From JOANN

Block Block till Christmas

YOU’LL NEED

Beacon Adhesives 527
Unfinished Wood Block Calendar
Thin balsa wood
Pencil
Ruler
Small craft knife
Glitter
Fake snow
Acrylic paint: pink, white & red
Paintbrush
Number stickers
Small wreath
Small trees

DIRECTIONS

1.Measure and trace the balsa wood so that it is the same width as your block calendar but extends 2″ from each side. This piece was about 8 1/4″ tall by 2″ wide. Carefully use your craft knife to cut this piece out.

2.On your balsa wood, sketch two triangles that are as long as the base of your block calendar – the tip of the triangle should be at the middle point. Then, sketch two rectangles which will be the roof pieces of your calendar and measure them so that they are the same as your calendar but extend past the edges a bit. These pieces were about 4 1/2″ tall by 2″ wide. Using your craft knife, carefully cut these pieces out using the same method mentioned in Step 1.

3.Paint your pieces. You only have to paint one side of each piece. For the pieces that are white, sprinkle on some fake snow and glitter while the paint was still wet so that it stuck. Paint the block calendar base pink and the squares white.

4.Add number stickers to your blocks following this pattern: for Block 1 the top should have a 0 and bottom should have a 5 – all around the sides there should be a 1, 2, 3 and 4. For Block 2 the top should have a 0 and bottom should have an 8. Around the sides there should be a 1, 2, 6 and 7.

5.Using your 527, glue a small wreath onto the middle of one of the triangles you painted pink. Use your 527 to glue your block calendar base pieces together.

6.For a little bit more support on top of the calendar, cut a piece of balsa wood that was the same size as the block calendar and glue it on top. Then, paint it pink to match the rest of the piece.

7.Take your triangle with the wreath and glue it on top of the block calendar base like pictured above. You can leave a little bit of space in front the piece so that it isn’t immediately in the front.

8.When gluing this piece, hold the triangle where you want it to be and add plenty of glue along the back line (this will all be covered by the roof). Hold it in place until you feel it has formed a strong enough grip. Repeat these steps with the other triangle so that it is on the backside of your calendar.

9.Add 527 along the top edges of your triangles and attach your roof pieces to them very carefully. Hold them in place until you feel they have formed a strong bond.
Glue small trees along the sides of the small house and then assemble all of the remaining pieces.

TIPS

When cutting thin pieces of balsa wood, use the tip of the craft knife to create incisions along the cutting line. Once painted, the balsa wood will start to curl because it is so thin. After you paint your pieces and they are dry, place them under a stack of books or something similar to flatten them.

Find this craft and more holiday fun at crayola.com