Stand Ye in Holy Places Wood Block Tutorial

Stand Ye in Holy Places is the mutual theme for young women and men in 2013, and I wanted to share a little tutorial with you on making these blocks.  First, I designed the 4x6 print and it is available in my etsy shop.  ( Stand Ye in Holy Places print)  I do give discounts for bulk orders, so please send me a message if you need more than just a few!  They would be awesome to do for birthday gifts, young women camp craft, youth conference, etc.

First, get a piece of wood that is either 2x6 inches or 2x8 inches by whatever longer length.  You will be cutting the wood into approximately 5x7 inch blocks.  (did you know that a 2x6 is really about 1.5x5? - crazy!)  If you go with the 2x6 size, you will be cutting them into 7 inch blocks.  If you go with the 2x8, you will be cutting them into 5 inch blocks.  Just so they are approximately 5x7 inches cut.  The ones pictured below are a 2x8 cut into 5 inch blocks.  If you use the 2x8, you can cut them a little smaller than 5 inches (around 4.75), and it looks great too!

Sand the edges of your wood to get the splinters off.  If you are doing a lot of them, it is very handy to have a power sander to make it go faster.  After wiping the sawdust off your blocks, paint your them black.  I just use black craft paint.  It dries fast!

 

After all sides are painted and dry, I give the edges a quick sand to distress them.  Wipe the sawdust off with a damp rag.

Next, I use Mod Podge to attach the print.  I apply a medium thick layer of Mod Podge to the wood block on the front side, and a thin layer to the back side of the print. I have definitely found that applying to both the wood and the print gives you the best "bubble-free" application. :)

Position and apply the print towards the bottom of the wood, centered left to right, but not top to bottom.  You want to leave room for the ribbon at the top.

Then I apply a thin layer of Mod Podge on the top of the print to help protect it.  I don't do all the sides of the wood, just the front.
  

After the Mod Podge is dry, you are ready to embellish it!   I use tulle and a narrow piece of ribbon tied all around the top of the block.  By doing this, you will use less ribbon over all, making it more economical and less bulky.  I do the ribbon along with the tulle to help give stability and keep the tulle from stretching out.  Tie them in a "granny knot" (you know - the beginning of tying your shoelaces a couple of times. :D )

Get your other ribbons ready.  I use 3-4 different prints, in different widths.  Lay them on top of each other in the order you want.

Slide them under the granny knot you made, then tie them around it.  I have found that you only need to do the first half of a granny knot, and it still holds, especially if you do a dot of hot glue behind the ribbon when you are done. 

Last, trim the ribbons to the length you want and seal the edges with a candle or match to keep them from fraying.  This is also when you would do a dot of hot glue behind the ribbon to keep it in place.

Thanks!  Again, the prints can be purchased in my etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/115521430/stand-in-holy-places-2013-ywym-theme-4x6

If you make some of these blocks, I would LOVE to see a picture of them (you can email them to me at kmc.love @ gmail.com).  I think it would be fun to have a gallery here, so people can see how cute they all turn out!