Another 2012 Valentine Project

Ah yes. I forgot to mention the super simple project that we're offering at our upcoming class for those who only have a few pictures...or about 10 minutes to finish a project!

You finish the project the exact same way as we detailed in the previous blog entry. The beauty of this project is that it's so fast that you can make one for each family member!

Free downloadable file for project here: Love Blocks Valentine Project .pdf. Just be sure to use a laser printer!

Beth Graham is an amazing photographer. She shared some darling pictures of her own kids which we used for this sample. Be sure to check out her blog for more examples of her work.

2012 Valentine Love Project

One of the sweet things about going through Grandma's house this past Christmas was the wonderful pile of family photographs that we discovered. Up to that point, I had about 3 photographs from my husband's childhood.

We are gearing up to teach another holiday class at Deseret Book in February. (We'll be there February 4th from 10-12.) Our ornament projects are pretty popular there and with Valentines Day right around the corner, we thought of another simple project that uses the 2" wood block.

Suni was tasked with coming up with our samples. Imagine my joy when she returned these using pictures featuring photos from the life of our mom and grandma that had just passed away. I think it's the perfect way to say I Love You!


Of course, we want to share this project with you...
First, you need to gather some supplies:

2" Wood Blocks
Decorative Paper - or print out our Love Blocks Valentine Project .pdf. Just be sure to use a laser printer!
Decoupage Glue - We like ModPodge's Matte Glue
Foam Brush
Scissors
2" Pictures (Print these on regular paper using a laser printer.)
Sandpaper / Sanding block
Distress ink / chalk (optional)
Finishing Spray

Step 1:
Prepare your pictures. You have two options. Either print each picture to be at least as large as your blocks. Use the edge of the block to trace around each picture and cut away the excess. Or, you can use the Photo Wizard to get your picture to the exact size that is needed for this project. [Use the Block/Box - ORNAMENT option for the 2" block.] Need help using the Photo Wizard. See our demo. Still need help? We're only a mouse click away. Just email us at mythoughts@storiesbyme.com. Cut each picture to size.

Be sure to print your pictures using a LASER printer! Ink jet colors tend to smear when they get wet!!

Step 2:
The cut ends of the wood absorb more glue than the grained ends. Before beginning this step, apply a layer of glue of glue to the ends with the rougher (cut) surfaces. Let glue dry.

Apply a thin layer of glue to the first side of one block. Place picture over glue and press in to place. Remove any air bubbles.

Check for overhanging paper edges. It is important to WAIT for the glue to dry before attempting to remove any excess paper.

Once all of the picture are in place, add decorative paper to the top and bottom of each block. Don't worry about matching sides. A random look is great!

Step 3:
If you like the vintage look shown in our example, sand all the corners of the block being careful not to sand across the picture.

This step gives the block a worn look; like it's been around for ages. We darken the exposed wood to make the project look even older!

Video of the entire process - long and BORING...but very detailed!

Step 4:
Protect the pictures by adding several layers of decoupage glue over the top of the photos. This process is time-consuming because you must wait for the glue to dry. Instead of glue, we'll sometimes add several light coats of a matte acrylic spray when pressed for time.

Sending much love your way!

Help, My Prints have Expired!!

How is this possible?

If you're getting the message, "This Printout has expired" and you've just finished processing the pictures, our bet is that you've pressed the print button in the Stories by Me Photo Wizard more than once.

You should have seen a dialog box like this one pop up:


Remember, you can only have one active print job in your account at a time. (This is how we can offer this service for FREE!) We don't store your pictures. We only let you have one active print job at a time to ENCOURAGE you to save the .PDF to YOUR COMPUTER.

Have no fear, your pictures are still in the Photo Wizard, formatted just the way you saved them. You just need to go back into your project and add them to the print list.

Next time you create a print file, OPEN the email that the Photo Wizard sent you, CLICK the link and SAVE the file to your computer. That way you have it ready to print one...or one hundred copies!

