A B C, it's easy as 1 2 3

i didn't really have an idea this year for teacher gifts and i needed 5. 5, people. i needed something i could make so it might be cost effective, but i wanted it to be something they might like, too. my mom always says in gift giving it is the thought that counts . . . and i say, if you don't put thought into it then it doesn't count. not bitter, i'm just sayin' . . .

i saw this tutorial a while back but didn't think about recreating it because it was a large project- large as in big in size and number, and i didn't have the space for it. but when i was perusing the anthropologie site, i saw something i already own, the printer's letter stand, and it came to me.

i began the project with a wood candle stick and a wood circle from the craft store and a wood block from my very gracious and meticulous father. (he even accommodates my crazy requests when i need them the next day, but i think it secretly makes him crazy . . . well, maybe it isn't a secret!)

details: the candlestick is more than 1.5" wide at the top so he cut a block thick enough to cover  it. therefore, he cut the blocks from a 2 by 6 approximately 5.5" wide. why 5.5"? because that is what looked balanced to us on the candlestick we chose. you can adjust measurements based on your pieces.

where were we? okay, glue your candle stick to your base with whatever glue you have handy. we used elmer's wood glue.

then, we glued the block to the top of the candlestick.

after the wood glue dried enough (remember, i'm in a time crunch), i painted them with my favorite spray paint, heirloom white and canyon black.

after my scarf exchange, i finished up the details.

for the details, i used burlap, decorative tacks, the cricut and the winter woodland cartridge, black acrylic paint, a sponge brush, twine and jingle bells.

i cut out burlap rectangles slightly smaller than my wood block. then, i created a stencil using the cricut. i cut 4.5" letters from the winter woodland cartridge and painted the letters black. i would not have used a sponge brush typically, but i didn't have the right type of brush and i started this project at 11 at night, so i am pretty sure my local craft store was closed. regardless, the sponge brush worked and that is what matters, right?

after the acrylic paint dried, i tacked the burlap to the block using the decorative tacks.

next, i tied jingle bells at the ends of a piece of twine, wrapped it around the candlestick and called it a night, or morning.

when i was finished, i was a little jealous i had already bought all the candlesticks in the city. i need one, too.

if you need another teacher idea, i made these using this tutorial for the girls who work in my pod with me:

it makes wearing a lanyard way more fun!

i'm still crafting away. how about you? what are you trying to pull off with only 5 crafting days left?