Tuesday Tutorial: Give Thanks Gratitude Board

I think I have adult ADD. If I can’t get it done in an hour, it frustrates me and I usually give up.

This was worth the extra time though….and although it took about 2.5 hours for me, it was all very EASY to do.

I am so excited about this project and how it turned out!

We need to be a little more thankful in my household.

For the everyday things we are so blessed to have!

To help us out, I made the “Give Thanks” board.

30 days of Gratitude for the Thanksgiving month of November!

AND, it can be used year after year! Read how below!

Materials:

• Wood Board (although you can use just about any flat surface you want!!)
• Brown Paint (or whatever color you want your wood to be painted)
• Mod Podge
• Glue Gun
• Glue Stick
• Variety of coordinating scrapbook paper
• Different colored thin ribbons (I used brown, green, yellow and orange)
• Light-colored Cardstock for writing your “thankful message” on.
• 30 Coin Envelopes. Mine were 3 3/8″ x 6″.
• Hole punch
• YES, I know you see rubber cement in the picture above, but ignore it! I thought it would work….silly me!

Directions:

1.  Get a wood board. Mine is a piece of plywood measuring 24″ x 28″.  Prime it and paint it whatever fall-ish color you would like. I painted mine dark brown.

2.  While waiting for the wood to dry, take your 30 coin envelopes and cut them down to     3 3/4 ” tall. Make sure you cut off the top part that is already open so you still have the pocket to insert your cars in later!

3.  Use a glue stick to adhere the scrapbook paper to the front of the envelope. I used a variety of coordinating papers.

4. Lay out your cards on your board. I was able to do 5 rows of 6 cards each. I wanted to arrange them first so I could make sure no two matching  papers were right next to each other.

5.  I then used my Silhouette to cut out the numbers 1-30, but you could use stickers, stencils, create a Word Document or go online to find some printable numbers to cut out! I also cut out my “Give Thanks” title. Again…you could use Wordart on Word to create this!

6. Use Mod Podge to glue on the numbers to the cards and then Mod Podge over the entire front of the card to cover your scrapbook paper. It makes the card sturdier and helps it to last for years to come! Be careful not to glue your envelope shut!!!!

7.  After your Mod Podge is dry, hole punch two small holes (I have a rectangular hole punch) in the top of your envelope. Just hole punch the scrapbook paper side. Take your ribbon and put it through both holes and tie a knot (see pic if you need help!)

 

8.  Use your glue gun to adhere your envelopes to your board. This is where I tried a few different glues…..learn from my mistakes….the glue gun worked the best by far!!! I also recommend that you place the hot glue a little bit away from the edges of the envelope. This allows your cards to go in and out more easily in a later step.

9. Use Mod Podge to adhere your “Give Thanks” (or the phrase of your choosing) to the top of your board. Then, Mod Podge over the whole phrase.

10. Cut out light-colored cardstock to slide into your envelopes. Mine ended up being two light shades that I cut to 3″ by 4 1/2″. Place them inside your envelopes.

***Each night in November at dinner time, I am going to pull the cardstock out on the appropriate day and have each person write or say what they are thankful for that day (my younger two can’t write yet!). When next year rolls around, I’m going to use the same cardstock and have them write on the back. For the following years, I’m just going to add some more cardstock in the envelopes.

I think it will be so much fun to see what we wrote the previous years. Especially because I have 3 little ones who come up with some pretty creative stuff to be thankful for.

   

Linked to Today’s Creative Blog; These Creative Juices; A Silly Little Sparrow; All Thingz Related; The Pumpkin Patch; Lucky Star Lane; Creative Itch; Delicious Ambiguity; Hope Studios; New Nostalgia; Sugar Bee; Creations By Kara; Sew Much Ado; My Backyard Eden; Someday Crafts; Me and My Bucket; The Shabby Chic Cottage; Somewhat Simple; Fireflies and Jellybeans; Ponytails and Fishscales; It’s Sew Stinkin Cute; House of the Hepworths; Black Kats Design; Life As Lori; Fingerprints on the Fridge; Fun to Craft; The Shabby Nest; Finding Fabulous; Frou Frou Decor; A Little Lovely; I Heart Naptime; Kuzak’s Closet; Under The Table and Dreaming; Skip To My Lou; Keeping It Simple; The Girl Creative; Sumo’s Sweet Stuff; Chic On A Shoestring; Brambleberry Cottage; Cheap Chic Home; Paisley Passions; Craft-O-Maniac; Craftaholics Anonymous; Between Naps On The Porch; Coastal Charm; Tales From Bloggeritaville; Making The World Cuter; Mad In Crafts; Tidy Mom; Just A Girl; It’s So Very Cheri; Beyond the Picket Fence; A Few of My Favorite Things