DIY scrap wood picture holder - no fuss quick and easy to make

Needing a quick & easy picture holder using reclaimed wood? This DIY craft might be what you are looking for.

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This scrap wood picture holder was insanely easy to make. While I love painting there was no painting, no drying times, no staining, literally no fuss! I had it up and holding pictures within minutes.

I’ve been redecorating our master bedroom on a shoe string budget. From the paint to the décor my goal is to spend less than $100 to redo our bedroom. This DIY craft most definitely fits into the budget since I only had to pay for the photo prints (they were a whopping .09 a piece).

I can’t wait to get our room all finished up and show you guys how it turns out but for now I will show you the DIY picture holder I made to go along with the rest of my frugal décor in our room.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

—-> Check out more scrap wood projects, click here <—-

Here’s what you need to make your own DIY RECLAIMED WOOD PICTURE FRAME HOLDER

• a piece of reclaimed wood

• clips like these (I got mine from the Dollar Tree in the office supplies section)

• hammer

• hanging hardware of choice

Click here to learn how to attach a sawtooth hanger. It’s super simple especially if you have a piece of painter’s tape.

1.GATHER MATERIALS

I didn’t have any sawtooth hangers so I used some fancy picture hanging hardware and it required a drill.

2. LAY OUT YOUR PHOTOS

To be sure I had the spacing right I laid my 4x6 photos out on my reclaimed wood. I just eyeballed this but if you want yours to be perfect and exact you can use your tape measure to perfect your spacing.

3. HAMMER IN THE CLIPS

The clips I used already had nails attached to them. They were a little difficult to hammer in to the wood though. I am fairly certain, since the clips I used were in the office department of the store, that they were made to push into a cork board and not wood. But hey, it worked!

4. ATTACH HANGING HARDWARE

If you need a visual on how to attach a sawtooth hanger check out this post. I used my Ryobi drill to screw in my hardware but a drill isn’t completely necessary, a screwdriver will work too it’s just not as quick and easy.

5. ADD YOUR PICTURES & HANG ON THE WALL

This reclaimed wood photo holder is going in our master bedroom so I tried to choose photos that were good ones of both my husband and myself.

I hope you found this tutorial both simple and motivating to use up some scrap pieces of wood that you may have lying around. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Check out more posts below. Happy Crafting!

DIY 4th of July wood tags

Easy 4th of July wood tags for rustic decor

I love those little wood tags. They are oh so cute and fit perfectly on a farmhouse style tiered tray. You can literally create these wooden tags for any occasion or season AND they are SO cheap to make! Especially if you have scrap pieces of 1x4’s around.

For my 4th of July themed coffee bar I told myself to get an early start because I would totally put it off and not make all the things in time to both share with you all AND get my display up in time to enjoy it for the holiday. So I got my butt in gear, cut myself some wooden tags, put on some makeup & real clothes and went live on my Facebook page while I made these little wooden patriotic tags.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Here’s what you need to make Fourth of July wood tags

• wood tag cutouts (click here to see how to make them yourself)

• red, white, and blue acrylic paint

• wood star or star template

• jute or twine

• paint brushes

• sandpaper

• heat gun (if you want to speed up the drying process)

• chip brush for antique wax

• antiquing wax

• scissors

• lint free cloth

• paint tray

• canvas drop cloth to protect your surface

1.PAINT THE WOOD TAGS

Since these are patriotic themed wood tags I went with the colors red, white, and blue.

I painted two of the tags all white, when the first coat was dry I painted a second coat on them. Sorry for the grainy pic I took snips for my fb live I did to create these.

Then I painted the third wood tag blue. I used an English blue and not a true blue so it would tie in better with my rustic farmhouse looking home décor.

2. PAINT RED STRIPES

Unlike my chunky 2x4 wood flag where I used tape and got a cleaner look I just eyeballed the stripes on these wood tags and was happy enough lol! But if you want a little cleaner lined look to your stripes you can use masking or painters tape to make the lines a little straighter, even, and more crisp.

I painted 3 stripes on each wood tag. One down the center then one stripe on either side of the center stripe.

3. ADD A STAR

You can free hand this, use an adhesive stencil, a cardstock stencil, or trace a wood cutout of a star like I did. I had a leftover star from a Christmas ornament that I didn’t use so naturally I put it with the rest of my hoarded craft supplies. I centered it on my wood tag then traced around it with a pencil.

I took a small paint brush and painted a thin coat of white acrylic paint. After that was dry I painted a second coat over it.

To help speed up drying time I used my heat gun. This tool was so inexpensive and comes in handy all the time!

4. DISTRESS THE WOOD TAGS

If I was not in my house I would have used my sander for this step. But since I was inside I used 150 grit sandpaper. I focused on the edges and corners and lightly went over the fronts of each wood tag.

5. ANTIQUING WAX

If you’ve read some of my other posts you might know that I LOVE antiquing wax for my distressed pieces. This stuff is so good and gives pieces such a primitive look.

If you want a more in-depth tutorial on how to use ANTIQUING WAX I created an entire post on how I use it on my craft projects.

6. ADD TWINE TO YOUR WOOD TAG

The last step is to add a piece of twine to your wood tags. I went with a thicker jute for my tags since the hole I drilled in the 1x4 tags was on the larger side.

That’s it! These wooden tags are so easy to create for your rustic 4th of July decorations. If you have any questions leave them in the comments below.

Happy Crafting and be sure to check out more DIY craft tutorials below.

DIY hello sunshine stained wood sign + FREE SVG

DIY STENCILED HELLO SUNSHINE SIGN

Make this simple and chic hello sunshine sign to display with your warm weathered décor. I used my old school Cricut Explore to make this wood sign but you can use any vinyl cutting machine you have. Be sure to grab the FREE SVG in my free resource library to make this exact design (find the link below;) )

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Here’s what you need

• prestained wood base (I made a square from a 1x8)

• white acrylic paint

• paint brushes

• paint tray

• matte finish mod podge

• oramask stencil film

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• weeding tool (I picked mine up from the dollar tree)

• Cricut cutting machine

• Cricut Design Space

• green Cricut cutting mat

• FREE hello sunshine SVG

Want to learn more techniques for painting wood signs? CLICK HERE to check out my list of DIY sign painting tutorials for the most crisp clean lines for your lettered painted signs.

The type of stenciling I used for this wood HELLO SUNSHINE sign is called REVERSE STENCILING. I also used this stenciling technique on this BLESS OUR NEST wood sign. I love this technique when I’m only using two colors, the base color and the letter color. It gives super crisp lines and is really quick to do.

1.CUT THE STENCIL

Upload the HELLO SUNSHINE SVG into Cricut Design Space (or the program you are using with your fancy cutting machine). Then add a square to the canvas. Size the square so it’s about the same size as the wood base you are using. I sized mine to 7.25” then resized the HELLO SUMMER SVG till I was happy with the size of that. This process isn’t a must, you can just cut the SVG out without a square around it BUT adding this square does make centering your design much easier when you go to stencil the design.

Once you happy with the size select both the SVG and the square and center them. After they are centered and still both selected use the Cricut SLICE feature to slice the SVG out of the square.

Now you should have 3 images. You will only need the square that has the circle cut out of it so delete the two other circle images.

This is what your canvas should look like when you are ready to hit MAKE IT in Cricut Design Space.

I used ORAMASK STENCIM FILM and the Cricut GREEN cutting mat. I set my machine dial to cut vinyl.

2. APPLY THE STENCIL

When weeding this design you want to weed out the CIRCLE and the MIDDLE PIECES from the letters.