Same goes if you're sending the file to your local print shop for printing. You can't just forward the email that our Photo Wizard sends you...it's password protected so only you can view the pictures. Send them the SAVED file as an attachment.

We've posted more helpful hints to using the Photo Wizard here.

It really is easy... and worth the extra steps to format your pictures for these projects.

Think of ALL the stories you have to tell!

This one ornament print sheet contains enough pictures to make 5 ornaments!

Meet us Ft. Union!

There's a party going on this Saturday and YOU are invited! We'll be at the Ft. Union Deseret Book store sharing how easy it is to make these block ornaments.

You really should stop by and check it out!

We bring the supplies and you leave with a finished ornament. All you need is about 15 minutes and $1.00 (to cover supplies!)

Not only do you go home with a beautiful ornament, but you leave with the knowledge that these little beauties are SUPER EASY to make. Before you know it, you'll be cranking them out for everyone on your 'Nice' list!


Contact the store for more details (You can also just stop by between 10:30 and noon!)

October Challenge: Create a Treasured Heirloom

Look at that. We're already falling behind on our own challenge. Isn't it interesting how life gets in the way of the best plans? We really have made progress... we just haven't had two minutes to share our tiny little baby steps with you.

I had planned to gain control of my kids stack of VIPs (Very Important Papers). Once again, I've let the pile get out of hand, but I'm confident that I can knock it down to size in a matter of an hour (or two)! I'll share my easy, no fuss approach in the coming week. (Yah, right! Ok, so it's a worthy goal.)

Suni and I got to catch up this past weekend as we shared our passion for preserving stories with two different groups of ladies. In between helping our class participants create their own work's of art, Suni reported that she has had success with her personal efforts of COLLECTING and PROTECTING. She plans to share her strategies in the coming days (er, or weeks... another reality check!).

While I didn't quite make Week One's focus of COLLECTING and PROTECTING, I did make a solid home run with Week Two's endeavor.

This week's focus is to CREATE some sort of treasured heirloom. I wanted to preserve Suni's beautiful memories of welcoming baby #3 into this world. Because I was lucky to be the one holding the camera, I had easy access to all sorts of fabulous memories. I just knew that these pictures needed to be turned into block ornaments!

I just couldn't share the project with you until I gave Suni (and baby) a chance to check it out.


This project took about two hours from start to finish. All I needed was six blocks, 6 metal eye screws, some decorative paper and ribbon, a jewelry stand and 24 fantastic pictures! Go here to get the complete set of instructions for making these easy Block Ornaments. A rather boring, but very detailed video is available here. The jewelry stand was picked up at a local store called Rod Works for under $10.00. If you have an old mug tree from the 70's, it'll work equally well!

The best part is that I didn't have to pick ONE favorite picture to feature. I got to share 24 fabulous memories!

Here are some additional ideas of things that you can create that are sure to become a treasured heirloom:

1. Make a pictorial Family Tree.
2. Create a family heritage recipe book.
3. Work with extended friends and family members to collect personal memories of an individual to share with that person as a gift.
4. Display a digital picture frame that includes pictures of your extended family.
5. Create a family calendar. Record family members (current and ancestors) birthdays throughout the year.
6. Start a family blog or web page featuring your family stories. Be sure to print copies of stories for a book version.
7. Collect family history questions in a jar for a grandparent to answer about their life history.
8. Start making Block Ornaments so you can turn your Christmas tree into a Family Tree this holiday season. (A personal favorite!)
9. Create a world map showing the birthplace of each ancestor using pins or tiny flags.
10. Poll family members as to their favorite family tradition and create a book documenting these memories.

Next week, we'll look for ways to DOCUMENT and RESEARCH our family history.

Letter Blocks for Halloween

Halloween is a big holiday around here. When the kids were little, I'd start quizzing them in early September on what they wanted to dress up as. The trick was to hone in on that one thing they wanted to be more than anything and then keep that focus for 60 days!

It was a lot of work for what equates to a few hours of enjoyment... but we have some fantastic memories!

