So, I turned 40 on Monday, crazy how time flies.  I remember back in the day, I thought that 40 was really old, now that I’m here, I think that the “hill” has just gotten further away…or maybe it’s just because I can’t see it anymore! :p

I lost my Dad when he was 43, and I really didn’t understand how young that was, until I got to be this age.  He was so young and even though, to me, he seemed old, it’s hard to believe how much of his life he missed.  I’m praying that I can live longer than that, and be able to enjoy my wonderful life with my husband and our son’s life and growth, and be able to do all of the things with him, that I wasn’t able to do with my Dad.

So now that I’m in the next part of my life, I thought it would be fun to poke some fun at it!  I know that this stage of my life is much better than before, I know more, I know what to focus on and I know what means the most.  I’m going to make this next part of my life the best that I can, and laugh at all of those who say “over the hill”.  You’ll be there one day, sucker, and I’ll be hiding behind a bush ready to throw something at you!! 🙂

I hope you like it!! Have a blessed day, and please be sure to comment on and share this #TBCCrafters craft!!

Materials/Tools Used:

• Wood Plaque
• Cricut Explore
• Craft Paper
• Glue Tape
• Color Printer
  
• Letter Game Pieces
• & Time!

Instructions:

I started by using a wooden plaque that already had a shape and measured it to make a mat on top.  You could always paint this first, but I like the regular wood look.  I traced the plaque itself, and scanned it into my Design Space software to make the shape look the same.

Next, I used my Cricut to cut out the mat on dark paper just a bit smaller than the plaque, and then a lighter shade a bit smaller than that, to make a stacked mat look.

I used my Cricut Software on the smaller one to have it add text to the shape, so I didn’t have to write it myself. 🙂

Next, I used some craft tape to adhere the pieces onto the wood.  You could always use a glue gun, or glue spray, but I didn’t want to wait for the gun to warm up! ha/ha

Next, I used my Cricut again to cut out some numbers, and taped them to the top of the mat.

I wanted to make it a bit more than just words, so I found a graphic I had of a woman and printed that on photo paper.  I used my blade to cut it out and then trimmed the rest with my scissors.

I glued that to the bottom corner of the frame, to add a little extra and give it a 3D effect.  I was going to use spacers, but couldn’t find them.

Now, to make the “dreaded” number, I used letter tiles from a well known word game and using double sided tape, attached those together to make them easy to adhere to the piece.

Now, I attached those between the number and the words that were already on the piece and BAM!, take that 40!!!!

Hope you like it!  Please take a minute to leave me a comment and let me know what you would do different, or what you would add, etc.  Be sure to tweet, pin, share, etc. – thanks!!

All pictures and text are my own and have not been copied in any way.  I, Jamie Tomkins, own and operate Tiger Strypes Blog located at www.TigerStrypes.com. From time to time you’ll hear about my real life experiences or creations with products and/or services from companies and individuals. Let it be known that I have no affiliation with these said companies, and have not received compensation for reviewing or using their service/product. The information that I give regarding the product/service is based off my own personal experience, I do not guarantee that your experience will be the same.

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