Use transfer tape to easily transfer the image onto your wood base. I’ve used LOTS of different transfer tapes and this brand is one of my favorites.

PRO TIP: you can reuse your transfer tape over and over again. As long as it is still tacky and fits the design you want to transfer you can use it. I often use my transfer tape 3-4 times before getting a new piece.

Align your stencil then press down using your hand and a vinyl squeegee. Working from the middle and then out press out the air bubbles.

Now, roll your transfer tape off your design. Be sure to go slow, especially with this design as it has delicate lines that can rip easily.

3. SEAL THE STENCIL

This step isn’t an absolute must but you’ve already worked this hard why ruin it with paint bleed? I always hate myself when I skip this step so just save yourself from a kick in the butt later and seal your stencil before you paint ;)!

Paint a SUPER THIN layer of matte finish mod podge all over your design. Essentially what you are doing is filling in all of those tiny little air bubbles that you can’t see that are between your stencil and your wood base with a clear layer. This keeps your paint from filling in those air bubbles, aka: paint bleed.

Be sure you are painting the thinnest of thin layers when doing this step. If it’s too thick your paint will peel up with your stencil when you remove it…again speaking from LOTS of sign making experience lol! Then let that dry completely before moving on to the next step.

4. PAINT YOUR DESIGN

After your mod podge seal has dried you can paint your design. The lighter the color the more layers you will likely need to cover your design completely. For your first layer of paint you want to paint it on thin enough so that you see the wood grain through the paint. I used white acrylic paint for this project and painted 3 coats total.

After you apply the first layer wait for it to dry completely before moving on to the second coat. If you need a third layer of paint repeat the drying process again then paint the third layer.

5. PEEL UP YOUR STENCIL

After your happy with the paint coverage it’s time to peel up the oramask stencil film. I personally peel my stencils up while my paint is still wet but some prefer to peel after their paint has dried, both ways work. Grab one corner of the stencil and peel it off toward the opposite corner.

Then using your weeding tool CAREFULLY peel up the lettering inside of the circle. I ended up grabbing a sewing pin for this as my weeding tool was a little too large for the job.

Let your sign sit and dry completely before displaying in your home with the rest of your summer decorations.

I just love how this little sign turned out! It’s so simple and it can be displayed with both spring and summer décor. I extra love double duty decorations!

If you have any questions about this DIY craft tutorial or any others on my blog please reach out.

Check out more sign painting tutorials below. Happy Crafting!!

Classic farmhouse tiered tray signs

Tiered tray sign bundle for your CLASSIC looking farmhouse decor

I am loving this tiered tray decor that’s all the rage right now. There are so many different seasons, holidays, and themes you can do. Or you can keep it super classy and simple with the classic black and white farmhouse colors. There is so much you can do with these simple color scheme. You can keep it black and white or add a couple rustic pieces that will give it a pop of color here and there. I love how versatile it is!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

If you LOVE this crafty post be sure to check out how I made a mini house family number sign. Instead of using vinyl like I did on these rustic farmhouse mini signs I painted it instead.

If you’re in to the rustic farmhouse style how can you not love a mini wooden tag that has farm animals on it?! This one is probably my favorite of all the bundled pieces. I absolutely LOVE chickens! Well of course cows and pigs too but chickens are really my favorite farm animal! Every time I see one, whether that be a real life chicken or a picture of one, I smile! They are just too cute!

TIERED TRAY RUSTIC SIGNS

For this tiered tray bundle I incorporated different sizes and shapes to these farmhouse pieces mix it up a bit. I typically create identical bases for my handmade sign pieces, like these hilarious rustic looking cactus signs. Another example are these Easter mini wood tags. They come in a set of 3 but they are all the same sized wood base. While they are super cute I am really loving the mix and match look of the different sized and styled bases of these classic farmhouse tiered tray signs.

Here are the sign bases I used:

• MINI ROLLING PIN

• MINI WOOD HOUSE

• MINI WOOD TAG

• MINI WOOD SIGN

Since they are all different sizes and shapes they truly work perfectly for the tiered tray signs.

Unlike most of my signs I actually chose to use vinyl on them instead of painting the entire design. I have been one BUSY momma this year so I’ve been adding more simple designs and styles to my shop line up. I guess I always thought using vinyl was “cheating” in the sign making game but I have no regrets using the vinyl on these designs. They are quick to make, priced at a more affordable price point, and I can get them out to my customers even faster because it takes SO much LESS time to create.

While stenciling designs will always be my preferred method for making signs I do love how these vinyled signs turned out. So much that I have plans to add even more in my shop!

You can grab the FARM FRESH design in my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY.

Want your own set but don’t want to make them? You can purchase your handmade signs from my shop, click here —-> CLASSIC FARMHOUSE STYLE TIERED TRAY SIGNS

If you are a DIY-er and want to make your own rustic farmhouse style tiered tray signs here’s what I recommend you use.

• matte finish black vinyl

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• white paint

• mini rolling pins

• paint brush

• xacto knife

• sandpaper

• Cricut

• Cricut Design Space

• green Cricut cutting mat

• HOME SWEET HOME SVG

• FARM ANIMAL SVG

• OUR NEST SVG

• FARM FRESH SVG

New to Cricut? Check out these 10 must haves to get you started on your crafty journey

I don’t have a full on tutorial on how I made these signs they were really pretty simple to make since there wasn’t any stenciling involved. Stenciling is a WAY more involved process. But this process is super easy.

Here’s how I made my rustic tiered tray signs

1. Paint each wood base white. Let dry. Paint a second coat. Let dry.

2. Once dry distress the edges. Wipe with a dry lint free cloth.

3. Cut out your designs using your Cricut, or other cutting machine.

4. Weed your designs using your xacto knife.

5. Apply your transfer tape and remove paper backing from your designs.

6. Place your designs on your wood bases. Rub with your vinyl squeegee and remove your transfer tape.

7. Add any twine accents.

8. Place on your tiered tray and enjoy!

It’s really that simple! No messing with paint bleed. No fuss with drying time between stenciling paint coats. No stress about paint peel up. I really enjoyed how quick and easy these DIY mini wood signs were!

I hope you enjoyed this crafty tutorial. If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments section below.

Happy Crafting!

See how I make my mini wood tags. Don’t have the power tools to create the tags from scratch? Grab the unfinished wood tags here.

DIY Tiered Tray signs for 4th of July with Rae Dunn inspired SKINNY FONT

DIY 4TH OF JULY TIERED TRAY WOOD SIGN

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE rustic mini signs… yes!! Tiered tray signs are all the rage right now. If you’ve been on Pinterest, Etsy, or anywhere in between then you’ve definitely seen these little farmhouse looking beauties! They are usually made using a simple design and just tie in perfectly with the whole clean rustic look that’s in right now.

If you’re wanting to make your own mini wood signs it’s actually pretty easy to do. I make my tiered tray signs from 1x4’s that I cut down using my miter saw BUT even if you don’t have access to power tool you can still make your own mini wood signs! I’ve put together this DIY PATRIOTIC CRAFT KIT you can grab online in my shop. It comes with everything (except paint brushes) you need to make your own Independence Day signs at home. No need to go out and buy any fancy equipment or tools, especially if you don’t plan on making a ton of DIY craft projects.