This is the year that I sewed it up BIG for my little guys. So cute! Only problem is that the costumes was super toasty and Northern California was going through a heat wave. My little skunk had beads of sweat dripping off his face until I finally yanked off the furry costume and let him hang out in his underwear.

One year that we decided to be a family of pirates. Hubby even turned the Red-Rider into a full-fledged pirate ship. The plastic weapons that accompanied the costumes didn't make it to Halloween. They were destroyed in the make-believe play as the kids 'practiced' their roles for the big day.

It didn't take me long to figure out that it was easier...and cheaper to buy the kids costumes than make them. So what if there were three other Buzz Lightyear's at the party?

As the kids got older, their costumes took on a more macabre tone. I remember one year my son didn't care what he was...as long as he was dead. It actually wasn't so bad. I seem to have a knack for making my kids look grotesque.

If you're anything like me... you took a LOT of Halloween pictures over the years. What do you do with all of your photos? Here's what I've come up for our Halloween memories.

Boo Letter Blocks

For you to Gather:
3 blocks. My blocks measure 3.25 inches each
3 coordinating scrapbook papers to match theme (more to cover top and bottoms of block)
Decoupage Glue - We like ModPodge's Matte Glue
Printer -black ink works best for printing letters
Scissors
Foam Brush
Sandpaper
Sanding Block (Not really needed, but it goes a long way to saving your hands during the sanding process!)
Distress Ink or Chalk
Finishing Spray
9 pictures formatted to fit your blocks. The Photo Wizard will help you format your pictures to fit a 3.25" block.

Step 1:
Prepare your letters. Our Letter Blocks .pdf provides letters for the following words...
L-O-V-E
F-U-N
B-O-O
J-O-Y
F-A-M-I-L-Y
Pick coordinating paper to match your word choice (i.e. fall colors for BOO). 12x12 scrapbook paper works great. Just trim the paper to 8.5 x 11 before feeding it through your printer. Save any extra scraps for covering the top and bottom of the blocks. Print the Letter Blocks .pdf on your selected papers. Cut out each square using the trim markings. (Trim depends on the block size that you're using. Project formatted to fit 3.25" blocks.)

Step 2:
Prepare your pictures. You have two options here. Either print each picture to be at least as large as your blocks. Use the edge of the block to trace around each picture and cut away the excess. Or, you can use the Photo Wizard to get your picture to the exact size that is needed for this project. Need help using the Photo Wizard. See our demo. Still need help? We're only a mouse click away. Just email us at www.mythoughts@storiesbyme.com. Cut each picture to size.

Be sure to print your pictures using a LASER printer! Ink jet colors tend to smear when they get wet!!

Step 3: The cut ends of the wood absorb more glue than the grained ends. Before beginning this step, apply a thin layer of glue of glue to the ends with the rougher (cut) surfaces. Let glue dry.

Apply a thin layer of glue to the first side of one block. Place picture over glue and press in to place. Remove any air bubbles. While the glue is drying, repeat the process for other blocks. Check for overhanging paper edges. It is important to WAIT for the glue to dry before attempting to remove any excess paper. Add picture's 2 and 3 following same procedure. Once all of the picture are in place, add one letter square to each block. Complete this step by adding a decorative top and bottom paper square to each block. Don't worry about matching sides. A random look is great!

Step 4:
Once the glue is dry, carefully sand the edges of each block. Add a distress look by rubbing ink or chalk along the sides of each square to darken the exposed wood and remove any white paper edge.

Protect your project with several light coats of decoupage glue or matte Acrylic spray.

That's all that's to it! Remember, you CAN'T ruin this project. Fix any mistakes by simply sanding down the offending side and adding another picture.
You now have nine Halloween pictures ready to display. This same project works great for a number of holidays.

Of course, the best part is sharing the stories that accompany each picture. Enjoy!

