So, remember when I mentioned all those crazy Christmas gifts I was trying to finish up so we could deliver them on our trip?  Well, hold your hat on, ’cause here comes a whirlwind of gifts ideas!  All of these have already been delivered and I don’t think I actually wrapped any of them, so I’m not ruining any surprises.  I’ll include price estimates, as well as time estimates, for each project.  At least I’ll try.

The first gift idea was not the first one we gifted, but it ended up being one of my favorites.  It was simple, but turned out cute.  Which fits our giftee’s decor pretty well.  Not too much, but definitely noticeable.

1)  I used a piece of 1″x6″ that was 24″ long.  I primed the board and then painted it brown with acrylic paint.  Then I sealed that all with Mod Podge.

2)  I cut out five squares of ivory card stock that would fit onto the board and fit the letters I cut out.  I used vinyl for my letters, but paper would work just as well.  The size of the squares and letters will be determined by the length of the name you are spelling.  Mine were about 4.5″ square I believe, and the wide one was something like 5″x4.5″.

3)  I stuck the letters to the card stock and then glued the card stock to the board.  I just used Mod Podge, but the next time I use card stock I think I’ll stick to Tacky Glue.  The paper bubbled really bad, but I’ve never had that problem with Tacky Glue.  Maybe some of you are smarter than me and can clue me in on how to avoid the bubbles?

4)  I cut the picket fence out of card stock.  The slats were about .75″ wide and 3″ish long.  Glued those on with Mod Podge too.

5)  I cut “Families are Forever” out of vinyl as well.  I stuck that on over the picket fence.  And Mod Podged over that too.  Then give the whole thing one more Mod Podge coat.  Install wall hanging hardware and hang.

Cost:  The 1″x6″ was like $2-3 and I got four 24″ boards out of it.  I already had the card stock and the vinyl.  And the primer isn’t necessary.  But those might cost a total of $3 for the amount you use on this project.  So, total cost is around $5.  Not bad in my book.

Time:  This project probably took a total of two or three hours.  But, probably an hour and a half or so was drying time.  Gotta love drying time, right?

The vinyl for this project is available in my Etsy Shop, if you’re interested.  Just shoot me a convo and I’ll set up a custom listing for you.

Ok, this project I did the first year we were married.  I was looking for decor that would work year long, but would still be holiday specific.  A little bit of an oxymoron, I know.  The blocks are, by no means, a new idea.  But, there is a reason they are still as big as they were when they came out.  Anywho, enough jabbering!  On with the crafting!

It’s all pretty self-explanatory.  These are 1-inch blocks.  Each side is a different letter and color scheme, coordinating with the holidays through out the year.  All I used was acrylic paints, puffy paints, and paint pens.  Sayings are totally customizable.  Love it!  Unfortunately… I threw them away when we moved.  I know…what was I thinking?  I was thinking it was one less thing to have to pack and store.  I got at least one saying for each holiday out of the blocks.  They worked awesome… except my husband thought they were a pain because he always was knocking them down.  If we had decorated with the shelving like I wanted to, they would have been fine.  But then we moved… aww, t’is life, full of surprises.

Remember these…?

They are soo much prettier in person!  And with a candle burning in them:  Gorgeous!  Alas.  One year olds, lots of flammable stuff in not a lot of space, and exploring and curious hands do not make a good combination.  So these little cuties found themselves on my Etsy shelf.  Check them out and grab yourself this amazing wintery set.

I found these coasters at Michael’s for 50 cents!  Score.  My first thought was “I could so find something to do with those.”  Ok, I admit… that wasn’t my first thought.  It was more on the lines of “Bleh.” 

But it was quickly replaced.  I had a couple ideas, but what I had planned for this Fanciful Friday didn’t turn out.  So, this is the back up plan.  It’s just scrapbook paper and letters cut from cardstock with my Cricut.  Covered with modge podge.  Super simple.  The Little Monkey likes them too.  And that’s always a bonus!  Enjoy!