If you are wanting to take the sign painting world by the horns be sure to read these 6 must haves for painting wood signs. I share the basic must haves to get you started on your own sign painting journey.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

DIY 4TH OF JULY WOOD SIGNS FOR TIERED TRAYS

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own set of patriotic wooden signs

If you purchased the PATRIOTIC DIY SIGN PAINTING KIT your wood blanks will come pre-stained. You can skip to the step #3

• pine 1x4 cut into these lengths: 6”, 10”, 12”

• Cricut cutting machcine

• Cricut Design Space

• Cricut green cutting mat

• oramask stencil film

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• stenciling sponge

• red, white, blue, black acrylic paint

• paint brushes

• stain color of choice

• lint free cloth

• gloves to protect your hands when staining

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

• 120 grit orbit sand paper

• xacto knife

• FREE CRICUT 4TH OF JULY CUT FILE

1. CUT & PREP YOUR WOOD PIECES

If you purchased the 4TH OF JULY DIY CRAFT KIT you can skip this step. If not you need to cut your 1x4’s to 6”, 10” and 12”. I use a miter saw to cut mine then give them a quick sanding with120 grit sand paper using my orbit sander. I stain my pieces then let dry for 24 hours. Once dry I sand around the edges to give it a distressed look. Now they are ready for paint :)!

2. CUT YOUR STENCILS

Cut out your stencils on your cutting machine, I use an older model Cricut explore and it always does a perfect job! I highly recommend using Oramask stencil film to cut your stencils out of. This material is specifically made for stenciling and performs very well. Weed your design and apply transfer tape to it so it is ready to go. Get your FREE Cricut cut files here to use for this exact 4th of July project.

3. PAINT YOUR BACKGROUND COLOR

Using a dry brush apply a THIN coat of paint on the front side of your wooden bases. For a more rustic look apply the paint so that it doesn’t touch the edge of the wood base and so that it a little uneven. Let that dry then paint a second coat. Let the second coat completely dry.

4. APPLY YOUR STENCIL

Using your vinyl squeegee apply your stencil to your painted wood base. Once you feel it is adhered good slowly remove the transfer tape off of your stencil. The best way to do this is to start at one corner and slowly roll the transfer tape off of your blue stencil material. PRO TIP: you never want to pull up when removing your transfer tape, this will cause your stencil to pull up as well. Use your finger to rub the exposed area of the stencil to work out any puckers or air bubbles.

5. PAINT YOUR STENCIL

Cut your stencil sponge into 3-4 sections, depending on the number of different colors you plan to use. Lightly dip the end of one of your stenciling sponges into your paint of choice, dab off excess paint onto a scrap piece of cardboard (or something similar) then using an up and down dabbing motion dab it onto the exposed areas of your stencil. Your paint coverage should be super thin, you want to be able to see the background color at this point. Let dry. Once dry dab on a second thin layer. If you are happy with the coverage you can move on to step 6. If you want a little more coverage wait for the second layer to dry then dab on a third layer of pain

6. REMOVE YOUR STENCIL

Using a sharp xacto knife or sewing pin peel your stencil up while your paint is still wet. Be careful not to touch the wet paint. Let your painted wood sign dry.

7. DISTRESS

This step is completely optional. If you want a little more rustic look lightly go over the front of your wooden sign with a sanding sponge or piece of sandpaper. I personally like adding this touch to my signs to give it a more farmhouse look. Wipe off the dust with a lint free cloth and you are ready to display them on your tiered tray.

DIY mini wood house family number sign

DIY how to make a rustic wood house sign for your farmhouse style home decor

How to make mini wood houses from a 1x4. Stenciling a wood family number sign. DIY rustic farmhouse decorations to make at home, easy

Have you seen those adorable tiered tray signs on Pinterest? They are oh so tiny and oh so ADORABLE! They tie in perfectly with any rustic farmhouse style décor. If you have a miter saw you can make these little beauties at home.

If you don’t have a miter saw but still want to DIY these mini wood houses no worries! You can grab these precut unfinished wooden houses in my shop.

I used a scrap piece of 1x4 to make mine. Click here to read more of my SCRAP WOOD PROJECTS.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional

Are you planning on making LOTS of signs using stencil film? You must read how I save TONS of money by buying my oramask stencil film this way.

Click here to grab your own rustic wooden mini house DIY CRAFT KIT

Make your own tiered tray mini house signs

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own mini rustic wood houses

• 1x4 or precut wood houses

• miter saw

• sander

• 120 grit sand paper

• Cricut cutting machine

• Cricut Design Space

• Green Cricut cutting mat

• oramask stencil film

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• white and black acrylic paint

• paint brush

• family number SVG

1. CUT OUT YOUR WOOD HOUSE

The first thing I did was to cut my wood house out of 1x4 scrap piece of pine. Well, my husband cut mine out because he was bored lol. He cut them using a 30 degree angle on the miter saw. Then cut them to the length you want. The one I’m making for this rustic craft tutorial measured approx. 4” in length. Then I sanded it down using my Ryobi orbit sander and 120 grit sandpaper.

2. CUT OUR YOUR STENCIL

I used my Cricut explore to cut out my stencil. I have yet to get a Cricut maker because my Explore is still going strong :)! I used a scrap piece of ORAMASK STENCIL FILM and this FAMILY NUMBER SIGN SVG. I’ve found that using an xacto knife to weed your designs works even better than traditional weeding tools. If you’re new to CRICUT be sure to check out these 10 supplies and accessories you need to get started with your Cricut.

3. PAINT YOUR WOOD HOUSE BASE

I chose to keep my mini wood house sign simple and paint it all white. I used acrylic paint and painted two coats for a decent coverage. Let completely dry.

4. STENCIL YOUR WOOD HOUSE

I stenciled a family number sign on my wood house and I love how cute it turned out. I applied my stencil using transfer tape and a vinyl squeegee. Then removed my transfer tape once it was properly adhered. If you don’t want any paint bleed be sure to seal your stencil. you can do this using the same paint as your background color. See how I also did this on a reverse stenciled sign to get crisp no paint bleed lines. Let dry.

5. PAINT YOUR STENCIL

I kept it safe and painted my family number stencil with black acrylic paint. I did one thin coat. Let dry completely. Then painted a second thin layer.

6. PEEL UP YOUR STENCIL

While your stencil paint is still wet use a sharp xacto knife OR sewing pin to peel up your stencil. Be careful not to guage the wood underneath. You want to carefully lift the stencil film up off the wood then grab it and peel away.

7. DISTRESS

If you like your sign without distressing then you are ready to display it once the lettering is dry. But if you’d like to add a little more rustic charm to it you can do so with your sander, after your lettering is dry of course. I use 120 grit sandpaper for pretty much all of my craft projects and it’s what I used to distress this mini wood house sign too. Focus around the edges and corners then lightly go over the front of the sign. I went a little crazy on my mini wood sign but I still like it. I think it just adds that much more character.

CLICK HERE TO GET INSTANT ACCESS TO ALL OF MY FREE SVG’S, PRINTABLES, AND MORE

Now you're ready to display it in your home. I hope you enjoyed this crafty tutorial. If you have any questions please ask them in the comments.

Happy Crafting!

DIY 2x4 chunky wood flag

HOW TO MAKE A PRIMITIVE AMERICAN FLAG

I love a good scrap wood project. That was the inspiration behind this DIY chunky wood flag. I have shelves full of scrap pieces of wood in my workshop, aka my garage lol! I just can’t bring myself to toss out perfectly good pieces of future projects. I had been wanting to make one of these 2x4 flags for a while now and since we are all on lockdown I thought now would be the perfect time to make one and share the DIY with you all.

I didn’t just use a 2x4 to create this wooden flag. I also used a scrap piece of 2x6 that we have loads of leftover from a bunkbed project we made for our four daughters. And when I say we I really mean that my husband made because I pretty much just stood there and handed him things as he needed them.

