Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Scrabble Valentine's Tiles

I wish I could find the blog that gave me this idea, but a quick trip through my Pinterest boards didn't reveal a pin, so it is going uncredited.  Still, just know I didn't think of this on my own.

Aren't these cool?
Anyway, bought these giant Scrabble tiles for family friends for Christmas and when Superman saw them, he said he could have made them.  Well, yes, he could have, but we don't have a router set up to route the individual letters, and besides, I'd already purchased the gift.

See the slightly routered edge?  I love how the grain of the pine is so clear.
Turned out, Superman was right.  These were a quick and easy project.  He made quick work of cutting "tiles" out of 1 x 6 pine board, finished the edges with his router, sprayed on a few thin coats of lacquer and handed them off to me.  


Since they were specifically for Valentine's, I decided to use
a font with more flourish than the actual Scrabble font.
(I think I actually spent more time playing with fonts on the Silhouette machine than he spent prepping the tiles!)  I applied the vinyl letters (with their appropriate points value, of course) and they were done.

Scrap wood and a little time gave us a really cool decoration!
Love them!   Best of all, we used scrap wood, had the lacquer, and the vinyl, so they were a free project!

Monday, February 4, 2013

An Old Standby Gets An Athletic Update

I've been using this backpack pattern for more than a year now and I just love it.  When I found out our gym was having a gift exchange as part of the Christmas party, I immediately thought of this backpack.  The real problem?  Finding the perfect fabric.  I logged on to Spoonflower, where I sourced this Doctor Who fabric, and found this amazing kettlebell fabric!  Perfect for Crossfitters, wouldn't you say?

Then I headed to Hancock Fabrics, got some coordinating fabric (solid grey, in this case) and made two of these bags...one for someone at our gym and one for my sister!

I love the way this turned out (both times!)
Isn't it cute?  I love it!


Nice big pocket which zips shut.
It is the perfect combination of looks and function, with a zipper pocket on the outside, and it is washable.

See, not nearly as bright as the image would have you think!
Drawstring opening at the top forms the black straps so the straps won't show dirt.  The perfect little backpack!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Food for Thought



"Very well, then, let us live while we live, and enjoy to the fullest whatever of adventure or pleasure each new day brings, since any day may be our last, and we shall be dead for a considerable while."
                                                           
                                                                                    -Jefferson Turck
                                                                                                The Lost Continent by
                                                                                                Edgar Rice Burroughs