More Wood Tags

I forgot to ask you all how you have been and how were your Holidays?

 I hope memorable and fun and a  little bit silly.  My middle child managed to get the flu the Friday before Christmas and was wiped for 4 days, recovered a bit to visit with Nana and Pop pop and then got a raging ear infection. Not much of a break if you ask her.

 Luckily, I have not gotten the stuff I think because I am now taking vitamin C in quart jars daily and the Lord knew I couldn't be down for the count. But having some sickies also made it harder to post some ideas before the holidays.

Good thing most of my ideas can be recycled for almost anything!  One recent idea that I came up with came out of my need for quick, easy gifts for teachers. We have 3 school teachers, 2 Sunday school, teachers, 2 crossing guards,1 piano teacher, 1 babysitter. My 5 nieces and nephews also got these because I fell in love with them and knew they would too.

When you have this many people to buy for for the holidays it better be cheap and it better be easy. If you have read my blog for any length of time you will realize that I love wood. Not just any wood but good old free pallet wood. 

Here are a list of things I have made with pallet wood: pallet wood art, giant wood gift tags, wood topped table, another wood top table, industrial look outdoor pallet coffee table. Please feel free to check them out and let me know what you think! 

This project was born out of the giant wood tag idea. I had scraps of the pallet wood left over from some of the above projects and I hated to throw them out. I wouldn't go as far as to say I am a hoarder as I would like to think I am a visionary that didn't quite yet have a vision for what these could be. Until I needed lots of Christmas presents!

So all this talking and no pictures right? Get on with it you say? Okay my favorite gals:

Pennies on the dollar craft coming up!

I actually originally thought of this for my 5 nieces and nephews because they are always going on nature hikes and finding treasures and I thought once the evergreen loses all of it's needles, they could then attach a new treasure with the ribbon. This could change as often as they wanted to to highlight all of their fun finds. Or if they wanted they could just turn it over and use their initial. These can also be hung on their doorknobs or above their beds.

Here's the how-to:

1. Drill one hole in the top of an approx.  4" x 5" piece of pallet wood. These were about 1/2" thick.

2. Drill 2 holes about 1" apart about 1" below that hole. Sand front, back, and sides fo the wood block lightly 

3. Thread pretty ribbon through the two holes from the back and attach some cute treasure. I used fresh evergreen and orange juice lid ornaments

4.  Use a wood burning tool to burn their initial onto the back. I used first name initial for the kiddos and last names for the teachers

5. Thread a 12" length of twine through the top hole and display!

I searched out fonts on the computer that were not too difficult to free hand on the wood but I also wanted the font to reflect the persons personality.  The piano teacher above with the S is very artsy and funky so her S had some swirls and funk to it.  Our babysitter below is very no nonsense so her B is more straight forward but not boring.

The thing about these like I said above, they can be used all year round and any little treasure becomes elevated to fine art using the ribbon. 

My nieces and nephew loved them and choose to hang them over their beds. I like to think they did that so they could have their Aunt Kimmy near to them and it would be like I am watching over them while they sleep. But I might be overshooting that whole Awesome Aunt thing a bit.

Hugs and Kisses Grace, Naomi, Ben, Lydia, and Charlotte!

I love you to the moon and back.

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!