If you don’t have all the tools to make this project happen grab your DIY CRAFT KIT HERE

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Be sure to check out a few of my other 4th of July patriotic themed projects: RAG WREATH, LEANING PORCH SIGN, and this HANGING WOOD FLAG

MAKE YOUR OWN RUSTIC WOOD AMERICAN FLAG

Here’s what you’ll need

• 2x4x5.5

• 2x6x5

• red, white, and blue acrylic paint

• paint brushes

• sand paper

• masking tape

• 1.4” wide star cutout

• pencil

Helpful tools

• Cricut cutting machine

• Cricut Design Space

• Cricut cutting mat

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

ONE- If you didn’t grab a DIY craft kit the first thing you want to do is cut your wood pieces. Use your miter saw to cut the 2x4 to 5.5” and the 2x6 to 5”. You will place the 2x6 on it’s side so that it stands 5.5” tall. Use your sander to give them a quick sanding. I use a cordless Ryobi sander and really love it! Then wipe all the sawdust off with a lint free cloth.

TWO- Paint the 2x4 completely blue. You will have to wait for the front to dry before you can start painting the back. Since this is a dark color one coat should be enough but you can paint a second coat if you aren’t happy with the coverage.

THREE- Paint the 2x6 completely white. Wait for the front to dry before you paint the back. After all sides have dried you’ll want to paint a second coat of white paint to get a good coverage. Let dry.

FOUR- Take your cardstock star cutout and trace around it with a pencil in three places on the front side. I staggered mine because I like that look but you can place yours wherever you’d like. Try to trace lightly so that it’s easier to paint over. Using a small paint brush paint inside the star outline. A thin layer works best so you don’t have streaking. Paint a second layer once that layer is dry.

FIVE- After your white block is totally dry you can start painting on your stripes. To get even stripes you want to use masking tape. Be sure your block is standing at 5.5” tall before you start applying your tape. If you are using .75” masking tape you will want to start at the top and apply a piece of tape all the way around but apply your tape so that it hangs off the top slightly. This way you aren’t left with a super thin stripe on the bottom. This first piece of tape is called your spacer piece.

Then take another piece of tape and apply it directly below your spacer piece. Remove your spacer piece and then apply it directly below that second piece of tape. You will do this the whole way down your 2x6. This is what it should look like when you’re done.

SIX- This step isn’t 100% necessary but it does help with reducing paint bleed. Take your white paint brush and paint a super thin layer of paint where the tape and the wood meet, the seam. Let dry.

SEVEN- Where the wood is exposed paint that red. Let dry then paint a second coat. While the paint is still wet peel up all the tape. Let dry.

EIGHT- After your blocks are dry you’ll want to distress them. Take a piece of sandpaper, or your orbit sander, and distress both blocks. You want to focus on the edges and then lightly go over the front, back, and sides. When you’re finished distressing you want to wipe the dust off with a lint free cloth.

Enjoy your new American flag décor! Like with all of my DIY projects if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

DIY easy wood tags using your miter saw

How to make farmhouse style wood tags using your miter saw

These little tags are SOOOOOO easy to make! If you can operate a miter saw then you can make these wood tags. They tie in perfectly with farmhouse décor and make adorable accent pieces to those tiered trays that are all over Pinterest. And you can make your own for a fraction of the cost! Even cheaper if you are using scrap wood like I like to do when I make little projects for my home.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

This tutorial is quick. Like less than 2 minutes kind of quick if you watch the video tutorial over on my YouTube channel. Check it out below or keep scrolling for the written tutorial.

After you’re done reading this DIY go see what I did with these wood tags for St. Patrick’s Day

Here’s what you need to make your own rustic wood tags

• 1x4 piece of lumber

• measuring tape

• pencil

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

• 120 grit sandpaper

• Ryobi drill

• Ryobi drill bits

Can you tell I LOVE my Ryobi tools?! Seriously though, if you are having trouble deciding what kind of tools you need as a craft you need to read this post about POWER TOOLS FOR CRAFTERS. In it I cover the basics of what you need and explain a little about them.

Easy wood tags for your country chic decor

ONE-

The first thing you need to do is measure out your 1x4 and cut it at 5”. I just used my miter saw side ruler for this. I made mine in a set of 3 but you can make as many as you’d like.

TWO-

Swivel your miter saw so that it is set at 45 degrees. Be sure it locks in place, I extra lock mine in place using the manual lock on my saw.

THREE-

On the top right hand side of each tag measure in 1” and put a little mark. So that you don’t have to mess with moving your angle to cut on the other side flip your piece of wood over and make a mark 1” on the other side.

FOUR-

Line your laser up with that 1” dot you made and cut. If you don’t have a laser on your saw you can line your blade up while it’s not in motion. Side note…I’ve really glad I splurged for this fancier saw to make projects like this even easier. I almost didn’t get it just to save a few dollars but some things are worth every penny, just like this saw ;)!!

FIVE-

Flip your wood tag over and do the same thing to the other corner. Isn’t that so much easier than moving the degree of the blade?!

SIX-

To make a hole in the top for a piece of twine to go through you just need to drill a hole large enough for the size twine you’re using. I used a 5/8” drill bit to drill mine. I measured in 1.75” from one side, not where I cut the corner off because that would not give an accurate middle mark. Tip- place a scrap piece of wood under the wood that you’re drilling to save the surface underneath from getting damaged.

SEVEN-

Last, finish them off by giving them a quick sanding. I don’t ever get too crazy with this step on my projects. I typically just use 120 grit sandpaper all over and call it a day.

That’s it! SUPER EASY miter saw craft. As with all of my posts if you have any question please feel free to reach out and ask away.

DIY western themed party table sign

How to make a sign for your western themed party table

Teacher appreciation week is coming up for our elementary school and I was asked to help throw it all together. One of the things I was asked to help out with were signs for the food table to go with the wild west theme. Being a busy momma of 4 and a handmade small business owner I didn’t have a ton of time to devote to the signs. I thought about just printing something up and sticking them in inexpensive frames but I didn’t want to have to spend money on frames I wouldn’t use again. And I wanted them to look a little more rustic/handmade than what a picture frame would look like.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

So I looked around my craft room and thought ‘why couldn’t I just glue the paper to a chunk of wood?’. And that’s exactly what I did! Gotta love Mod Podge! And of course burlap too!

You can use the printable I used for my project, it’s in my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY click here to get the free printable

DIY wild west sign for your party table

These table signs are SO easy to make!

Here’s what you’ll need

• 2x6 piece of wood

• wild west printable

• burlap or fabric

• matte finish mod podge

• paint brush

Helpful tools

• printer

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

• scissors

• paper cutter

ONE-

I printed off my printables, CHOW DOWN PARTNER, SNACK STAMPEDE, HAPPY TRAILS, and WATERING HOLE. Then I trimmed them down using my paper cutter. Even though these are not expensive at all it took me years to finally bite the bullet and buy one and I’m SO glad I did! I know it sounds silly but not having to stress about the lines being straight on things, especially on my orders, is priceless!

TWO-

Cut down your 2x6 to fit your printable. I already had several sections of 2x6’s leftover from a loft bed project we made for the three oldest daughters. So I used my miter saw cut two of those pieces in half. That gave me 4 2x6 pieces.

THREE-

I wanted the background to have a little more to it than just the wood I added a piece of burlap to two of the signs and a piece of red duck cloth fabric to the other two western signs. I had all of these materials on hand, I didn’t need to go to the store and buy anything. That’s the great part of holding on to scrap pieces.

