Sunday, January 30, 2011

Wood Blocks with a Twist


Maybe it's the amount of snow we've had already this year or maybe it's the long stretches of single digit temperatures but cabin fever is hitting early this year. I'm longing for spring, so what's a crafty girl to do? Grab some pretty springy papers, Glue Dots®, wood blocks, paint, and a photo that has you thinking spring...then create some spring photo blocks:


I started by gathering my supplies.


My blocks measured 4" x 3 1/4" but you can use any size you'd like. I started by painting any part of the block that wouldn't be covered in paper. For me, that meant the tops and bottoms were painted green, and I painted the corners with a cream colored paint.
While my paint was drying, I cut and embellished panels for the front of my blocks. Each panel got 1 letter, for a total of 6 blocks to spell out "spring". I used Glue Dots® Memory Book Dot 'n Go and Glue Dots® Pop Up Dots to attach my letters and embellishments to my paper.
When my front "spring" panels were completed I used Glue Dots® Glue Lines to attach the "spring" panels to the front of the wood blocks.


For a twist on these decorative blocks, I covered the back side with a large photo instead of paper.


To create the photo on the back, take a favorite spring photo, and have it enlarged. I enlarged my photo to 8" x 10" photo, then cropped it to 8" x 9 3/4" to fit my blocks. Next, I cut the photo into six 4" x 3 1/4" pieces and attached them to the back side of the blocks with Glue Dots® Glue Lines.
To finish the blocks, add a piece of patterned paper to the sides of the blocks.
Here are a few more close ups of the finished blocks. You will find a supply list after the photos.


Supplies
Adhesives: Glue Dots® Memory Book Dot 'n Go, Glue Dots® Glue Lines, Glue Dots® Pop Up Dots
Paper: Crate Paper Restoration 6" x 6" paper pad
Embellishments: Crate Paper Restoration Brads, Jillibean Soup Corrugated Alphas (red), Jenni Bowlin Embellished Butterflies (Navy)
Paint: Jenni Bowlin Acrylic Paint Dabber (Malted Milk, Seed Packet)
Tools: Silhouette SD

I wrote this blog post while participating on the Glue Dots® design team.

2 comments:

Jennifer Moore said...

This is such an awesome idea. I'm totally inspired. Now to find the perfect picture.

doverdi said...

Believe it or not I've had blocks sitting in my stash waiting to do this photo block technique for a few years. lol Every once in awhile I debate on whether or not I'm ready to tackle it. You did a great job with yours. TFS!