InspireMe Crafts

Gotta Make It: Message Photo Blocks

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other, wings". – Hodding Carter

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm sure you are starting to look for some ideas for personalized Christmas gifts for your loved ones. We originally made these message photo blocks for Grandparent's Day, but it would really work for any holiday!

I originally got the idea after seeing this blog post on Brassy Apple. Instead of framing the photos, I made photo blocks out of them. I did one block for each grandparent, so each block contains the picture of Lil Man with 'I', 'heart', 'U', and 'I heart U'.

MATERIALS:

1 wood block ( I chose a 4x4 inch)
4 photos (need the letters you want to take the photos). I had photos printed at store for top quality.
Mod Podge or your favorite decoupage
Black paint
2-4 Foam brushes
Scissors

HOW-TO:

1. Paint your wood block black (or your chosen accent color) on all sides. Let dry
2. Cut your pictures to size.
3. Apply thin coat of Mod Podge to back of picture. Adhere to wood block. Smooth out bubbles by using a cloth over the picture. Repeat on each side. Let dry according to directions on decoupage. Usually 20 minutes.
4. Apply coat of Mod Podge over the top of picture and block. You may have to do a couple of pictures at a time, let dry and then do the others. Make sure to get the corners and sides of the pictures as well.
Note: It helps to rest the block on a cup upside down or something similar so the Mod Podge doesn't adhere to the newspaper you may have underneath for dripping.
5. Let dry overnight.
6. Give to a loved one. J

I hope you enjoy as you prepare for the holidays!

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It….With the Kids: Handmade Gift Wrap & Gift Bag

"The manner of giving is worth more than the gift".  ~Pierre Corneille, Le Menteur

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever get tired of going to wrap a present and having the wrapping paper at the end of its roll….just short of what you need to succesfully wrap your gift? Or how about this…you go to wrap a Birthday gift and you have 3 rolls of Christmas wrapping paper, but no birthday paper. Ahhh!!! Have no worries because after we did this handmade gift wrap for a friend, I'm not sure we'll go back to store bought wrapping paper anytime soon. This was a nice creative twist to traditional wrapping…and thoughtful J. Lil Man had a birthday party to attend and in true fashion, we devoted plenty of time to picking out just the right presents, but not enough on how we were going to wrap or bag it.

My "Ah-ha" moment came when I looked up and saw a painting by Lil Man on his painting easel that had been there for a little while. I had him add some final touches to it and voila, we had creative DIY wrapping paper. If you don't have a painting easel with a roll of white paper, but do have that leftover Christmas paper, just use the white side of the wrapping paper to paint.

Then came the next challenge. We had this large flying disc thing-a-majig and did not have a bag big enough for it and wrapping it seemed too daunting for an 8:00a.m. project. We needed a handmade gift bag…

 

To make our handmade gift bag, we took some white paper from a roll of paper, cut a piece about 6 feet long, layed it on the kitchen floor, and started coloring with markers. Lil Man drew a humpback whale (see it J), some squigles, and his favorite –circles. We folded it in half and then used a hole punch to punch holes along the sides. We grabbed some scrap ribbon and tied knots thru each hole to secure the bag. Add a couple holes at the top and a ribbon to make the gift bag handles. And once again, a creative and handmade gift bag for that special someone.

Look at Lil Man! He is so proud of his creation and ready to give it to his lil buddy. Can someone talk this kid into a haircut?!?

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Photo Magnet Bookmarks

When I posted my Magnet Bookmarks previously it only took a few moments for my biggest fan (my mom of course) to call and ask for one. Instead of using some pretty paper, I decided to use a photo of her favorite grandson (and only grandson). A simple request turned into a great gift for Grandparent's Day. I followed the same instructions outlined on the Magnet Bookmark post. However, I took it a step further to package the gift in a creative way. I went to the DollarTree and found a book. I then ripped out a page, displayed the magnet on the page, and just in case they didn't get it….added "A bookmark!". I then put it in a clear plastic sleeve to keep the photo safe. Of course I made a handful for all the grandparents and great grandparents…

You can do this very quickly so if you are scrambling for some Grandparent's Day gifts…you still have plenty of time!

