Spring/Summer Blocks

I love these blocks!  They were supper simple and inexpensive to make.  Plus they are reversible saying "SPRING" on one side and "SUMMER" on the other, so it makes for less storage space...which I always like.

Spring:

Summer:

So here is how to make them.

Materials:
  6 blocks of wood in varying sizes*
       (3x 6in, 1x 7.5in, and 2x 8.5in)
  Sandpaper
  13 bottles of Acrylic paint* (6 spring colors, 6 summer colors, and white)
  Stenciled Lettering*
  Sponge Paint brushes
  Scissors & Tape


First a few notes:

• I bought my wood at Home Depot and I got one 4x4 that was eight feet long for $7.00. Then I had them cut it for me to the specified dimensions. (They do this for free)
• The paint, Micheal's had a new selection of paint: Craft Smart and each bottle was only 59cents! Cheapest I have ever found!
• And for the lettering you could use stencils, draw them on, etc. But I found it easiest and cheapest to print them out on the computer in a font I liked. The dimensions of my letters were about 5.5 inches tall by 2-2.5 inches wide (depending on the letter). Then I cut out my letters creating a “stencil” to use.
• I also did this with a group so we could split the costs...which helped a lot!

Prep:
I found it helpful to sand any rough/splintering parts of the wood, due to the saw's cutting.
I also chose my block order/arrangement and which sides I liked best for the “front” and “back's”

Now getting started.
1. I painted the block white.

2. Then I painted all of the “front” sides in the varying spring colors I chose, keeping a small white edge.

Then I painted all of the “back” sides in the varying summer colors the same way.

3. Stencil on lettering. I did this by taping my paper stencil down to the wood block, then “sponged” on the white with the sponge brush.

4. Once completely dry, I sanded it. I sanded all the edges, and lightly sanded quick strokes over the lettering to give them a slightly worn look.

And you're done!

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