Letter Blocks for Dad

I can't believe that our Dad's Day gift is ready! Our family tradition for this holiday usually consists of two gifts. One is a family activity. The other gift comes from the heart {and on some occasions, the store!} Usually, we're giving Dad his tribute with wet paint or partially put together because we didn't quite get our act together. This year's hand-made gift turned out quite nice...AND, I might add, doesn't require him to wear it to church to show his kids how proud he is of it!

Project calls for 3 blocks. We used 3.25" blocks, but you can use whatever size you happen to get your hands on. You can create the D-A-D letters using a text editor. Just make sure the letters will fit your block. Print the letters to scrapbook paper. You can use the extra scraps for the covering the top and bottom of the project. Now you just need some pictures.

The hardest part is deciding which pictures to feature!

The kids did a version using memories that they have of their father. I did a second version using pictures of his dad and granddads. Both are equally meaningful tributes to the amazing man we call Dad.

{I happen to be a little sepia crazy, so many of my projects use pictures converted to black/white and brown tones. This project looks equally good with colored pictures!}

You can get your pictures ready using Photoshop or any other photo editor. Our Photo Wizard will get your pictures to the perfect size for our blocks. We just shipped this project (and several other fun block projects) to several local Deseret Book stores in our area.

Instructions for gluing your pictures to the blocks can be found here.

An easy gift with nine reasons why we call him Dad!

Crazy is now the norm

What a crazy week...but hey, it goes with the crazy month, so it's all normal here. Can't believe that it's April. Of course, March and February also came as shocks.

This Saturday night will find us at the Fort Union Deseret Book's Ladies Night. We LOVE participating at this event and are amazed that this will be our third year there. I'll never forget the first time we showed up having no idea what to expect. Suni and I were blown away by how many women could cram into one store. The energy level is at about ceiling level. We can't wait to be part of it again!
We'll be sharing our two newest projects. We just shipped the Family Charts and Mom Letter Blocks. These blocks are the same concept as the Family blocks that we shared in March. Go here for instructions to make your own. We designed some MOM papers for anyone who doesn't want to print their own. We might be a bit partial, but we LOVE how they turned out. This set features my hubby's sweet cousin and family. She is an amazing photographer. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have six gorgeous kids!
Did we mention that everything is 20% off during Ladies Night? If all the giveaways and entertainment isn't enough to get you into the store...surely saving 20% off EVERYTHING will make it worth the trip!

More Letter Blocks Ideas

Just made a set of family letter blocks. My favorite part of it is seeing my kids turn it around to see all of the family faces.

We first did this project in the fall of 2009. We made sets that spelled the words: BOO, FUN, JOY, LOVE and FAMILY. Suni made an awesome family set, but I never quite got mine finished. I created a .pdf for anyone who wanted to use it for printing their own letters. Some people didn't like the fact that the letters were combined on the same sheet (if you wanted the word boo, you also got the letters for fun). I always meant to fix it, but lost the file when my hard drive crashed a few months back.

Since then, I've come up with a few other ideas for this project...

Mother's Day is a few short months away. I'm going to make a set spelling the word M-O-M featuring pictures of each of my children... equally nice will be a set for my MIL featuring her kids and grandkids.

I also just had a friend celebrate a son's marriage. We're waiting to get the photographs back to make a set using their wedding pictures and the date 2-0-1-0.

I'm putting these ideas out across the world wide web as a way to inspire you.... and to make sure that I get my projects done!

Here is the original Letter Blocks PDF (it spells the words BOO, FUN, JOY, LOVE, FAMILY --using all the letters over three different pages).

Here is the new Letter Blocks 2 PDF. This one offers three options: FAMILY, 2010, MOM. One word per page, but I'd still recommend printing it several times using different scrapbook paper (you can give the extra letters to a friend.) If the word didn't fill the page, I created a couple different font options of some of the letters. Also note that I used different fonts to spell the word FAMILY. If you want the same fonts as the one in the picture, you'll need to use the original Letter file.

You can easily make up your own words using letters large enough to fill the block. Our letters have been set up for blocks measuring 3.25".

