DIY cute wood block Christmas countdown (without a vinyl cutter!)

Make this cute wood block Christmas countdown!

This would be a great Super Saturday craft project, girls night out craft project, neighbor gift, or grandparent gift! So many possibilities! It took me about 30 minutes to make this set, including cutting and sanding the wood blocks.

Here is what you need to make this DIY wood block Christmas countdown:

2- 1 1/2" pieces of 2x2 lumber 
1- 3" piece of 2x2 lumber
There are 96" in 1 2x2x8' board, so you could make 15 of these countdowns from one piece of lumber!
The actual size of a 2x2 is about 1.5" x 1.5" so if you cut them 1.5" long they will be square!
1 8' board is $2.25 at Home Depot.
HINT: Check their scrap pile in the back, you might be able to find something that will work for 75% off!
Want ideas on how to use the rest of your 2x2?  Check out my other 2x2 projects: http://blog.poshdiy.com/search/label/2x2%20lumber
 Total- $0.15

If you don't want to cut and sand your blocks, you can buy them already ready to go! They are available on Amazon Prime, highly rated- precut and presanded!!! Go here- https://amzn.to/2S5sdbx

Print out my free printable (found at the bottom of this page)
Just print it in color on normal copy paper. No need to use cardstock or photo paper!
$.10

White Paint and Brush
You will want to paint the wood blocks white. 
 Total- $.05

Mod Podge
I used less than 1 ounce to make this. I used matte, but you can use glossy if you like that look better. 
If you buy mod podge in bulk, 1 ounce is about $0.10 at a craft store. You can also buy a 2 ounce bottle at Dollar Tree if you just want a little bit. 
Total-$.10

Sandpaper
You will want to quickly sand the blocks after you cut them.
Total- $.03

Twine or Ribbon (optional)
$.05

Grand total: $0.48

I love that you can rotate the bottom block to countdown to other events!!

Here it is with a Christmas countdown and a big green bow!

Here it is with a school countdown!

Here it is with a vacation countdown!

Here it is with a birthday countdown!

Let's get started!

After you have printed off the free printable below, cut your wood, sanded it, and painted the blocks white, you should have something that looks like this. Never mind the background, I use junk mail to protect my table when I paint.

Start with the large block. Brush on a very thin coat of mod podge. 

Then center one of the "days until...." papers on it and press down evenly with your (clean) fingers. 

Hold the block on the ends and continue until all four sides are covered in papers. 

Allow it to dry on it's end. 

Then, cut up on column of numbers and apply them to one of the square blocks in the same way. You want to make sure you keep the columns of numbers on separate blocks so I just cut up one at a time. The 0,1,2,3,4,5 should go on one block and the 0,1,2,6,7,8 should go on the other block. You can use the 6 upside down as a 9. 

When all three blocks have their papers on them, it should look like this. 

Now it's time to brush a thin layer of mod podge over the top of each side of each block. Try to keep your fingers clean while you do this. I've found if I get mod podge on my fingers and then touch a paper on one of the sides of the block, it is very likely to mess it up. So try to keep your fingers clean. After they have a top coat of mod podge, allow to dry. It only takes a few minutes. 

You are basically finished at this point. 

  You can add twine or a ribbon if you want. 

Here it is with ribbon.

Here it is with twine.

That's it! SO EASY!

I hope you enjoyed this!

Wishing you lots of DIY love,
Jessica

P.S. If you liked this, show me some love by following me and repinning my project ideas! Here is the link to my pinterest page: https://www.pinterest.com/poshdiy/!

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P.P.S.
Here is the free printable. There are 6 choices for the bottom block, so just choose your favorite 4 to use on the block. There are 3 styles of fonts, so you can choose your favorite one. Each section should be 1.25" tall when you print it.