I used MATTE FINISH MOD PODGE to glue the burlap and fabric on to the wood chunks. Paint on a thick layer of the mod podge (if you’ve never used mod podge it’s basically just fancy glue that comes in lots of different finishes and purposes). Cut your fabric or burlap down to size and press it down on the mod podge covered front of your sign. Smooth out any air bubbles with your hand.

FOUR-

I wanted the edges to be frayed a little so I trimmed down the fabric/burlap what hung over the edge then pulled out some of the treads on each end to fray them.

FIVE-

Then I applied mod podge to top of the burlap/fabric and placed a printable down on it. On the first ones. the burlap ones, I applied mod podge all over where the printable would go, not even thinking that it was going to bubble the paper because that’s what glue does to paper. So the next two I just applied the mod podge to the ends of the paper and I like that look a lot better.

SIX-

Let them dry and you’re ready to put them on display on your western themed party table.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and it helps you DIY your own easy and quick signs. As with all of my posts if you have any questions please feel free to ask away.

Want instant access to all of my free printables (like the one used in this post) files, and checklists? Fill in your info and I will send you will immediately get the password to all of my freebies.

DIY wood block snowmen ornaments, DAY 6

DIY wooden snowmen Christmas ornaments

Day 6 of 30 days of DIY Christmas ornaments

Day 6 of my 30 days of DIY Christmas ornaments I made these cute wood block snowmen! They were SO SIMPLE and they were SO QUICK to make too! I haven’t made these with my four daughters yet but they are definitely on the list of Christmas ornaments to make with them.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind

To make this DIY craft even easier for you I put together a DIY CHRISTMAS SNOWMEN ORNAMENT CRAFT KIT. I know not everyone can use or has access to power tools like the ones I use in my crafty tutorials. So with some of my more popular projects you can purchase a DIY craft kit so you can make your own at home. Leave all the cutting and presanding to me, you take care of all the creativity to really make it come to life.

Watch the video tutorial or keep scrolling to read how to make your own wooden snowman ornament

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own wood snowmen Christmas ornaments

• DIY CRAFT KIT

OR if not snagging your own craft kit here’s a list of all the supplies you'll need

• 2”x2” piece of wood, I use pine

• miter saw {I use this RYOBI miter 12” slider to cut all of my projects and LOVE it!}

• sander {I use this cordless orbit sander from ROYBI and LOVE it too!}

• white acrylic paint

• black acrylic paint

• orange acrylic paint

• paint brushes

• screw eyes

• twine

The first thing you need to do is to cut your piece of wood in to cubes. The wood I used is called a 2”x2”, it actually measures approx. 1.5”x1.5” lumber measures weird like that lol! So, I cut 4 pieces into 1.5” cubes. The miter saw I use has a ruler on the side of it to make measuring super easy. If you are looking into getting power tools I wrote this post for crafters about what kinds of power tools you need. I used to use my husband’s power tools and I am SO glad I finally purchased my very own set. I am a huge fan of RYOBI power tools and recommend them to any fellow crafter.

Next, you want to give your wooden blocks a quick sanding. I use 120 grit sandpaper for this. You can use a regular piece of sandpaper for this step but using a power tool sander is much faster.

After you give your blocks a quick sanding be sure to wipe the sawdust off of them. Then paint them with a thin layer of white acrylic paint. Once that layer is completely dry you can paint a second thin layer of white acrylic paint to give it a little better coverage. Think of this like when you paint your nails, you apply a thin base coat first then once that dries you apply a second coat to get a good even coverage.

Let the white paint dry. After it dries you can paint on the face. I used orange and black acrylic paint for this step BUT you could totally use paint markers or even an orange and black sharpies for this step and they would turn out just as cute!

If you want to add little accent dots to the snowman’s eyes just use the end of your paint brush. Lightly dip it into your white acrylic paint and dab on where you would like the accent dot to go.

Add a 3/4” screw eye to the top middle of your wood snowman ornament. I just eyeballed mine but if you want to get an exact measurement then you could find the middle by making an X going from cross corner to cross corner. Where the lines meet that’s where the middle is.

Loop a piece of twine through the screw eye then tie it in a knot. You’re ready to hang this adorable little wooden snowman set on your Christmas tree. This is such an easy ornament to make with the kids too! Not a whole lot of skill is required making it perfect for little ones.

As always, if you have any questions please reach out and ask:)! You can leave a comment below or send me a message on any of my social media platforms {links are above}

DIY scrap fabric & ribbon Christmas ornament, DAY 1

DIY EASY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT

I am SO excited about my 30 days of DIY Christmas ornaments. And first up on the list is this super cute scrap fabric Christmas Tree! There are SO many really great DIY ornament tutorials out there and I can’t wait to share with you some of my favorites my family and I have made over the years…and some new ones too!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

For this fun tree ornament I used a piece of scrap fabric, and not just any fabric I used left over fabric from a DIY Halloween costume I made for daughter # 3. I almost threw it away but I had that little crafty hoarder on my shoulder that said ‘no Megan! Keep that because you might need it later’ lol! And clearly I was glad I listened because I got to turn those scraps into a super cute Christmas ornament.

If you love DIY CHIRSTIMAS/WINTER CRAFTS here are even more DIY projects to check out click here

Here’s what you’ll need

• fabric scraps

• ribbon

• twine

• assorted buttons

• stick

• cutters (this is what I used, although it’s not the ideal tool to use)

• glue gun

• fabric scissors

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—> Want to learn how to make all those amazing hand painted signs you see everywhere? Click my SIGN PAINTERS COURSE for more details <—

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Check out the video tutorial or keep scrolling to see picture instructions. Don’t forget to stop by my YouTube channel and subscribe to keep up with all my up to date DIY crafty videos

First trim down your stick. I made mine so that it was a little wider than the width of my hand. I used wire cutters to trim mine, which truthfully wasn’t the best thing to use but it was what I had on hand and it worked.

Now cut your scrap fabric into strips. Like I said earlier, I used pieces from a costume to make mine. I cut my strips approx. 1” wide.

Cut the strips for your ribbon. I gaged about how wide I wanted my base then added about an inch. I used that piece to measure out the rest of the strips and cut them to the same size. I ended up cutting 3 strips of each ribbon but only used 2 of each.

Before I started tying the strips of fabric and ribbon onto the stick I went ahead and hot glued the buttons together. This way they were completely dry and ready when I needed them. I used 1 small white star, 1 small red button, and 1 even smaller green button. I hot glued the red button on top of the star, let that dry, then hot glued the green button on top of the red button.

Next start tying on your strips of fabric and ribbon. Be sure to leave room at the bottom for the base of the tree. Don’t pull the fabric pieces too tight. Depending on the type of fabric you are using pulling too tight can cause it to become stretched out. I’m using t-shirts scraps {from a costume I made for daughter # 3) and if pulled too tight then it would be way too stretched out and loose it’s shape.

After you have all your pieces tied to the stick you want to straight out each piece before you cut it. That way you have a nice straight tree line to cut.

Now cut your tree into the shape of a triangle. I highly recommend using fabric scissors for this step. I tried using my regular craft scissors and it totally failed {you can see it in the video at the top of the post} So I had to pull out my beloved fabric scissors and they worked SO MUCH BETTER! After you have both sides cut into the triangle shape you can trim them to make them even.

Then hot glue your buttons to the top. I glued mine to the side that didn’t show the knots. Let the glue dry. Then add your twine to hang. I glued my twine hanger around the buttons because it seemed to secure it more.

