When bad people happen to good crafts

June 23, 2011 by 4 Comments

On occasion, crafts and I just don’t mix well.  I will have an idea for a project and I will wait for a period of time before actually following through.  My creation process for almost anything can vary between 2 days to 2 years.  I still have a kitchen table in my garage waiting to be pieced back together and painted.

The craft I was working on for my home was a chalkboard for the office/playroom.  (That proves I am a mom, I call this room an office and my kids call it the playroom)

I had a piece of scrap wood hanging around from one of my husband’s projects and I knew that I wanted to make it some type of chalkboard.  Recently I have been very into using newspaper as a medium for many of my projects so I decided to make a chalkboard with a border of newspaper.

The beginning of the project:
Homemade chalkboard craft with newspapers

The concept was simple.  I picked specific articles (I didn’t want anything about death and destruction) to mod podge on the board.  The entire board. I then would simply apply my chalkboard paint on top of the newspaper.

Homemade chalkboard craft with newspapers

That was my mistake.  I should have left the area for the chalkboard free of all newspaper. I applied the chalkboard paint and realized that my newspaper was not completely smooth and as a result the chalkboard has bumps.

Homemade chalkboard craft with newspapers
However……
Homemade chalkboard craft with newspapers

I still like my idea and I do believe it does have potential.   I can still use the chalkboard and if no one gets too close they can’t really see the lumps.  So I guess this is a semi-success.  Doesn’t look fabulous but it still can be used.
Filed Under: Chalkboard, DIY, Mod Podge, Newspaper Tagged With: , ,

Frame re-vamp

May 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I have a couple of frames in the closet that I never use.  They are mostly broken, have a discolorations, two of them were gifts that I didn’t like, and a few are just old.  However, for some reason, no matter how damaged or ugly these frames are I have kept them in hopes a crafty day will overtake me and I will re-purpose them.

Last night crafty inspiration hit me and it was coupled with need to make two frames look cute for Mom’s Nite Out. Necessity and Frugality are the mother of re-purposing.  (Feel free to stitch that on a pillow)

The Before Frame
Christmas Frame
I do understand that many of you probably think this frame is cute on it’s own. 
I, however, am not a huge fan of seasonal frames.  You can only use them for a limited period of time!
My “do-over”
Christmas picture frame with newspaper border
I am sure some prefer the old frame but this is just an example of what you can do to change up something that you already have. 
I love the newspaper collage and I was able to not only recycle my newspaper but also an old frame.
What you need:
Mod Podge
Paintprush
Newspaper or whatever medium you chose to work with
Frame
Now get to your re-creating!
Filed Under: DIY, Mod Podge Tagged With: , , ,

How to make a Wooden Shield in 25 easy steps

March 31, 2011 by 5 Comments


How to make a wooden shield


I lied. We did make shields for our kids but it didn’t take 25 steps, it just felt like it.

Maybe I should give you a little background as to why we now have homemade shields that will lead to more sword fights and the inevitable time out.  We took our now six year old to the Renaissance Fair on his birthday. It was great fun and we tried to take part of all the festivities  However our revelry was slightly interrupted because my children were desperate for a shield.  They were begging the entire time!  My husband and I finally gave in and headed to the shield stall.  Then we saw the price.  The cheapest one was 25 bucks!  My husband said “No way, I can make that for cheaper.”

Now get this.  I did agree with him but I did NOT believe him.  The next day the men folk headed out to Home Depot to get the supplies and returned home to get to work.  I left to do errands and when I returned the shields were finished!!! I was shocked!  I couldn’t even hide the look of surprise on my face. I actually had to fess up that I did not believe he could actually do it!

So here are the shields and some tips of how to decorate them

1. Get some solid wood from Home Depot.  I am not sure what kind but not too heavy.  A kiddo has got to be able to lift it!  Then have someone that knows how to use a saw cut out the shield.  My husband downloaded four patterns from the internet and allowed the boys to make their selection. He drew their choice out on the board and Voila! A few slices with a saw and we have the raw makings of a shield.

Homemade Wooden shield made after seeing shields at a local Renaissance festival

2. Find a heavy duty ribbed ribbon… I forgot to grab the exact name!!  I found it in the ribbon section of Joanns.  I should have bought at least a yardinstead of a small roll. A yard will give you a little mistake room and allow you to size it to your child’s arm.   Drill it into the back of the shield.

Homemade Wooden shield made after seeing shields at a local Renaissance festival
3.  Gather your supplies to paint it.  No fancy paint required unless you are looking for that “fancy” look.
easy to make wooden shield
That paintbrush has seen better days….
4. Paint it!  I did not primer the shield.  I do not plan on sanding it down and starting fresh so I don’t care if the paint soaks in to the wood.  This is a great opportunity to have your kiddos help.  We did about four coats on each side.
Homemade Wooden shield made after seeing shields at a local Renaissance festival
Homemade Wooden shield made after seeing shields at a local Renaissance festival
4. Bordering.  I let my husband take this one over.  He is much better about exact measurements.  I believe he measured about an inch away from the edge.  The masking tape helps leave a clean line.
Homemade Wooden shield made after seeing shields at a local Renaissance festival

5. As you can see I already painted on the Cross. I found the image on the internet and copied it onto the shield.  The blue is painted directly on the green. If you want the blue to pop a little more either get a lighter blue OR outline the cross on the shield BEFORE the base coat and paint it separately.

6.  Once your design and base coats are completely finished and dried, apply a couple of coats of Mod Podge.  I did a Matte Finish because that is what I have on hand.

The finished product!
Homemade Wooden shield made after seeing shields at a local Renaissance festival

Both shields were constructed in the same step by step manner.  The “Phoenix” and Cross were both found on the internet and I just painted them on the shields. Pretty simple.

I hope it was informative!

Filed Under: Mod Podge, Paintbrush, Wooden Shield

Making Pine cones sparkle

December 6, 2010 by 6 Comments

This evening the boys and I dressed up our pine cones.   I think they look pretty good and I believe they will act as wonderful accents to a centerpiece or around the house.

Here is what you will need:
Mod Podge
Some type of paint brush
Glitter of your choosing.  I chose something that look different from the traditional glitter
Pine cones
(Please excuse the date in the corner.  My kids got a hold of the camera again and turned it on)
The supplies. 
As you can see I dumped the glitter on some newspaper so the cone could be rolled

I painted the ends of the Pine cones with mod podge and then rolled them in the glitter
The mod podge is drying but you get the idea. 
Here is one batch of finished cones. I really liked the white tips so on five cones I mixed in a little white paint with the mod podge and then rolled it in the glitter.
This is a horrible picture but I couldn’t get the lighting right to show off all the sparkle. (p.s. see the boxes in the background?!) 
There ya go.  A quick way to make your Pine cones sparkle.  That is if you have any or if you even want to..
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Filed Under: Christmas, easy, Mod Podge, Paintbrush, Pine Cones, Sparkle
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