For you to Gather:
3 - 6 blocks (depending on the word you're featuring).
Coordinating scrapbook papers to match theme (make sure you have extra squares to cover top and bottoms of blocks)
Decoupage Glue - We like ModPodge's Matte Glue
Printer -black ink works best for printing letters
Scissors
Foam Brush
Sandpaper
Sanding Block (Not really needed, but it goes a long way to saving your hands during the sanding process!)
Distress Ink or Chalk and Finishing Spray
9 - 18 pictures formatted to fit your blocks. The Photo Wizard will help you format your pictures to fit our blocks perfectly!

Step 1:
Determine the theme that you want to display.

Pick coordinating paper to match your word choice. 12x12 scrapbook paper works great. Just trim the paper to 8.5 x 11 before feeding it through your printer. Save any extra scraps for covering the top and bottom of the blocks. Print one of our letter block .pdfs, (see above) or your own letters on your selected papers. Cut out each square using the trim markings. (Trim depends on the block size that you're using. Project formatted to Stories by Me blocks.)

Step 2:
Prepare your pictures. You have two options here. Either print each picture to be at least as large as your blocks. Use the edge of the block to trace around each picture and cut away the excess. Or, you can use the Photo Wizard to get your picture to the exact size that is needed for this project. Need help using the Photo Wizard. See our demo. Still need help? We're only a mouse click away. Just email us at www.mythoughts@storiesbyme.com. Cut each picture to size.

Be sure to print your pictures using a LASER printer! Ink jet colors tend to smear when they get wet!!

Step 3: The cut ends of the wood absorb more glue than the grained ends. Before beginning this step, apply a thin layer of glue of glue to the ends with the rougher (cut) surfaces. Let glue dry.
Apply a thin layer of glue to the first side of one block. Place picture over glue and press in to place. Remove any air bubbles. While the glue is drying, repeat the process for other blocks. Check for overhanging paper edges. It is important to WAIT for the glue to dry before attempting to remove any excess paper. Add picture's 2 and 3 following same procedure. Once all of the picture are in place, add one letter square to each block. Complete this step by adding a decorative top and bottom paper square to each block. Don't worry about matching sides. A random look is great!

Step 4:
Once the glue is dry, carefully sand the edges of each block. Add a distress look by rubbing ink or chalk along the sides of each square to darken the exposed wood and remove any white paper edge.

Protect your project with several light coats of decoupage glue or matte Acrylic spray.

That's all that's to it! Remember, you CAN'T ruin this project. Fix any mistakes by simply sanding down the offending side and adding another layer.

Sit back, enjoy your handiwork and start telling the stories that accompany each picture!

Connecting with some of our favorite linking parties!
The Creative Girl | Skip to My Lou | Twice Remembered | A Soft Place to Land| Sumo's Sweet Stuff | Reinvented | My Frugal Family | Blue Cricket Design | Life in the Pitts | My Backyard Eden | Some What Simple | Life as Lori | Fingerprints on the Fridge | Creative Jewish Mom

Sharing the Love!

Our Love Those Family Faces winner was kind enough to share a picture of her finished project. Beth didn't seem to have any shortage of family faces to feature. Thanks for sharing! The display look fantastic and we hope that your family is enjoying the stories that each block holds.

More Family Face Blocks Ideas

Did you catch our Family Face Blocks segment on KSL, Studio 5? It was fun sharing our block ornament ideas...even if I couldn't find half of my supplies. (Turns out that Brooke had already glued the missing paper to the block she was working on... Next time, I'll have EXTRA paper scraps!) Never have five minutes flown by so quickly. We completely ran out of time to share some of the clever ways to display the finished work... so here they are, in their limited glory!

5. Another Wire Family Tree option:
This idea goes along with the fabulous tree that got so much attention on Studio 5. We were a little worried about sharing such a costly, time-consuming project (turns out that we were in the minority!) so we looked around for another option that would be easy on the wallet and easy to finish! We found this metal tree stand at Rod Works. I think it cost around $10.00. You might have something similar at home already.

