Modern Anniversary Gift

For my sister-in-law and her husband's 6 year anniversary gift, I decided to go the DIY route as I couldn't find anything in stores that caught my eye or that would have suited them.  Lacking inspiration other than knowing that the 6 year traditional gift was iron and the modern equivalent was wood and the gemstone amethyst according the website I found. My mother-in-law went the traditional route and made them a cute little decoration made from iron so I opted for the modern route as that is where my taste in the anniversary gifts lie as well as the taste of home decor of my sister-in-law.

I walked around Hobby Lobby for a while until I stumbled across a wooden plaque used for artists to burn images into. An idea started to take shape as found some amethyst colored decorative scrapbook flowers as well as other scrapbook items suited for anniversary and my in-law's taste.

Items used:  Wooden plaque, scrap book supplies, sawtooth hangers, 1 can of spray Mod Podge, 3M VHB  tape, & a wedding picture of the couple



First I needed to add a way to hang up the finished decoration. Saw tooth hangers are a favorite of mine and can be easily installed on any wood project. These can be found at any hardware store or even Wal-Mart. 

Sawtooth hangers 

Decide how high up you want the hanger to be and find the center and nail the sawtooth hanger in with the nails provided. These sawtooth hangers come with a mark centered to help with centering it so it won't hang crooked on the wall.

Next I picked out a suitable wedding picture of the couple and printed it off. I also printed off the words to the song they danced to at their reception. I opted for a 3.5 x 5 in size of picture to use as it fit in the space on the board and left room for other decorations. I laid out the decorations and pictures I wanted to use to make sure they fit where I wanted them to go. After deciding on final placement, I glued these down using photo safe craft glue and let them dry.  I then took little bits of VHB tape to glue down the flower/jewel things. The filigree on the left hand side already had sticky tabs on it and the 3 plastic type decorations ( all because 2 people fell in love, everlasting love & hearts) were self sticking also.  

Close up of top of plaque

Close up of bottom of plaque

Finally I took my can of Mod Podge and sprayed several coats of it over the entire project. In between coats, I let it dry for an 30 minutes to an hour before I applied the next coat.  ***That is the important part of this project! Have patience and let it dry before applying the next coat.**** I then let the entire project set and cure for 24 hrs before handling it  and wrapping it . 

Finished project!

I hope the happy couple hangs this in a special spot in their home and remember their special day every time they glance at.       Happy 6th Anniversary Jodi & Tom!!