And now it’s ready to hang on your tree! I can’t wait to make more of these with my girls. When I record my DIY tutorials I don’t usually have my kiddos help, well because anxiety goes up lol. And if I let one help they ALL want to help and having 4 young kids in a small space trying to record a craft video that makes sense enough to post for the world to see is REALLY hard hahaha! In all seriousness I hope you enjoyed this crafty tutorial and be sure to check back for more 30 DAYS OF ORNAMENTS.

DIY cute ghost yard stake

How to make a super cute ghost for your outdoor Halloween decorations

Between my online business and being a mom to four little girls I seriously don’t know where I find the time to make things for myself but I do lol! Like this cute outdoor ghost stake I HAD to make for our front yard. I had been slacking the last couple years with holiday decorating. Usually I go all out but lately I just hadn’t been up to it. So for this fall I decided I was getting back in my holiday décor groove! And this adorable little ghost is just one small part of my DIY fall/Halloween decorations. Check out this DIY PALLET SIGN I made, it’s actually a school spirit sign but with our school colors it ties in perfectly with our fall décor!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

And this fun witch’s brew coffee mug I made using my Cricut and some vinyl. And just one more… this rusty pumpkin I made from mason jar lids. So cute!

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Real quick…if you have ever wanted to learn how to paint wood signs, the way the PROs do, you don’t want to miss my COMPLETE GUIDE TO SIGN PAINTING. It is a whole course that you complete on your time. I am teaching you EVERYTHING I know without you having to go through the headache and expense of trial and error. If you’ve struggled with paint bleed, designs not lining up, paint peel up, sticky residue left behind you are in for a treat! Click on the image below or go here for more info.

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DIY CUTE WOOD GHOST CUTOUT

If you don’t want to read the tutorial you can scroll to the bottom to watch the video tutorial or go here to watch it on my crafty YouTube channel.

Here’s what you’ll need

• WOOD {I used leftover OSB}

• RYOBI SCROLL SAW

• RYOBI BRAD NAILER

• RYOBI SANDER

• 120 GRIT SANDPAPER

• ORANGE, BLACK, WHITE, PINK ACRYLIC PAINTS

• WHITE & BLACK PAINT PENS

• SPRAY SEALANT

• PAINT BRUSHES

• ROUND FOAM BRUSHES

• GORILLA WOOD GLUE

• GLUE GUN

• ASSORTED RIBBON

• THICK STRING IN A COORDINATING COLOR

Fist you want to draw the outline of your ghost onto the wood you’re using. We had some leftover OSB so that’s what I used. I also used this same OSB wood to make this pallet sign on the letter cutouts. We had made triple loft beds for the older three girls and WAY overbought for the project lol! So now we have a full sheet and a half still left over.

Then cut out your design on your scroll saw. Honestly this probably would have been much easier if I used a jig saw BUT this is what I had to use and it still worked pretty good to get the job done.

Once you have it all cut out give it a quick sanding to knock down the rough edges. I used a 120 grit sandpaper on my Ryobi sander.

Then paint your ghost cutout all white. I didn’t paint the back of mine and I really wish I would have. I used a leftover paint we had in our garage but you can use acrylic for yours if that’s what you have.

After your white base coat is dry on your wood ghost you can start doing the artsy stuff :)! I like to sketch out my design before I start painting. This way if I make a mistake it’s much easier to fix it vs painting it, messing up big time, then wanting to throw it across the floor lol! I sketched out eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes, mouth, and then I used an off brand K-cup to draw my circles for the large polk-a-dots. {actually I painted the cheeks before I traced the circles but if I was thinking I would have traced those first}

To paint the cheeks you need pink and white paint and I also used a stencil brush but you can use a round brush for this step. Dip your brush into the pink paint then dip one side into the white, but just a little bit of white. Then swirl it around in a circle at the corner of each side of the mouth. Add more white if you need just a little more highlight in there.

Then paint the other facial details, except for the mouth. Somehow I forgot to paint the eyelashes so I did mine later but you can go ahead and paint those now too. I used a round brush for the eye painting and a fine flat brush for the finer details.

Now paint all the polk-a-dots. I used orange and black for my dots. I painted the large ones in with a paint brush. I used a medium sized round sponge brush {black dots}, a small sponge brush {orange dots}, and the wood end of the small brush for even smaller dots . I didn’t plan any of these out too much, just kind of scattered them wherever they looked best.

When the cheeks are dry you can paint the mouth of your wood ghost using black paint and a fine paint brush.

Add the white features to the eyes. I used a white paint pen and made a curved line on one side of each eye {be sure you are making them on the same side of each eye} and I added a dot towards the outside of the other side of the eye then a little accent dot right above that dot.

Using a paint pen I made a long dash line all the way around my ghost and I also added dashes on each circle. For the outline and all of the orange circles I used a black paint pen. For all the black circles I used a white paint pen. Btw….isn’t my little helper just the cutest?!! This is daughter #4 <3

Since this will be outside I sprayed mine with this indoor/outdoor clear satin Krylon sealant.

Attach your stake part to the back of your ghost using Gorilla wood glue and a brad nailer. I really like this Ryobi one I use. My husband has one that I would use before I got my own and omg what a world of difference. You can read more about why I chose to go with Ryobi power tools here for my crafty business.

I made a super simple pinwheel bow to make my wood ghost a little more girly. These are also super adorable bows to make for your little girls to wear in their hair. We have tons of these that I’ve made over the years for my own four little girls. Then attach the bow with hot glue.

Once the hot glue is totally dry you can stick your wood ghost in the yard. I absolutely LOVE the way this little cutie turned out! Even when our girls got off the bus they got so excited because she is just sooooooo darn adorable!

I have a few more of these wood yard decorations to make so be on the look out for a DIY CANDY CORN and a DIY FRANKENSTEIN wood stakes.

Let me know below what you think of this DIY HALLOWEEN CRAFT.

Watch the full crafty tutorial below

DIY free standing BOO cutouts using your Cricut & scroll saw

DIY- use your CRICUT to make BOO wood cutouts for Halloween

I don’t have the latest fancy Cricut Maker, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t create AMAZING projects with my older model, CRICUT EXPLORE. Especially when use it with my Ryobi scroll saw…pure magic happens! Ok, obviously not real magic but the projects you can create with this combo is everything to write home about!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

I wanted to add another DIY craft kit to my crafty line up for my online business and thought these BOO cutouts would fit in perfectly with the craft kits I already offer.

If you don’t have the tools to make your own BOO cutouts grab your own

—-> BOO DIY CRAFT KIT <——

After you read this tutorial check out how I finished my own BOO WOOD CUTOUTS

Here’s what you’ll need to cut out your own Halloween BOO wood letters

• CRICUT EXPLORE AIR

• CRICUT CUTTING MAT

• CRICUT ACCESS in CRICUT DESIGN SPACE

• RYOBI SCROLL SAW

• RYOBI SANDER

• RYOBI MITER SAW

• 120 GRIT SANDPAPER

• PINE WOOD {I used a scrap piece}

• PENCIL

• CARDSTOCK

Don’t feel like reading the tutorial? Catch the video below or click here for the DIY BOO cutouts tutorial using your Cricut & scroll saw

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First, design your BOO in Cricut Design Space. I used the font beefcake for the letter “B”. I used a ghost image in DS {design space} that is included in my Cricut Access monthly subscription plan. It had arms but I took those away using the slice function. I resized them too fit the piece of wood I was using so mine are 6”x3.25”.

