Noah’s birthday isn’t till July, but I came up with this idea of making name blocks for his classmates, to be put into their goodie bags with a small pack of organic gummy bears, so I decided to start working on them, in case they didn’t turn out the way I wanted, and I had to come up with something else. It’s a good thing I didn’t procrastinate on this, because the decoupage finish takes four weeks to set properly!
At three years old, most kids would still be learning how to spell their own names, so I thought it would be nice to give them personalised name blocks. His school doesn’t encourage parents to include edible items in the birthday goodie bags, and I figured something educational would be appreciated by the parents. I made a test set with Noah’s name so that I could see what it looks like, and look for ways to improve it.
Test set
C suggested making the letters bolder, so I increased the font size, and put the letters in bold as well. I also decided to use capital letters for the letters printed on white paper, and small letters for the letters on coloured paper, so that the children can learn to recognise/spell their names in both capital and small letters. I originally wanted to paste pictures on one side, but the ink for the pictures smudged in the test set, so I decided to use only letters instead.
Making the name blocks is actually pretty easy, so here’s a simple guide, if you’d like to make some too.
Materials Needed Wooden blocks (I used the 30 x 30 x 15mm ones from Daiso) Letters printed on paper (I used Century Gothic, Bold, font size 48) Decoupage finish (I got mine from Art Friend) Sponge brush / brush (I personally preferred the brush I got from Daiso to the sponge brush from Art Friend) Mat (I used the flexible cutting board from Daiso)
Wooden blocks
Flexible cutting board
Instructions 1. Print the required letters out, and cut them such that they fit onto the blocks.
2. Use the brush to apply a thin layer of the decoupage finish to the back of the cut letters, and paste the letters onto the wooden blocks. The decoupage finish works as glue.
3. Brush a thin layer of decoupage finish over the cut letters. Make sure you cover the top surface entirely, which includes the tiny parts of the wooden block that aren’t covered by the paper.
4. Leave it to dry completely. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Apply another coat of decoupage finish on top, and let it dry completely. Do note that the instructions on the decoupage finish bottle say that it takes four weeks to set completely, so be prepared to leave it out for that period of time before using them, or they will still be a little sticky.
6. If you’re making the blocks double-sided, wait four weeks for one side to dry completely, before working on the other side.
Coloured Blocks
White Blocks and the brush from Daiso that I prefer
Noah’s Name Blocks
I also got some Kraft Paper Gift Bags from Daiso, so that Noah could decorate them for his friends, before I put the blocks in. My original plan was for him to stamp their names on the gift bags as well, but he was rather enthusiastic about stamping animals and vehicles on them, and I figured it would be easier if I wrote their names on the gift bags instead.
Kraft Paper Gift Bags
Melissa and Doug Stamp Sets
Busy Stamping
Final Product
I hope you’ll have fun making these blocks, and that your children will enjoy learning to spell their names (or any other words really) with them!
PS. If you would like to purchase the stamp sets from Amazon, please click on these links: Melissa & Doug Deluxe Alphabet Stamp Set
PPS. You might have noticed that I got most of my materials from Daiso. For more of my favourite Daiso purchases, read my Confessions of a Daiso Shopaholic.
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