Menus…

Hey all!  I thought I would share a quick tutorial on this super easy, but very handy menu craft.

First, a confession…I have known that I spend waaay to much money eating out.  I work full-time and generally eat out just to get away from my desk at lunch.  Come dinner time, my husband and I are just too exhausted to think about dinner plans.  I usually get home to hungry eyes and just order pizza, or Chinese. If I’m really feeling festive, we go to our favorite Mexican Restaurant located very conveniently within walking distance (to be clear, I’m not suggesting that I have ever walked there. I’m exhausted remember?)   Now, I will admit that I have been aware of this for some time and made great efforts to plan better.  I’ll spend a small fortune on groceries every weekend, just to make myself feel like I’m eating healthy.  Truth is, the garbage or the chickens enjoy much of this, since it is generally beyond its prime by the time I remember that I have it.  {Hello, black and mushy avocado} Herein lies the problem. I have an expanding waistband and a shrinking bank account.    I needed a solution.

The menu craft.

I was first inspired when I saw this awesome post. My brain is usually a foggy mess when I get home.  I generally forget what my awesome plans were.  You know, way back on Sunday, when I cared and did all the grocery shopping.  So, my solution was to make AND USE this awesome new tool. (I took some liberties and added magnets-my husband gave me some supercharged ones to replace the wimpier easy to handle one pictured here…I’ll get to those in a minute.)

Let’s get started.

Once you’ve gathered your supplies.  You just insert the paper into the frame and glue magnets to the back.  Sounds easy right?  Well it is, unless…..

Unless, the magnets of misfortune turn on you and refuse to separate, so you use the sharpest thing near you to pry them open, which just happens to be a pair of very sharp scissors who then try to kill you because they are being controlled by these demon magnets.

I wasn’t going down like that! I have conquered bigger adversaries! So with minimal damage to my ego and fingers I finally got those little monsters apart and continued to use the PERMANENT marker to write in the title and days of week.   (I decided to do this until I have time to pull out my Cricut and make vinyl letters).

l really like the finished product (even with my uneven handwriting..thanks Merlot!).  I am really hoping that this will help us to keep our budget in mind and eat at home more often.  Another bonus: I love that I can change the scrap paper to match my mood or the season.  What do you think? I hope you have enjoyed this quick tutorial.  I will update when I get the Cricut cranking.  Until then, happy crafting!

XOXO,