Prayer Reminder Blocks

For our Young Women activity this week we painted prayer blocks. Some of the girls did 4 blocks with the letters P R A Y on each one, and some of them did 3 blocks (like me) with the words Did You Pray? It was really fun and easy. If you're a handy man or woman (or your spouse is) cut a 2X4 with an electric saw to the size(s) you want. Drill a small hole through the center (on the side) of each one. You can use an electric sander or sand the blocks by hand. Or if you'd rather have a rough look to it, don't bother with the sand paper. Now all you have to do is paint them the colors you want. We used acrylic paints and stencils. There were various stencils to choose from and various colors. The girls came up with some creative color combos. One of the girls made a "cloudy" look on her's by using a paper towel as a sponge with a little white paint. After I had painted mine I decided to sand down the edges again. I used antique white for the letters and the speckling. The speckling is done by using a paint brush (any type works, even an old toothbrush works.) Dip it in paint and use your finger to "flick" it on your projects. I was going for the "country" look, but instead, it kind of turned out like a cheesy 80's photo backdrop or something. :) Now put some heavy (but pliable) wire through the blocks to connect them and hold them together. Wrap the ends of the wire around a pencil or paintbrush handle to curl it. Let the paint dry and you're done!