Next, cut them out on cardstock. I used some scrap cardstock that I had leftover from a previous DIY project. After I started cutting them I realized that I really didn’t need to cut out two ghosts. So really you just need 1 letter B and 1 ghost. Don’t toss the middles of the ghost or B, you’ll need those for later when you paint them.

Now trace around your cutouts using a pencil onto your wood. I have TONS of scrap wood so I used a scrap piece that I had on hand. I used a 1” pine board that you can find at most home improvement stores. Check out the DIY SCRAP WOOD PUMPKINS I made using this same method. They turned out SO CUTE!!

You don’t need to trace around the middle cutouts because we won’t be cutting those pieces out. Remember to trace around your ghost twice ;)

After you have your Cricut cutouts traced it’s time to cut them out using your Ryobi scroll saw. If you don’t have a scroll saw you can use a band saw and maybe even a jigsaw but I’ve had great luck with cutting things out on my scroll saw so for now that’s what I’m sticking with.

Once you have them all cut out you’ll want them to be able to stand on their own. I used my miter saw to do this. My miter has a laser on it making it SUPER easy to line things up and to show me exactly how much I’m taking off. By cutting a sliver off the bottom with your miter saw you get a nice straight base so your projects are able to stand freely on their own.

SIDE NOTE: if you’re thinking about investing in a set of your own power tools you’ll want to read this WHAT ARE THE BEST POWER TOOLS FOR CRAFTERS. It wasn’t that long ago when I had some serious anxiety about using power tools so I wrote a little about that and why I’ve chosen the tools I have for my crafty projects and business.

Then just give them a quick sanding and you’re ready to paint them. I always use a 120 grit sandpaper and most of the time I don’t sand my projects to a super smooth finish. A little bit of bumps and divots just add to the rustic look ;)!!

There are so many projects you can do when you start pairing your tools together. Like this DIY MERMAID CUPCAKE STAND I made for my daughter’s birthday party this year. And a bonus is that she has a pretty awesome new room decoration she was able to decoration then hang in her bedroom after the party was over.

Check out the DIY BOO cutouts using your Cricut & scroll saw video tutorial below

COMING SOON…a complete guide to paint wood signs without the stress and headache of trial and error. Click here for more info

DIY make a wood CUPCAKE base using your Cricut

Use your Cricut & scroll saw to make a wooden cupcake base in the shape of a mermaid tail

I love throwing birthday parties for my four daughters. I love the excitement in their eyes when they see all the work and thought that’s been put into THEIR big day! I love sitting with them and planning out the details. And when the oldest three were much younger I LOVED making their cakes. As the years have passed though, I found my self getting busier and busier and it was just easier for me to run to Sams club and grab a cake from there.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

But this year when the second oldest was planning her birthday she asked if I would make her cake. I felt so honored. Really? She didn’t want a store bought cake but one that momma made! Seriously bring on the happy tears!

She had been pinning on Pinterest for a couple of months and decided she wanted a MERMAID cake! As soon as she said those words I knew what I was going to do to make that happen… MERMAID PULL APART CUPCAKES! So much easier than an actual cake and less mess on the day of the party. Years and years ago I did a similar one for the oldest daughter when she turned 4. I made pull apart cupcakes in the shape of a 4 and it was ADORABLE and SOOOOOOO easy!

Thank goodness for tools like Cricut and Ryobi, if I didn’t have those then her cake might have turned out a little….less than edible looking lol!

If you want more little girl birthday party inspiration be sure to check out these ADORABLE UNICRON party centerpieces I made using my Cricut too!

Don’t feel like reading the full tutorial? Skip to the bottom to catch the video or go here ——-> MERMAID TAIL CUPCAKE BASE on my YouTube channel

How to make a wood base for pull apart mermaid cupcakes

Here’s what you’ll need

• CRICUT EXPLORE AIR

• CRICUT DESIGN SPACE

• RYOBI SCROLL SAW

• RYOBI SANDER

• 120 grit sandpaper

• CRICUT CUTTING MAT

• 1” thick pine board {or whatever wood you prefer}

• masking tape

• 12”x12” cardstock

• pencil

First select your design in CRICUT DESIGN SPACE. If you are like me and create a ton of projects each monthly I highly recommend signing up for CRICUT ACCESS. You will have access to thousands of images, fonts, and projects for a small monthly fee…and it’s SO worth it!

Here’s the mermaid tail I chose in Cricut Access. I just simply searched MERMAID TAIL and chose one that I liked.

I chose the pink one on the bottom row. I really like that this one had some movement in it. But I didn’t really like the white spaces on the mermaid tail. So after I added it to my canvas I used the CONTOUR function to hide those white spaces. I also adjusted the size of the mermaid tail so that it was 11.45” wide. I left the size lock on so that it would adjust the height for me so that everything would be proportionate.

Since I was using cardstock for my stencil and I didn’t have a piece big enough I butted two pieces together and taped the seam so that it would be like one big piece. Feed your mat through your Cricut machine and press GO when the button starts to flash.

I used a piece of scrap 1x12 to make my mermaid tail cupcake base out of. I had some plywood which probably would have worked just as good {and would have been cheaper to use} but I knew I most likely wouldn’t use this again and I wanted my daughter to be able to use it to hang in her room after her party.

Trace your mermaid tail cardstock stencil out on your piece of wood.

Then cut the mermaid tail out using your Ryobi scroll saw. You can use a band saw, and even a jig saw for this step if you don’t have a scroll saw.

Then you want to smooth it out using your Ryobi sander. I used 120 grit sand paper on mine. I also slightly rounded some of the edges so that it wasn’t so pokey.

Add your cupcakes and decorate. I just slapped a little bit of frosting on the bottom of each cupcake to stick them to the board.

. I used a combination of purple, teal, and white for the frosting colors and I didn’t even use any fancy piping tips {I was a little pressed for time lol}. For under $10 I was able to make the cake of her mermaid themed birthday dreams!

Watch the video tutorial below on how to make your own MERMAID TAIL CUPCAKE BASE

DIY school spirit pallet style porch sign

DIY porch sign to show off your school spirit

It was an absolute PERFECT day in our small town today that I took a couple hours to make something for my own front porch. I could just feel the fall weather coming in and that reminded me that I needed to decorate for the upcoming season. Which totally meant that I NEEDED to make a new sign lol! Every year I try to incorporate a school spirit pieces on our porch, really it only makes sense because our school colors are ORANGE & BLACK but truly I do it because my husband and I absolutely adore the schools where we live.

The teachers are amazing, the staff in general is amazing, they take such great care of our girls while they are there for 8 hours a day. We can’t say enough nice things about our small town schools! So we show off our school spirit every fall blended into our fall décor.

I wanted a bigger sign than what I usually put out. The old one is a small 40”x5.5” leaning sign that honestly I’m tired of looking at lol! So today was the day for a new one! I had a pretty general idea of what I was going to do but I didn’t know it was going to turn out even more perfect than I planned!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

Here’s what you need to make your own school spirit rustic porch sign

• repurposed wood

• 7/16” OSB {oriented strand board}

• 1”x2” pine wood

• Cricut

• cardstock

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi scroll saw

• Ryobi sander

• hook & loop sandpaper

• Ryobi brad nailer

• brad nails

• paint brushes

• black acrylic paint

• orange acrylic paint

• white acrylic paint

First

You need to decide how large you want your sign, mine is approx. 24”x 22”. Then decide how large you want your lettering to be. I wanted my letters to take up a big portion of the base so I made my lettering roughly 11.5” wide and 14” tall each.

