Scrabble Date Night

Date night.  You know what that is, right?  You and your sweetie talk it over, make plans, find a sitter and off you go to share some much needed time out on the town with one another.  Yeah, I remember when date night actually happened for us - prior to the birth of our son.  I hate to admit it but we don't get out as a couple much these days.  We find it hard to fit it in with work and family obligations.  So how do we keep the spark alive?  Date night at home!

My blogging buddy Denise over at Go Cheap or Go Home hit the nail on the head when she posted her now famous 52 Stay At Home Date Night Ideas.  This list gives you some amazing ideas of how to enjoy a date night without ever leaving your home.  That's right, no need for a sitter because these can happen after you've put the kiddos to bed.  Check out the list for yourself.  Of course the crafter in me was immediately attracted to #18.  A fun night and a craft to boot...what could be better!

I started with the last of the three wood tile boards I purchased at Walmart a while back {the other two were used for my It's Fall and Christmas Countdown boards}.  

Each tile was painted in an antique white acrylic paint.  The best part -- the little prince stopped playing crossing guard to come help me with the painting.  What a good assistant {smile}.

Using a pencil and ruler, I created a grid in each tile to match that of a true scrabble board.

I painted over each pencil line with white acrylic paint.  Note: if I were to do this again, I would use a paint pencil to make the lines.  I hand painted the lines and they are a little wonky...lol.  And speaking of wonky, I should have created the star with my Silhouette using vinyl.  Boy am I awful at hand painting stars.  Aren't all preschool teachers supposed to know how to make those!?!

Fast forward.  The frame is painted blue, I've completed the colored tiles, and added some fun lettering.  This is really coming together.

The letters were printed on regular printer paper.  I cut each letter out carefully and glued them in place.  I needed to make sure that I protected the letters, so I used Mod Podge Dimensional Magic.  This was my first time using the product and I loved it.  Remember that a little goes a long way.  I used a toothpick to spread it around on each little square and let it dry.

The finished product.  I'm so happy with it, little imperfections and all.

What's next?  Put the kids to bed, make a dessert to share, grab the scrabble board and make it a date night -- bringing the 'love in' house.  Not fond of playing board games?  Seriously, there are 52 ideas on the list, I'm sure there is something on it that will fit your fancy.  Go ahead, I dare you.  Date night doesn't have to break the bank and the creativity goes a long way to strengthening your relationship!

Chic Drink Stand

As we prepare to do some renovations on our backyard, I've been thinking about colors and how to decorate our new patio space.  The truth is, I wish that we had the budget to buy all new furniture and accents but I know that's not possible.  Time to think of ways to make a chic, beautiful and relaxing space on a budget.

While we wait for the rain to stop {Is there a monsoon season in the south?} so our concrete contractor can get here to lay the slab for the backyard patio, I've decided to begin our design with some simple accents.  This one has been on my radar for almost a year and I finally got around to getting it done -- my chic drink stand.

I began this project with a trip to Lowes.  I found a 6 x 24 board used for playground equipment - perfect size for what I needed.  From there I headed over to find the tiles that would fit on top.  The tiles are basic kitchen/bathroom tiles {sorry, forgot to take a pic of them}.  The wooden balls I purchased at Hobby Lobby knowing they would make great legs.

I spray painted each piece in a flat black paint.  I love how you can still see the grain of the wood.

At this point, I needed to enlist the help of my knight and shining armor to attach the handles.  He is much better with power tools than I am and his attention to detail would ensure that the handles would be put on properly, something I was a little worried about if left to do this part on my own.

Measuring to make it even and to make the holes line up for drilling

Oh how I love a man with power tools!

Using my Silhouette machine, I found two great flourish designs that I loved.  One of them I also used on the Doll Club Cards.  I cut two of each design using vinyl and placed them on each of the tiles.

Vinyl transfer on each tile

The colors I want for our outdoor space are turquoise, coral and pale yellow.  We tend to shy away from color -- a habit I'm trying to break.  I chose a great turquoise acrylic paint and used a foam stamping brush to "stamp" the paint on each tile.  I wanted the texture and the more 'uneven' look of the paint on each one.

Stamping over the tile and vinyl

Completely covered 

TIP: Remove the vinyl while the paint is still wet to keep it from messing up the design.

Removing the vinyl carefully

I measured {you can see a faint pencil line} to make sure that I put the 'legs' in the right place and attached each one using Gorilla glue.

Remember that tip I just gave?  Well, let me show you what happens if you don't get all of the vinyl off when the paint is still wet...ugh!  I considered redoing the tile but decided against it.  I think it gives it character, so it stays {truth: I was too lazy to do it again...LOL!}.  I attached each tile using Gorilla glue as well.  I didn't measure the space for the tiles, just gave it a good eyeballing {Is that a real word? Guess it is now...lol} to make them even on the board and let them sit for half a day to set before moving the stand.

Dried paint is NOT your friend!

I'm so proud of the way this turned out.  An accent that will not only be cute but functional and of course we all know how important cute is!

Where we like to party!