Mother's Day Grandma Gift-Scrabble Tile Plaque

You know I loooove me some Scrabble tiles!!! I have used them for coasters, necklaces, frames…you name it, I’ve tiled it! My current Scrabble tile project is in honor of my mommy, an incredible mother and human being. Mom has dedicated her life to children, not only her own, three children, but to the students she has taught for almost 35 years, as well as those she has mentored in organizations such as Girl Scouts (over a decade of being a leader of a rowdy bunch of chatty girls, no less!), PTO, midget football, and Cub Scouts, just to name a few! Now that my siblings and I have children of our own, nothing brings me more joy than to see her work her magic on her grandbabies! She finds ways to bond with each of her grandchildren in different ways and lives for moments when she can see or Facetime with them again. She is the cat’s pajamas, to say the least! I really hope she doesn’t intend to check this blog within the week, as I plan to give this to her for Mother’s Day!

Here’s how I made the plaque:

Materials:

-scrapbook paper (your choice of color and design)

-plaque (I found one at my local thrift store for $1. Whoop!)

-Mod Podge

-paint brush

-Scrabble tiles

-pictures, poems, etc. for embellishment

Instructions:

1.       Cut scrapbook paper to fit the front of the plaque

2.       Coat front of plaque with a coat of Mod Podge using a    

            paint brush.

3.       While plaque is still wet, arrange Scrabble tiles (I highly

            recommend playing around with the tiles on a floor or 

            tabletop to determine your final arrangement)in the way

            you want them.

4.   Add photos onto remaining areas of the plaque. I added        

       pics of each of the grandchildren on the days they were  

       born, pics of my mom with each of the babies, and a little

       poem I made up, on behalf of the kiddos.

5.   Paint a final coat of Mod Podge  over photos and 

       embellishments and allow to dry

Shout Out-Grandma Dalby, Queen of Crafts

Embroidered plaque-This pic does not do it justice, but you get the idea. It reads "Claire Alexandra, July 1st, 2012)

Grandma Dalby (Grandad, too!!!)



You know the phrase "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree?" In the case of my craft-obsession, I am the proverbial apple to my almost-80-year-old grandmother's tree, indeed! My crafting ability does not, however, hold a candle to the amazing projects she has completed over the years. Here are just a few reasons why she is amazeballs:

1. She's British! Oh yeh, folks...best accent ever!

2. She and my grandfather (and my infant mom) left everything they knew behind in England to establish a better life in the states for themselves and their children.

3. She is an incredible cook (and does not limit herself to bland and boring British food, either)!

4. She once heard the "ding" from her bread machine and responded by answering the phone AND is an incredible sport when her family members still tease her about it to this day!

5. At almost 80 years old (her birthday is on March 6th!!!), she creates the most amazing sweaters, jackets, hats, gloves, blankets, and embroidery work imagineable. This woman cannot physically stop moving her hands! When she doesn't have a project in the works for one of her 4 children, 10 grandchildren, or 8 great-granchildren, she makes helmet liners for military troops and blankets for invalids. How amazing is she!

From the time grandma's daughters started having children of their own, she began a tradition in which she created an embroidered birth announcement frame for the oldest of every family. Now that her children's children are having children of their own (did 'ya get that???), she has kept the tradition going. I have included a picture of the beautiful piece she made for my daughter, Claire, which she and I will forever treasure! I can only hope to become half the woman she is!

LOVE YOU, GRANDMA!!!!!




Oh, and she crochets, too! Here is the car seat cover she made for my sister's little boy





...and the pram cover she made for my little girl