Saturday, January 30, 2010

No more Block Envy

I have had a serious case of "block envy" for the last few months ever since we went to the Cranberry fest and my SIL picked up this really cute set of calendar blocks. But today I finally am over it because I made a set of my own! Here is how I made them! You will need 2 blocks of unfinished wood 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 3 1/2. You will also need 3 blocks that are 7 inches long x 1 1/2 high.
*Paint *Glaze and brushes *Sandpaper *Cardstock *Removable spray adhesive
I used my Cricut machine and card stock to make the letter and number stencils. Had to play around to find the font that I liked the best, I ended up using Base Camp. I cut out each month, and numbers 0-9.
Paint the blocks, I used Rustoleum 2x coverage to paint all sides and ends of the blocks. Let dry. I cut out my months while the paint was drying. Then once the paint is dry, sand all edges with sandpaper or a palm sander.Spray the back of the cardstock with removable spray tack, don't use a permanent bond! Use an acrylic paint and a stencil brush to paint on your months on the 7 inch blocks 1st block is Jan, feb, march, april, and so one to the other 2 blocks! and numbers on the blocks that are square. Block 1 you will need numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 5 & 6 Block 2 needs to be 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, & 8 Make sure you choose a font that the 6 & 9 are interchangeable! Let paint dry.
Once they are dry to the touch, I added a coat of Ralph Lauren smoke glaze, brush on, wipe off. And you are done!

The best thing about this style of calendar blocks is that they can be used forever! No year, so the never "expire"!




You can even stand them upright for an entirely different look!

Enjoy! I know my kids are going to love playing with these! Great for math projects too! I may just post a few of these in my store!

11 comments:

René said...

That's a very clever idea. You should sell them on etsy.

Recaptured Charm said...

Love it. And YES you should sell them. I have a set like this on my desk at work and I really love it. Had it for years. You did a fabulous job !

Amy Kinser said...

You did a great job on these. If you are interested in looking, I have something very similar on my kitchen desk that were bought for me. They are actually on my latest blog.

I love the fact that yours are made by you.

Rust: Vintage Inspired Design said...

Wow...what a great project!! Love these blocks.
xojanis

sanjeet said...

Looks really really great. Now I need to go click the link and see the before!

Work from home India

WSU Laura said...

Too cute! Now I have another project to try on my Cricut.

Heidi said...

these are cute! i'm going to resist the urge to run out and make them b/c I know I will NEVER change the date... ;)

Angie Holden said...

Those look great -- love what you did with em!

Old Time Cindy said...

I can see why you had to have your own. They're pretty cool!
Cindy at Lakewood

Julie said...

What a great idea! Thanks for sharing with Made it Monday! Jules

Unknown said...

I love those!!! I've yet to use my cricut to make stencils because some letters don't turn out. :( I love how yours came out. :)