I am not a HUGE "tutorial-er" but I can give you some tips. Here are the steps that I took:
Materials:-Wood letters
-Sanding Paper
-Stain
-Gloves (when staining)
-Rag (to wipe stain off)
-Brushes
-Mod Podge
-CUTE scrapbooking paper (I use a different one for each letter)
-Scrapbooking distressing ink
-Pencil
-Scissors
-Scrapbooking Adhesive
-Pop-Dots (another kind of scrapbooking adhesive)
-Glue gun & glue sticks
-Craft wire
-Wire cutters
-Ribbon
-Flowers
-Any other embellishments you prefer
1. Stain the wood at least TWO days prior to beginning project. I would first sand down any rough edges, wipe off the sawdust, and then stain the wood letters.
2. Then - trace the letters onto your paper. I trace it on the back...so you can't see any pencil lines. I then trace inside of those lines - about a centimeter - and THAT is the one I cut out. I like my paper to sit just a little inside the wood.
3. I lay the paper on the wood to see what it looks like..and then "tweak/cut" any areas that need a little fixing up.
4. I like to ink the edges of the paper..it gives it a more finished look....in my opinion. I used a ligth brown on these blocks.
5. Mod podge!! Paint a light layer of mod podge on the first block - then quickly lay the paper on top. Carefully run your fingers over the paper, get any bubbles out, and push down all around the edges. Do NOT put mod podge on top....yet! This is a trick I learned...I do the top layer AFTER this coat dries....this reduces the risk of the paper bubbling up. Finish putting paper on all of your blocks. Don't rush this part. The more time I take, the better they always turn out!
6. When the first layer has dried - I then paint a top layer of mod podge on top of the paper and wood. Make sure to get any drips off the sides of the wood....if there is a lot dripping down, it will dry white!
7. I let this completely dry before adding embellishments (ribbon, flowers, rhinestones, etc.)
8. For the "I" ...I had them drill holes in the flower part AND the "i." I then took some of my craft wire, folded a piece in half, wrapped it around my pencil - to get the twisted look, and then trimmed it down to the size I wanted. I put some glue (from my handy glue gun) in both holes, and then stuck the wire in the holes....and held onto it until the glue dried. I then had to maneuver the wire a little until it looked JUST the way I wanted it to.
9. Add your ribbon, flowers, "bling, bling" where-ever you please!
10. Sit back, admire your craft, and make sure that everyone who passes by hears you say, "I MADE THAT!" Tee, hee!
Hopefully this little tutorial is enough to help some of you crafters out there do a little project like this one. Feel free to ask questions if you are confused! Good luck!
A while back...L'il Miss Crafty Pants did a FUN post...going over a NEW spin on how to display your photos. Since I love mod podge and I LOVE, LoVe, lOvE photos...I decided this was a "must bookmark" for future craft ideas! Ya just need a 12 x 12 smooth tile, a 12 x 12 printed photo.....and SHE can give you the rest of the details. Just click HERE!
Lovin' the soft pink & white! Check out her blog...you may get addicted!
Where do we put them?? U Create featured an idea posted on Make It & Love It. The gals over there came up with a tutorial for a way to store your grocery bags. This is MUCH more pleasing to the eye than my current solution. So I, along with most of you who have already seen this idea, believe I may need to make this my next project as well!!
U Create featured a NO-SEW way to make a dog toy! This caught my eye because our little Yorkie LOVES to play tug-of-war! He will bring a toy....any toy...over to us and keep trying to lay it in our limp hand(s) until we grab onto the other end! He then emits a low growl and begins to pull on the other side. So funny and endearing! This craft also seems quite budget-friendly....and OOOHHHH...how we love that!
Oops...I forgot to post these back in MARCH!!! These were the "LUCK" blocks that are now lovingly packed away for another year. I am still not crazy about the embellishments...but HEY....a year can pass and when I pull them out again NEXT year...I am sure I will have even more ideas on how to add some "bling-bling!" 
One of my FAVORITE vinyl companies is "It's A Sign." They have a blog where customers send in pics of what the vinyl looks like AFTER being put up in their homes. I loved two of the pictures....The overall decorating style was darling....so I am bookmarking my two favorites for the world to see. What do you think? Someone's got some stylin' sense!
Homemaking Fun came up with a fun way for her & her children to spend the night together. She put together a "BUG" themed night! From creepy-crawly yummy snacks, to a bug art project, and then ending with watching The Ant Bully....it sounded like such fun! She even created labels for the drinks...that said "BUG JUICE" and made awards for the finished art projects. (She gives you the link for that...) Thanks for providing us for ideas to keep the youngsters entertained and happy! :)
Flipflops & Applesauce wrote a post about THIS find. I did one a while back....but I liked the bright colors that Living Locurto used. This is an idea she came up with to keep her son organized and ready for school. They pick out clothes for each day of the week and hang them on a low rack for him to reach. She designed some cute tags to hang on each outfit. Each tag has the day of the week....read the rest of her post for another cute idea that they do the night before....with the clothes. She also has the tags in pastel colors.
The house is ALL ready for a brand-new owner...and right before we had a "walk-thru"...I decided I needed to spice up our candles in the kitchen...so I added some neutral colors that went with the color scheme. I didn't want to compete with the GORGEOUS flowers my hubby just gave me or the cute "Spring" blocks in our window sill....and THIS is the result! We both really like it. 
Aren't you just DYING with how cute this is!?! This website called Cuddle Babies can take the actual footprints or handprinds of your l'il ones & turn them into charms! How adorable! My friend, Kajsa, stumbled across this website! Enjoy! 
Adhering Thoughts came up with this DAH-ling way to store ribbon! She just poked a bunch of holes in the top of this jar, and decorated it....LOVE it!
We usually do baskets for each other as well....but then that's just MORE unhealthy treats! Grrr...we are really trying to change our eating habits...so I think I am going to make this l'il bag and fill it with a few YUMMY favorites of his....and then some sentimental items, notes, homemade coupons, etc. I found this on Adhering Thoughts...she's a very talented gal! 
This is the first wood project I have done FROM SCRATCH!! I drew up the letters...and had our wood supplier cut them out (that's next...buy my own saws) and then went to town!
I am not a HUGE "tutorial-er" but I can give you some tips. Here are the steps that I took:
Are you KIDDING me? How cute are these?? I ran across this on Crafting Chicks blog...and you can find more info here. Adorable! I might just have to make this!!
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