Be inspired, get creative and have fun!

Father's Day Craft Ideas

"Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope." - Bill Cosby

            

Lil Man has given his daddy plenty of hand made gifts and every single time he takes the item and proudly displays it in his office.  Last time Lil Man and I made a pit stop at dad's office I felt like I walked through the front door to our home because there were so many "Made by Lil Man" creations hanging from walls and sitting proudly on desks and shelves.  But I guess that's the point if you have to be at the office so much!  I'm still brainstorming  what we might do for this year, but I can guarantee that his daddy will make some more room in the office for it.   Below are some craft projects to get those creative juices flowing for Father's Day craft ideas.

Hands Down Paper Weight by inspiremecrafts

Dad Rocks Paper Weight by inspiremecrafts

Photo Block Puzzle by inspiremecrafts

"I Love You This Much" Handprint Sign by inspiremecrafts

Car Nut Frame from Kaboose.com

Father's Day Notepad from Martha Stewart (love this!)

Hopefully you got a few ideas, if you even need them....you know you are fabulous! 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It...with the Kids: Hands Down Paper Weight

"Hands Down the Best Dad Ever"

I've been trying to be better about not buying things just because I like them.  I try to make sure I have a use for it in the near future or I know exactly where I'm going to put it.  Prior to becoming a one salary family, if I liked it...I'd get it.  Pretty simple.  Its part of the shopping habits I'm trying to change to make sure we always stay within our monthly budget.  Fun stuff, huh?! 

Well, I passed the glass circle in the Michaels clearance section probably about 8 times before I decided to purchase it.  I'm not sure what it was meant for, but I knew it was a good deal.  It only took me about 4 weeks to figure out what I would do with it before I purchased it for a steal...$1. 

Lil man and I went home, dipped his hand in paint, put his paint covered hand on paper, and let it dry.  Then I placed the circle glass thing-a-ma-jigger over the paper and traced a circle.  I cut it out and inked the edges.  Then I took a gold glitter pen and wrote " 'Hands Down' the Best Dad Ever" and included the date around the outside of the hand print.  Next, I used a spray adhesive to attach the paper underneath glass.  Once it was dried, I added a couple layers of Mod Podge to protect the bottom surface. 

Now it proudly sits on daddy's desk to make sure nothing blows away :).  This gift would work for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents Day, for Teachers, etc.  The ideas are limitless.  So continue to think out of the box when you see something for a great price.  I actually think it was meant for candles to sit on top of...but I'm not sure. 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Dad Rocks

"Dad Rocks"

I came across this Father's Day idea on the web, and knew it was perfect for us and we had to give it a try.  Why?  Let's see why it fits the mold for our crazy household...

1.  It's cheesy.  We like cheesy around here.

2.  It's simple.  Simple can never be reckoned with.

3.  It's inexpensive, yet priceless. 

5.  It instills independence.  Little man was able to do most of it himself.  Besides the writing of course...not quite that coordinated yet.  Although it looks like a 2 year old did it! 

So if this fits your family mold, go rock hunting with your kids, grab the paint and let them get to it!  It makes a great Father's Day gift as a paper weight. See... its more than just a painted rock!  Purpose and beauty!  :)

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Photo Block Puzzle

"The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity"  - Doug Horton

I love coming up with new ways to display all the pictures of our family.  This project was done last year when I made my parents this photo block puzzle of their grandson.  It is a wonderful and creative way to share memories with everyone and test their puzzle skills at the same time!  Plus, instead of just getting one puzzle, you actually can get up to 6!  My mom has it on her coffee table and you'll be amazed at the people who actually give it a try.  Its an easy project, however, be prepared to give it some time. I'm going to give you the detailed how-to for the actual puzzle, not the box.  However, don't forget to give those puzzle solvers a little help by providing pictures of the different puzzles on the front. :)

This puzzle measures 6 x 6 inches.  Each block I chose was 1.5 inches on each side.  The blocks come in various sizes and you, of course, can essentially choose your own size and number of blocks for your puzzle.  I'll give you the materials for the size of puzzle I chose to do.