With Valentines Day right around the corner, I thought I'd feature wedding pictures of various family members. I finished the ornaments with fabulous-looking vintage paper and go-with-everything black ribbon, but some bright red and pink colors would also work great.


I love these pictures! We're not sure if the pictures on the left records my husband's grandparents wedding, but the time period and elegant dress are clues that it might. The couple on the right are celebrating an 1868 wedding. If you could see the detail in their clothing, you might notice that his suit is made out of same checkered fabric as her dress.


Family faces aren't the only thing to feature on these blocks. I thought the wedding announcement made a nice addition and it's a great way to document the actual event.

6. Gift Tags:

Here's another one of Erica's clever ideas... turn the ornament into a gift tag.

A dear, dear friend is celebrating the 21st anniversary of her 29th birthday. (Notice that I did NOT call her 50 years old!) We've had some fabulous memories along the way and I used the ornament to record a few of our highlights. (The sundae is in remembrance of a weekend get-away to San Francisco and death by chocolate!) This is the perfect eco-friendly gift tag... who could throw away the memories?

So that's what we've done with our blocks. What are you going to do with yours?

Remember that you have two more days to enter our drawing for your own Love Those Family Faces kit.

Love Those Family Faces, Give Away!

What's not to love about family faces? Ok, maybe some days are better than others to answer that question! Our Family Face project will help you preserve your special memories of those faces important in your life. Tomorrow we'll be sharing how easy it is to make the family face blocks on KSL, Studio 5. (Tune in at 11:00.)

Here's a sneak peak of what we're bringing...

1. Hanging Wall Decor - Scroll to the bottom of this posting for information on how to win your very own LOVE Those Family Faces kit.

For this project, I used 5 medium and 4 small block ornaments. All together, 36 pictures document those moments near and dear to my heart! I thought the metal hanger was perfect for completing the sentiment, but the blocks would look equally great hanging from a light fixture or curtain rod.

(We attached the metal plate to a floor easle for easy setup, but soon after the segment it'll be featured on a prominent wall in my family room.)

2. Wreaths and Garland -

We loved our holiday garland so much that we decided to continue the idea into the new year and create something Valentines'y'. Super easy and if you look carefully, you'll see just how verstile these ornaments are. Some of the decorative paper in this display say "Merry Christmas." Because the display space was minimal, I decided to use all black/white pictures. I changed out previously used green ribbon for red and voila ~ I'm now ready for Valentine's Day.

3. Say it with Blocks -

Let's not forget the stacking options. If there's time, we'll show off our Say it With blocks. Since we're so close to Valentines Day, we'll display the "All Because Two People Fell in Love" side.

4. Wire Family Tree -

This is the project that got Studio 5's attention. All together our wire tree holds 40 block ornaments...that's 160 pictures when the project is completed! We're not going to pretend that this tree is fast or easy on the wallet. Coming up with 160 pictures can seem daunting for some. Our kit costs 100 big ones, but it comes with everything ...you just come up with the pictures! Don't let our disclaimer discourage you from creating your own family tree. We think our tree branch version is just as meaningful and it's a great way to get your own family face ornament collection started.

So that's what we're bringing tomorrow for our brief moment in the spotlight. Who knows what will actually make it onto the segement. Believe it or not, this is just a portion of the list of ideas that Erica came up with. We'll work on getting pictures on these other projects and get them posted at a later date.

Are you ready to start making family face blocks? Instructions for making your the ornaments start here. We've created a video that shows you each step of the process. Last time we checked, the file was 858MB. The file is SOOooo big that we can't get it off our computer and on to the internet. We'll keep trying, so check back!

As we mentioned earlier, one lucky reader will get a complete Love Those Family Faces kit. It comes with 9 wood blocks (assorted sizes), glue, foam brush, sand paper/sanding block, distress ink/chalk, decorative end papers and ribbon, metal eye screws and the fabulous LOVE metal wall hooks for displaying your finished project. Just remember, you can't win if you don't COMMENT! Leave a brief comment about this project and we'll pick a random name on Friday, January 22.