Measure out your wood base pieces and cut them to size using your miter saw. Then cut two pieces of your 1x2 a little shorter than the height of your sign. These are the pieces you’ll use to attach your pallet sign together. Place the pieces that you’ll be using for your sign face down on a flat surface. Then place your 1x2’s on it so it looks like the picture below.

Second

Use wood glue {I use gorilla wood glue} to glue the 1x2’s in place, then use your brad nailer to nail them down.

Third

Cut your letters out on cardstock using your Cricut.. The cardstock I had on hand wasn’t long enough so I butted two pieces together and taped the seam and it worked perfectly!

Fourth

Trace the letters onto your OSB. You can use pine for this but I chose OSB because we had this leftover from building TRIPLE LOFT BEDS for our older three girls…and yes, they came out AMAZING! I still have yet to write the tutorial for their U-shaped lofts but I promise, I will have it written before the end of the month ;)!

After you have them traced, cut them out using your scroll saw. Then give them a good sanding just on the front and around the edges. You won’t see the back so don’t worry about sanding that.

Fifth

Paint your letters. I chose to paint mine all black but you can get as creative with this as you’d like.

I wanted to add a pop of color to my sign so I painted just one of the boards orange, just lightly brushed over it so it was medium coverage.

Now add your letters to your sign. I didn’t align mine because I like the offset look. I didn’t bother gluing these down I just popped a few brad nails in each letter using my brad nailer.

Now for the fun part! I love making these adorable free hand painted garland. I wanted the color to pop so I painted the triangles white, then once those dried I painted over them with the colors I wanted them to be. At first I wasn’t going to paint any of the triangles black but once I started painting over the white with orange I decided to break it up a little with every third triangle painted black. Then I used the end of my paint brush to add polk-a-dots to them. So CUTE!

I just LOVE this rustic porch sign and it will tie in PERFECTLY with the rest of my fall décor.

I hope this inspires you to show off your own school or town spirit where you live. Let me know what you think below.

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Easy scrap wood pumpkins using a RYOBI scroll saw

How to cut out pumpkins from scrap pieces using your RYOBI scroll saw

Are you like me and have a TON of scrap wood on the wood pile? I seriously have a hard time tossing perfectly good scrap pieces. You just never know when a piece will come in handy. But I also know my crafty business is hitting it’s busiest season of the year and there’s no way I can hang on to all of those scrap pieces if I want a functioning wood working space. So I needed to find something to do with them.

I decided to make these adorable free standing wood pumpkin cutouts. They turned out even cuter than I imagined they would! So much that I added them to my DIY CRAFT KITS and they have been selling like crazy!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

How to use your Cricut and Ryobi scroll saw to make free standing wood pumpkins

Here’s what you need

• Scrap wood

• Pencil

• Ryobi scroll saw

• Ryobi Orbit Sander

• Cricut

• Hook & Loop sandpaper {I just used 120 grit}

• Cardstock
  

If you’re not in the reading mood skip to the bottom to catch the video tutorial ;)

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First you want to cut out your pumpkins on cardstock. You can free hand them on your scrap wood pieces but honestly getting the sides even isn’t really a strong suit of mine lol. I used some scrap pieces of cardstock I had on hand to cut these out on.

After you cut your templates out trace them on your scrap pieces.

Next, making sure you are following the manufactures instructions, cut out the pumpkins you just traced using your scroll saw. If you’ve never used a scroll saw before this is a pretty easy project to start get some practice with. It’s a lot like using a sew machine. Just remember to go slow and the more you do it the better you will get at it.

After you have your scrap pumpkins cut out you’ll want to give them a light sanding. Try not to sand the bottoms too much as you don’t want the surface to get uneven so they won’t be able to stand.

After you have them sanded you can stain, paint, or decorate them however you want to match them to your décor.

These little guys are perfect for

• your own décor

• gift giving

• Thanksgiving Day hostess present

• ladies craft night

• mom and me craft {my four daughters and I painted these on a facebook live and they turned out adorable!}

• so much more

The possibilities are endless on how you can decorate these hand cut wood pumpkins.

Check out the VIDEO tutorial below.

Don’t forget to visit my YouTube channel and subscribe there so you never miss when I upload a new one.

Confused about what power tools to buy to make even more amazing crafts? This is a must read especially if you’re planning on starting a new business adventure with your handmade crafts click here ——-> WHAT ARE THE BEST POWER TOOLS FOR CRAFTERS?

Easy pine cone door hanger DIY

How to make an easy pine cone door hanger

There are so many pine cone crafts I want to try but I thought I would try these adorable pine cone flowers first. I was really surprised at how easy they were to make myself and I plan to make SO many more!

If you’re looking for a more kid friendly project be sure to check out mess free pine cone art using a box. This was a favorite with our girls, and me too because it was literally mess free!

Here in the Midwest we have an abundant supply of pine cones so I didn’t have to search too far to find these little guys. I had great luck at my local park but here are some other places you can find pine cones *remember to always ask permission prior to collecting any pine cones

• family

• friends

• local nature park {although ours doesn’t allow this yours might}

• neighbors

• shopping malls that have pine trees in the landscaping

After you’ve collected your pine cones you’ll want to make sure they aren’t covered in gross stuff, honestly I just wouldn’t pick up the ones that need super cleaned anyway lol! Leave those for the critters. I personally didn’t clean any of the pine cones we collected because they were in pretty good shape but if your pine cones have visible dirt or anything it’s a good idea to clean them prior to use.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Here’s what you’ll need

• pinecones

• acrylic paint

• paint brushes

• piece of old wood {I cut mine from an old discarded fence post}

• wire {I picked mine up at the local farm store}

• wire cutters

• sticks

Helpful tools

• glue gun

• RYOBI miter saw

• RYOBI drill

• RYOBI drill bit

How to make flowers from pine cones

First you need to break apart your pine cones. This is a little harder than it looks and takes a lot of patients. Using your wire cutting slowing wedge them into the pinecone where you want it to break apart then use those muscles to cut. You might have to do this a few times before it comes completely apart.

Now paint them. I just used a small paint brush and carefully painted all around the pine cone EXCEPT the middle. Leaving the middles unpainted they will look like adorable little flowers! I chose to paint mine in fall colors, red, yellow, and orange, but you can use whatever colors you’d like. I even painted the bottom as you’ll be able to see that once it’s glued down because it’s curved. I just did one coat on mine but if you don’t like the coverage of one coat on your pine cones you can give yours two coats.

I used an old piece of wood for my base but you can use any wood base you’d like. Because I wanted to hang mine I went ahead and drilled the holes using my Ryobi drill, for the wire to go through before I started gluing the pine cones and sticks down.

While my glue gun was warming up I laid out the painted pine cone flowers where I wanted them to go. See how gorgeous this old piece of wood is! It even still has the nails in it, see them on the right. Granted it’s a little warped but it’s perfect for a scrappy craft like this.

Then I used my wire cutters to cut the sticks down to size for the stems. I just eyeballed this, it doesn’t have to be exact. The sticks I used were pretty thin. You could also use some of the discarded pine cone pieces and make green leaves to glue by the stems. That would have made this project even better!

Then start hot gluing down all the pieces. I put a fairly good amount on the pine cones because they were heavier than the sticks and I didn’t want them falling off as soon as I hung the door hanger up. You’ll want this to totally dry before hanging just incase the glue underneath isn’t all the way dry you don’t want it to start slipping and your pine cone fall off.

Add your wire and you’re done. One of the easiest craft projects and you probably didn’t have to spend a penny!

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