Mother's Day: For the Mom Who Loves to Cook Pt. 2

So, usually when you read a "Part 1" post, it's safe to assume that a Part 2 will soon follow, right?  Well, that was the original plan, but I swear it's a law of nature that the weather warms up and life goes CRAZY!  I've had lofty goals of getting things posted lately, but have put them on the back-burner for some much needed family R&R after a CRAZY April.  But, I'm back in the game with Part 2 of the cooking mother's day gift.  And since it's been over a week since Part 1 was posted, you'd think I was working on something slightly difficult and involved, right?  Nope, Part 2 is super simple:

A recipe stand (courtesy of some Shanty2Chic inspiration).  I get tired of constantly looking down at my recipe as I'm trying to cook something, and trying to remember where I set it down, so I thought if mom had something she could look right at while she's cooking with her new spoons, it would make it a little more convenient.



And in keeping with the spirit of my craziness lately, I have almost no pictures of the process, but it's fairly straightforward.  Start with a stained block of wood--mine is 8x10 and stained in Dark Walnut by Minwax.  I purchased it at The Wood Connection, but I think you can find these in most craft stores.

Then...
1. Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to size.
2. Coat the block with Mod Podge & adhere the scrapbook paper.  I always rub it down with a credit card (or my Cricut scraper thing--sorry, I know that's not descriptive)--something with a flat edge, so you rub all of the bubbles out.
3. Once the "undercoat" of Mod Podge has dried (it only takes a few minutes), sand the edges of the paper with a fine grit sandpaper .
4. Brush on another coat of Mod Podge over the top and let it dry.
    **Small note here: The "top coat" of Mod Podge and I DO NOT get along.  I always have a perfectly beautiful looking piece until I brush on that top coat of Mod Podge and then, without fail, the paper bubbles, but I've learned that the trick is patience, a plastic cutting board, and something heavy.  A lot of the bubbles will sort of suck themselves back down as it dries if you're patient (which I'm usually not), but if you get some stubborn bubbles, gently try to rub them out with your fingers, then when the Mod is just slightly tacky, turn the board over, Mod side down, on a plastic cutting board and set something heavy on top to distribute all of the weight.  Periodically lift it back off the cutting board so it doesn't stick too much and rip the paper.  Keep putting it back down with the heavy stuff on top, until it's dry and it should end up bubble-free.**

5. When the top coat of Mod Podge is dry, glue a stained, wood applique on the front and a clothespin on top of the applique, and screw a stained finial (from the hardware store) to the top.

6. And since this will be in the kitchen, where food tends to splatter, I finished it with a spray coat of Rustoleum Clear Gloss so it can be wiped down with a wet cloth (Mod Podge doesn't like water).

I think I'm actually going to paint the back with some chalkboard paint so she can write a grocery list (or whatever she wants) on the back.  These also make great picture holders if mom isn't into the recipe thing.

And there you have it.  Mother's Day for the mother who enjoys cooking!

Come back tomorrow for another, even simpler, Mother's Day gift idea.

Linking At:

Whipperberry / Tatertots & Jello / Too Much Time on My Hands / 30 Handmade Days / I Heart Naptime / Positively Splendid / The CSI Project