Family Scrabble Names

What a FUN way to display your family names. We saw this idea over at the Creative Homemaker and had to show you!

This past week has been a crazy one for me. My cute mom gave us quite a scare with a mini-stroke which has resulted in many, many tests. She is doing fine and is excited to have found a fabulous doctor to help her figure things out. This whole week I have been reminded of family and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful one! Now go give your momma a hug!

~suni

Remember Me Bingo

Wow. Where does the time go? I can't believe it's nearly been a month since our last posting. It's not that we have nothing to talk about. We're just running too fast to share what we've been working on.

Last week we attended the South Davis Family History Fair. We enjoyed sharing our ideas for telling family stories and LOVED hearing all of your great ideas. One idea that we've just gotta try is the family calendar challenge:
Every year there's a family out there that creates a new and unique family calendar. One year they challenged extended family members to submit pictures of where (or what) they want to be 10 years from that date. Kids shared photos of career dreams. Adult shared visions of exotic trips. The family patriarch wanted to share his picture pushing daisy at the local cemetery. His wife overturned that idea! What a great way to share family pictures and preserve history and capture future dreams!

We were excited to share our newest project. It was received with lots and LOTS of positive comments.

Remember Me Bingo

We partnered with Lasting Impressions to create another Quick Mix to be used with Memory Mixer.

For six big ones...yep, that's right (Six bucks will buy you the Quick Mix to make 1 or 100 of these bingo games. (Remember, you need the Memory Mixer software in addition to this Quick Mix.)

It's as easy as dragging pictures on to the page and typing up a short story for each picture.

If you set up your pictures ahead of time you won't need to make any alterations.

The Quick Mix will even add a name (just follow the instructions that are included).


The project comes with 4 different background designs. Make 4 boards or 40 boards. It's a perfect project for an upcoming family reunion, school party or special birthday party.

You'll make one call-out card for every featured picture. Here are a few of my stories:

Remember, you won't find the software on our website. You've gotta go to Memory Mixer to check it out. Just be sure to come back and tell us what you think!

For those of you who came to the Bountiful event: If you want the same professional print job as our sample set, send your final file to Tueller's Press. You know we can't say enough good things about Tueller's Press!

Family version of Guess Who

Had to share this family friendly idea from The Madesen Times.

Do you remember the board game Guess Who by Hasbro? Maybe you're lucky enough to have a copy sitting around your house. My little guys (who aren't so little anymore) would play this game for hours. Our copy has been long gone, but you can be sure I'll be getting my hands on a replacement set in the near future!

Becki traded the game's cartoon drawings for family photos for a fun, EASY way of spending quality time with her kids while connecting with extended family members.

LOVE the idea Becki!

See exactly how she did it HERE.

Updated Class Information

Just updated our classes page on the website. When you can, check it out and let us know what you think!

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

Personalized Food Plates

Kalleen's done it again, I've loved following her blog At Second Street. She's just posted an idea for making your own food faces. Seems like it's the perfect way to invite family members to the table AND encourage picky eaters to EAT! Check out her instructions for a complete rundown of the project, but here's the reader's digest version...

1. First you get a picture. Make it large enough to fit the plate.

2. Next you'll turn the picture into a line drawing that can be transferred to the plate.

3. A few bold lines, a couple of colored fill-in's and you're done! It's THAT simple! I do have a couple suggestions that I'd like to add to the process to simplify it EVEN more...

Check out Dumpr.net. I like their Photo Pencil Sketch option for turning photographs into coloring pages. You can also use Photoshop, if you have it, but I've found this option is SO easy to use, it's a NO brainer!

I now have a picture of my mother that I can transfer to the plate.

The other thing that is mulling around in my brain is to find a way to use this idea at a family gathering or reunion. Imagine planning a meal around a featured ancestor. Serve all of her favorite foods...maybe feature one of her secret recipes and then bring it to the table on plates FEATURING HER! I wonder how well the picture would hold up if we used paper plates?
Thinking out loud here!

Memory Lollipops

How cute is this valentine? Studio 5 contributor Laci Davis shared some darling Valentine ideas on yesterday's show. I especially loved the heart-shaped lollipops. According to Laci, all you need are some heart shaped suckers (she said that she found these at a dollar store...3 for $1!), photos and glue. I think that that the bright pink background on the pictures really complement the project. If you don't have the perfect pink wall for a backdrop, you can add the color with a few simple strokes in PhotoShop.

Not only is this idea perfect for Valentine's Day, but imagine a wedding decoration with pictures of the bride and groom!

I want to share the idea at our next family reunion. I'm thinking....big (SWEET) display with all the family members pictures on lollipops. Kids 'earn' a treat by picking the correct picture to the story that we tell. A little sugar bribe just might be the ticket to keeping them riveted throughout the activity!