MATERIALS:

16 - 1.5 inch wooden blocks
Black craft paint, Sponge brush
Mod Podge, sponge brush
Spray Adhesive
Ruler
Scissors
Up to 6 pictures printed on your computer

HOW-TO:

1. Paint all 16 blocks black, on all 6 sides.  Let dry.

2.  Choose your pictures that you will use for your project.  Re-size them to 6 X 6 in.  Print your pictures and let them completely dry.  Cut the pictures out along the edges.  TIPS:  When choosing your pictures, try to choose close-ups or ones that won't be too hard to solve.  Once you print it out, imagine where it would be cut into squares and make sure their are distinguishing marks that will allow your solver to put the clues together. 

3.  Turn your picture over.  On the back, using your ruler, start to mark the measurements of where you are going to cut.  Put a mark every 1.5 inches along the top and bottom, and then every 1.5 inches along each side.  Connect the dots using a straight edge to give you your grid.  Use a scrapbook paper cutter or scissors to cut along the lines.  TIP:  I wanted to see the finished puzzle and wanted to apply them in order so I put a number from 1-16 in each box on the grid on the back of the paper to help me keep them in order when applying in case they got mixed up.  Repeat with all other pictures.  I chose to only do 4 pictures and one note with stickers that read "I luv nana and papa" and then left the last side black. 

4.  Using your spray adhesive start to apply each picture square to the wooden block.  Do all 16 squares of the picture.  After you finish one picture move on to the next.  Complete all 6 sides.  Then allow to completely dry and adhere so no bubbles will pop up when you mod podge.  Read your spray adhesives directions to find the time. 

5.  Next, using your sponge brush, mod podge over each photo square.  Be careful to not have the blocks touching when you are having them dry so that they don't stick.  Again, do all 16 of one side, let dry, and do another side.  You most likely will have to do at least 2-3 coats of mod podge.  This is the time consuming part!

6.  You're done!  While your blocks are drying you can work on your box.

I really hope you enjoyed this idea, because it really is a keeper! 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: "I love you this much" sign

"I love you this much"

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!  We sure did, and now its back to the grind of 'reality'.  The husband is back at work, the in-laws have hopped on their plane and headed home, the sunny weather went away, and now its just me and little man at home today with loads of laundry and some fun! 

We've started Father's Day gifts a little early so we can share them with you.  I have so many ideas so no dad is going to be short of some fun, creative, handmade gift ideas for Father's Day!

This is the first idea we are sharing and is great for younger kids to make. 

MATERIALS:

Wood base (mine was 5 x7 and found at Michaels for $1) - or you could use a canvas
Favorite paper
Construction Paper
Paint
Ribbon
Scissors
Glue
Stickers, or cricut cut letters, or print the saying on your computer.

TO DO:

1.  Paint your wood a matching color to your paper.  Let dry
2.  Have your child make his/her own hand prints on the construction paper.  Let dry.  We did several so we could pick out the best ones.  Have soapy water and paper towels right there to clean hands before he/she decorates your house :). 
3.  Cut paper to size to fit on front of wood.  If paint has dried, adhere the paper to the front of the wood.  I used a spray adhesive.
4. Use stickers, cricut letters, or print out the saying on your computer.  Use "I love you this much".  Adhere to front of wood.
5.  Once the hand prints have dried, cut out around the hand prints and leave a little 'wrist and arm' when you cut so they can attach to the wood. 
6.  Add your child's name and date with a pen on the outer edge of the hand print.
7.  Tape or glue the hand print 'wrist/arm' to the back of the wood so the hand print is facing the front.  One on each side.
8.  Glue some ribbon on the back so your child's dad can hang it up.
9.  Add some photos, or if you child is old enough have them write the "I love you this much" message themselves.

This idea will work for many occasions of course.  Have fun with it and if you want to share you finished project with everyone email it to me and we'll share!

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!