My Sweet Things

A few summers ago we had our back deck replaced and that left us with plenty of 2×4’s hanging out in the basement. For those that are unfamiliar with the term, a 2×4 is a common size of dimensional lumber. My dad is a builder of all things and I am very familiar with these boards as I would hold them while he sawed away. I had never thought outside the building box until I came across a blog post from How Does She? A 2×4 was used to create a wonderful birthday board! It was love at first site!  I made my first board last summer for my husband’s birthday and then used it again for my son’s birthday in December. I chose papers that are gender neutral so I can use it for all birthday’s.

The Birthday Board set up for my son’s birthday party. The pictures on the far left are from when he was a baby moving along the board up to High School Graduation.

Mod Podge, craft paper, floral wire, a foam brush and the star of the show…The 2×4!

After I cut the 2×4 to the length I wanted, I  measured out the spaces to drill the holes for the floral wire. My board was 24 inches in length. I marked my spaces two inches apart. I wanted enough space between the 4×6 photos I had printed. Keep in mind that the drill holes should be the same size as the floral wire tip that will hold the photos in place.

Here you can see the floral wire and the drill bit I used.

After all the holes were drilled, I lightly sanded the board to smooth out the drill holes. I then painted the board. For the Birthday Board I used two coats of wood stain. The photo above is for another board I recently made and I used left over Gloss paint I had in my stash.

After the board was dry, I measured out the length of craft paper I was using to decorate the board with. I used a 12×12 piece of craft paper and I cut strips to fit the 2×4. I applied Mod Podge to the board then I placed the craft paper on top of it.

Here you can see how the background paper is now on the board. I cut out the letters, applied Mod Podge to the back of them then place the letters on top of the background paper. If you see any bubbles appear on top of the paper you will want to smooth those  out. When the letters are all placed on the board, apply another coat of Mod Podge across all the letters, covering the entire top of the board.

Here is a close up of the board I recently made. I used 20 gauge floral wire and I cut it into different lengths so the photos could be placed at different height.

I wrapped the top piece of floral wire around a pencil to make several loops. The loops are what hold the photo in place.

N & A Engagement Board! I love how the 2×4 can be used for any event or non-event. This board can be set out and photos changed throughout the year.

Thanks to How Does She for the inspiration! I hope the celebration boards I made inspire you too!

It’s all good. ~ Donna

P.S. I am linking up to WhipperBerry. A whole lot of craft inspiration there!

Guess what? This post was featured from the Friday Flair!

Long gone are the days when the outside of my refrigerator was filled with my boy’s artwork. These days I keep it pretty simple with a few magnets from trips we have taken and a few family photos on the side all neatly arranged in magnetic frames. Every once in awhile there is an important note I want to keep in sight as those who know me, know all too well that I am very good about keeping important documents, I just don’t always remember where I put them! I am working on my organization and in a moments notice I can now find those “Mom you need to sign this for school” papers. For those notes I want in my face, I place on the refrigerator since I know they will only be there a short time. While the notes are not attractive, these decorative magnets sure are.

This is what I used to whip up some decorative magnets. Most of these items I had on hand because I am addicted to JoAnn’s craft store and stock up on items all the time.

Take your favorite decorative paper and use the flat glass marble as a guide for the size of your cut. You can use craft paper, magazines, old calendars, just about anything that inspires you.

Brush the Mod Podge on the back of the marble.

Place your paper with the decorative side down on top of the marble and let dry for a few minutes. It dries pretty quickly and when you flip the piece over and the Mod Podge turns from white to clear, you know it’s good to go.

Hot glue a magnet on the back. You want to make sure the magnets you buy are large and thick enough to hold up the papers when you place the magnet on top. I used super strong ceramic magnets .75 in and they work just fine.

I hot glued a scrapbook tag to this one. This was my son’s future. A Smokey Mountain getaway!

It’s all good, and for my son, it’s really good! ~ Donna