Nap Time Projects: Hannalee's Blocks

I had promised to show you more about the ABC blocks that I made Hannalee. Sorry that this took so long but here they are.

They were time consuming to make, but they were a lot of fun to make.
1st: I got a piece of 2x2 board from Home Depot and used Bob's table saw to cut them into squares. (Bob was not happy when he found out I was using the saw unsupervised, but sometimes a grown woman can make those kind of choices. :0)

2nd: I cut 12 different patterns of scrapbook paper into 2"x2" squares and glued them on to the blocks with Modge Podge. Then I put capital and lower case stickler letters on the blocks. And the end of the alpha bit blocks have number stickers on them. I also used an inked sponge to distress all the sides of the blocks. (This also help hide my uneven cutting mistakes.)

3rd: I took pictures of Hannalee's things around the house that started with each letter of the alphabet. I used some pictures from our archives too. Some letter blocks have 4 pictures others, like Q and X, only have one. Examples: D-dad, duck, dog, doll; T-temple, truck, tractor; E-Hannalee's eye and ear, elephant; H-our house, Hannalee, Hannie's cowboy hat. I re-sized the pictures in paint shop and then printed them out. I cut them to fit the blocks and Modge Podged them on.

4th: Finally using a sponge brush, I coated the blocks with Modge Podge (about 3 coats).

Hannalee loves the blocks. She will pull them out of the box and put them back in. She also loves to find certain blocks. She will find the D block and point to dad's picture and say "Dada." Then she will turn it to find the dog and the ducks and make their animal noises. She likes the T block because of the tractor and the truck. She also likes the F block and will pick it up and smell it because it has a flower on it.
She loves her blocks so much that she will only let me or Bob touch them. One day my mom came to watch Hannalee. My mom got out a couple of blocks to play with. Hannalee came over, gave her a dirty look, put the blocks back into the box, and took the box away from my mom. I've learned to put the blocks away when Hannie's little friends come over to play. It is one thing I can't make her share. She just screams and screams when the other little girl has one, even if Hannalee has the rest. We'll work on sharing those later.

"Stop with the pictures! Just let me play with my blocks."