I have officially started Christmas crafts for this year and I’m on a roll! Last week, I had a really huge honor of being part of Tatertots and Jello’s Happy Holidays Series. It’s actually still going on so you should probably go check it out and take a peek at all of the other fun holiday posts. I created these fun DIY Scrabble Tile Decorations for the series and I’m excited to finally be sharing them with you!
Today, I’m going to show you how to make these Distressed Scrabble Tile Decorations for your holiday décor this year. And in reality, they could probably work year round as well, making them a great gift.
You can personalize them by choosing different words related to the holidays or something meaningful.
Supplies:
– (3) 5 1/2″ Square Blocks
– 120 Grit Sand Paper
– 4” Vinyl Letters and 3/4″ Numbers
– White Paint
– Satin Wood Sealer
I am the type of person that saves all of my wood scraps from various projects and this is one of the many times when I am glad that I do! For this project, I used left over wood from our Garden Slat Wall , cut them into 5 1/2″ X 5 1/2″ pieces and then sanded down the edges.
If you don’t want to cut your own pieces you can buy ready made blocks at your craft store.
Next, I gave them one coat of Miniwax Early American Stain. I always prefer to apply my stains with a soft cloth but you could also use a foam brush or roller.
Using my Silhouette, I created my vinyl letters and numbers in Arial font. If you don’t have access to a machine, you can just as easily purchase 4″ vinyl letters and 3/4″ numbers at a craft store.
Using transfer paper to apply the vinyl to the blocks makes the job that much easier!
At this point, if you like what you see you could easily stop here. The stain with the black letters give them a real vintage look. But I decided to take them a step further for a different look.
I am a really big fan of tone on tone and decided to make these blocks another victim of my obsession. I covered the blocks in a coat of white paint and let them dry. The trick to painting over vinyl is to apply a really thin layer of paint so it doesn’t bleed underneath.
Then, using a sheet of 120 grit sand paper, I gently distressed the blocks and the edges. And to finish them off I gave them a coat of satin polyurethic sealer.
A really simple project that can make a fun piece of décor or a great gift for the holidays.
About Taryn Whiteaker
Taryn Whiteaker is the voice of style behind TarynWhiteaker.com (formerly Design, Dining and Diapers) ! Taryn is a previous PR/Marketing professional who got back to her creative roots after becoming a mom and now shares her passion for home decor and design for the world to see. Taryn lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and three kids and loves coffee, the outdoors, and exploring with her family.
Julia@Cuckoo4Design says
November 19, 2013 at 4:27 amOh I so love this! I think I might have to make some but I will use mine for all year around ;)
Leslie Stewart @ House on the Way says
November 19, 2013 at 5:23 amAbsolutely so cute! I’m pinning and sharing!
Allison @ The Golden Sycamore says
November 19, 2013 at 5:28 amSO CUTE, Taryn! Love, love, love!! You seriously have the best projects!
JaneEllen says
November 19, 2013 at 9:53 pmYour tiles look fantastic, love how you did the staining then painted over them. Ah having a silhouette would be great. From all I’ve seen they do so much. Then you have to be able to figure out how to use it, duh. that’s me. Hubs could figure it out he’s much more in tune with things like that and he’s no computer whiz. He has much more patience, a key ingredient.
I Notice your blog has a new header and your photo is new, Love how it all looks and love your blog. Happy days
We’ve been making holiday things, had hubs out cutting and sanding today. He cut some blocks but not doing them as you have. I’ve been looking at many projects and pinning so many to get inspiration. Now I have so much I want to do I’ll be a busy old lady for while. Good, keep me from eating, don’t want to gain any holiday pounds. Take care and give your little sweeties some hugs/kisses for me ok? Any new photos of Miss E and little man?
Chelsea says
November 20, 2013 at 10:24 amLove this T! And totally digging your new design! Everything looks great!
Krista @ the happy housie says
November 20, 2013 at 9:56 pmThese are seriously adorable Taryn – I saw them on TT&J and loved them. Pinning. Have a great week!
Justine Y says
November 21, 2013 at 7:59 amLove these! Pinned! I can’t wait to make some, hopefully I can find the time before this Christmas :)
Michelle @ Elegance & Enchantment says
November 21, 2013 at 4:28 pmI LOVE this project! I am not always the best DIY-er, but this seems doable. My hubby and I are big scrabble players, so this would have a special meaning for us in our home. Thanks for sharing!
Ila says
November 21, 2013 at 4:38 pmThese are adorable! I am loving the scrabble theme too!
Yana says
November 22, 2013 at 10:08 pmPretty, Pretty, Pretty! And so simple!
Linda @ it all started with paint says
November 23, 2013 at 8:55 amTaryn,
These are simply AMAZING! Such a clever and easy to execute idea!
Pinning for sure!
Thanks so much for your amazing and fabulous inspiration!
:) Linda
Deonna Wade says
November 25, 2013 at 12:17 pmHey Taryn! It’s Deonna from the Child at Heart blog! I love this post and would love for you to link up to the Merriest Blog Hop each Friday until Christmas and share your creations! These blocks are SO cute. I love the word JOY and just made my own Joy sign for my mantle that I ‘m posting tomorrow. I love the scrabble tiles idea. I would want to leave these up after Christmas :)
http://www.thechildatheartblog.com/2013/11/the-merriest-blog-hop-week-1.html
Sharon H says
November 26, 2013 at 6:12 amHow cute are these! I’m thinking you could also use stencils, to keep the cost down, if you’re making a lot of them to put in a craft show….just sayin’
Katie Goldsworthy says
November 28, 2013 at 8:11 pmI LOVE these! Thanks for linking them up at Monday Funday. Sharing on Twitter :)
Miranda @ Someday Crafts says
December 2, 2013 at 10:28 pmThese tiles are beautiful! We love to play board games in our house, so these would be so fun to have sitting around. We’ll be featuring these over at Someday Crafts tomorrow :)
Lori Swade says
December 3, 2013 at 2:59 amI am having trouble finding the stencils you used in your demonstration. Could you suggest where I look to find them.
Thanks you!
Jane says
December 6, 2013 at 3:00 pmHi Taryn,
these came out so prettily! And such a great idea to make them scrabble tiles :)
I’d love for you to drop by and link this up at our Holiday link party happening here: http://www.urbanejane.com/2013/12/holiday-glam-link-party.html
Thank you for the inspiration!!
Have a wonderful day~
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