It is a brand new year and time to get organized! Don’t huff and groan. I am going to start you off easy. In the past few years my family has been making the move to healthier eating with whole foods. That means that this mom had to learn how to cook (even if it were simple meals). For me the hardest part about preparing healthy foods at home is planning the menu. My fourth year into this endeavor and I still struggle with it. I sat down with my kids and asked them what they would eat if they were to cook, “WHAT’S FOR DINNER?” Taking their suggestions in to consideration, I created a striking, modular Menu Board. Sit yourself down here at the hearth and I’ll teach you how to make one for your kitchen.
It was wonderful to design my entire project in the Pazzles' InVue Software. The software is a great tool for getting your ideas down “on paper” yet having the flexibility to easily manipulate it and make notes. To play around with shapes their sizes and various fonts is a blessing for this non-artist.
I started out with an up-cycled, decorative metal sign. Look, brand new this sign was $21. I got it at a steal for half the price on the pink sticker because, as luck would have it, it was “pink sticker day” at the thrift store!! Oh Yeah! I love a great thrifty score!
 Repurposed Metal Sign |
 Back of Sign, Includes Wire for Hanging |
Before I started I lined up all my pieces to check the color scheme.
A Classic Look
My metal sign measured 12 X 16 inches. In my InVue software, I created a new file measuring 12 X 24 inches. I chose and made shapes that represented the image in my head. Originally I was going to simply cut circles out of card stock for the days of the week. As my project evolved, I decided to use decorative bottle caps. The store had only one 6 count package of rustic orange caps. I worked with it. I decided to put Saturday and Sunday at the week’s end (weekend, get it) and use black bottle caps. Each letter representing the days of the week are cut from Pazzles’ Vinyl. I matched the font of the letters with the board’s title font “What’s For Dinner?” The bottle caps will wear better and because they are metal themselves, a perfect match for adding the magnets that will hold up each menu choice. You will note that the tile frame matches those on the boxes to the right of the board.
Bottle Caps & Magnets
Title Frame
For the menu choice cards, I created rectangles and the “Bracket Tag.” With InVue I was able to mark these shapes as a cut only option. Then I selected the font for the menu choices and put them in place within each rectangle and Bracket Tag. These I marked draw. When I am ready to “cut” the entirety of the item, I first used Pazzles’ Pen tool to draw each of the words for the menu choices and the titles Menu Items and Grocery List. At this point in time, InVue software does not support single stroke fonts. I think it still looks sharp. Next I cut only the boxes and Bracket Tag surrounding these words. It is a handy system!
"Writing" with Pazzles' Pen Tool
The boxes that hold the menu choices and a notepad for the grocery list, are made from an altered version of Pazzles’ Pocket Box Card. (I left off the outside, front flap.)
Prepping the Boxes
Finished Boxes
It was fun to design this Menu Board and put it all together. I added some ribbon, as well as a matching strip of the teal card stock at the bottom of the board to dress it up a bit more. Because this Menu Board is decorative, I can display it in my kitchen. And, instead of the kids asking “What’s For Dinner?” they can look at the board.
Finished Board
Close-Up
Supplies Used for Menu Board
Menu Choices, “Menu Items,” and “Grocery List” font, SF Foxboro Script
“What’s For Dinner?” title and Days of the Week font, Copperplate Gothic Bold
Pocket Box Card found in Projects, Cards and Envelopes, Pocket Box Card
Image Library on line, Decorative, Charms and Tags, Bracket
Pazzles Black Vinyl
Crafty Power Tape by Scrapbook Adhesives
Honey Comb Paper and Teal Cardstock, Recollections
Ribbon, Recollections
Bottle Caps
Magnets
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oh krista, what a fab idea.
not that i am trying to eat any healthier but my son is a vegetarian and when he comes home for breaks i do google for yummy recipes to make for him.
in one of the latest recipes i used quinoa (paid a fortune for small organic bag) and well, it was ok. lol. maybe i did not cook it properly.
i have eaten tofu too, seitan, tofurky, and made all kind of pasta dishes with all these asian sauces. yummy.
i have a great recipe for spinach balls too. those are really good too. found the recipe on... where? pinterest of course. 🙂
anyway sweetie, i have been thinking of you, and your dad and your family. but i know you are a strong women of faith and you have god's guidance in your life and with that you will always be ok.
hugs!