see how his name was over his bed.

It's a fun way to decorate.

Customized Gift

A lady that stopped by my craft booth in the fall in Virginia contacted me to design a customized gift for a close friend that was retiring from teaching. She had me make this sign with the quote, "Call Dr. Redwine" which she explained came from a book that both she and her friend love. This is a quote they often exchange and she knew it would mean a lot to her friend. This is one of the greatest things about vinyl - making it say whatever you want so that it means something to YOU (or whoever you're giving it to!). I'm quite sure she couldn't have bought this at any store!
We decided to use 2x6 wood so that the sign could stand up on its own. It's 16 inches wide.

Baby Stacker

I did this baby stacker last week for a friend. The nursery has a Van Gogh theme with several paintings like Starry Night hung up and the colors include yellow, blue, orange, and brown. I haven't seen it yet, but I bet it is so cute and fun. You can also wrap a ribbon around these stackers to include more color.

GIVE-AWAY!

This week I'd like to make two examples of personalized boards to use at a craft show this weekend. So I'm going to give TWO lucky folks a free gift. One is a plaque with your family's last name and the year your family was established. The second is one of the baby plaques with the baby's name and birth information. All you need to do is leave a comment with your name below. I will randomly pick winners Wednesday night and get in touch with you to get the information for the boards. Below are pictures of examples, but you'll be able to pick all the details...colors, fonts.

{Disclaimer: I'm sorry to sound cheap, but I can't afford free shipping. So if you win and you live far away (I can deliver in PA and VA), you'll need to agree to pay for shipping. If you'd rather not do that...then, well, don't enter the contest. Sorry!}

Spring blocks

Here are some of the spring blocks that I made last year. I'm working on some more, including Easter ones, this week and I'll post pictures of those later.
1. Spring blocks on 2x4 wood; vinyl- $5; finished-$15 (only fronts are painted and then entire block is stained)

2. April Showers stacker on 2x3 wood, Vinyl-$4; finished-$12

3. Think Spring blocks on 2x3 wood; Vinyl-$5; finished blocks-$20