Mod Podge

Church Family Rules and Mod Podge Lessons

Posted by Nat on Feb 6, 2012 | 0 comments

My church had an event with an auction. I decided to make a set of Family Rules for them to auction off. Here’s a little peek.

I didn’t have much time to take pictures because I wanted to cross this off my list in a very bad way. These are also not my most favorite rules. I LOVE the hearts at the bottom- definitely going to do that again. But I learned a lesson or two about paper and Mod Podge with these rules. They were more like reminders for me, but because I rushed this project, I need to write them down so I don’t forget. Hopefully they’ll help you, too.

Lesson One:

Quality counts for something if you’re using Mod Podge and paper. Do not use cheap-y, flimsy scrapbooking paper if you are adhering it to a canvas. It will bubble on you and it will possibly stay bubbled. Sometimes, with other projects, the paper will bubble and then flatten out as it dries, but with this project, or with canvas & paper projects, you have to be uber careful. In my case, I don’t mind the bubbling- I think it adds some visual appeal. But if you want/need an uber-flat surface, be careful with cheap/thin paper.

Lesson Two:

Less is More. I LOVE the Mod Podge part of this project- it’s my favorite part because everything starts coming together. However, with this set of rules I learned that as much as I like to dump the Mod Podge all over the canvas and spread it around, that’s really a bit cocky of me. Mod Podge does not like to be abused. So spread it nicely and not too thick. It dries really fast- you’ll get that second coat on before you know it.

Do you have any Mod Podge questions? Tips? I love Mod Podge. It’s my crafting hero.

If you’d like to see other Family Rules I’ve made, click here and here.

I’m linking up to

Jane’s Family Rules

Posted by Nat on Jan 26, 2012 | 0 comments

Yesterday I introduced you to my wonderful friend, Jane. Jane’s birthday is in May. It is now January. Why does that matter? Well, it was in May that I told Jane that I’d make her a set of family rules for her home. And just this past weekend I finally actually gave them to her! Granted, I did have a baby in July, and Jane did have to come up with the rules (a fun, but daunting task). Here they are in all of their Mod Podged glory (and please note: I REALLY need/want a new camera- ours is getting tired):

What I loved about this project, aside from the fact that I got to make this for someone I care about so much, was that I knew Jane would want something slightly different than my family rules. I welcomed the challenge. The one I made for our family is definitely my style- loud, colorful…a bit busy. They fit me and my family to a ‘T.’ And with the color scheme in our kitchen, they work. I love how they *pop* off the wall and people notice them when they come over for the first time. Jane has different decor than we do (she has a smokin’ 80s kitchen while ours is still smack-dab in the swanky 70s) and has always liked certain colors. I wanted to make her Family Rules “look like her,” and to go with her family and her home. I think I did a good job. She seems to like them, anyway. I need to get over to her house and take a picture because all of these photos are in my home.

I’ve actually made another set to send to a church auction (post forthcoming) and have realized: I LOVE making these things. A lot. So get ready for some giveaways and some fun because I think I may have found at least one path to my creative life- we’ll see!

Glitter Shoe Fix with Mod Podge

Posted by Nat on Jan 17, 2012 | 0 comments

Anna had been asking me for these shoes every time we passed them in Target. I kept saying “no” because her feet grow like weeds and I knew they’d fit for maybe a month or two before we’d have to tearfully bid them farewell. And they were so season-specific. Then, to Anna’s luck, they went on clearance just before Christmas- $5! Everyone was happy. Until…

I let her wear them to school. Dumb, I know. But she loved them so much and wanted to show her friends- I remember that feeling. So I said “yes.” And then she skipped out to me when I picked her up, and this is what her shoes looked like:

Whoops.

One of her teachers tried to make me feel better. ”They don’t look that bad….” Uh, yeah. I’m what they call “type A” when it comes to how my kids look. I don’t need them to be dressed in expensive clothes, per se, but there are some things that I can’t take, and one is messed up shoes.

So, of course, I got out the Mod Podge, the red glitter, and went to town on those puppies. Silly, I know. But they turned out great. Better than the alternative.

I finished them off with a spray of clear acrylic sealer. They have held up great. She also has not worn them to school since then… at least I learned that lesson… And now Emily can wear them in 4 years- that’ll save me $5. :)

Halloween Decor

Posted by Nat on Oct 17, 2011 | 2 comments

I am so excited for Halloween this year! I really hate that it’s on a Monday. I think that we should petition the powers-that-be and just make Halloween the last Saturday of October every year. So much easier. Just sayin’.

Anyhoo, I thought I’d share our Halloween decorations that we have up. I am not a “theme” person, nor do I have the time or money to invest in new decorations every year, but I do love to add a few things each year. I’m an “orange & black with hints of green and purple” person for colors. Someday I’ll get fancy, but for now, with three little ones, simple is best.

Here’s our mantel/mantle (I can never decide how to spell it).

(Oh, how I long for a new fireplace….)

I love the little pumpkins in our vase- they are the only thing I bought (at Vons!) aside from our squashes and one other thing below. This is not my favorite part of our decor, but it’s fun to have in this room- we spend lots of time in here playing and (gasp!) watching TV.

This is our entryway. I used the Martha Stewart transfers, purchased at Michael’s, for the pumpkins (they are fake). Unfortunately they are not holding up too well because the sun sets on this side of the house, so they are getting tired already- but maybe they’ll wash off and I can do something else next year. I love all the pumpkins I’m seeing on Pinterest this year- just haven’t had time to do my own.

I also made this sign. I got the idea from this post, which I found on Pinterest (oh, how I love me some Pinterest!). I thought it would make a cute entry/welcome sign, so I got out the Mod Podge and got to work. Turned out pretty cute, eh?

Also, here’s a quick tip: whenever you need to paint a canvas on the edges, if it’s a wrap around canvas, it can be tricky. I have started doing this, and I’m sure I’m not the first to think of it, but just in case… I put the canvas up on some books that are smaller than the canvas so that you have easy access to the edges, and they don’t stick to anything. Make sense?

I find it a bit hilarious that I have “The Cake Bible” and “You- On a Diet” together on my bookshelf.

I found this garland and printed it out. It was super easy to assemble and put together. Definitely a keeper. Here is where I found it (also via Pinterest).

In our hallway we have these things hanging. I just love preschool decorations- they are too cute. The bats are actually a Papyrus Halloween card. I bought it a few years ago on clearance- I think it’s much cuter as a decoration.

My favorite part of our Halloween decor is in our kitchen. I downloaded all of these prints FREE from different blogs (see below for links). I printed them out on matte photo paper. Usually these frames just have generic flower photos from IKEA in them, and it’s so nice to see something seasonal in them- I’m going to switch them out with Thanksgiving ones, too, I think.

(This is a tricky part of our house to photograph- it’s broken up by the kitchen cabinets and it’s a very narrow pass-through. Sorry for the weird angle.) Here they are straight on:

Download them for yourself: Left, Middle, Right

Happy Halloween! I’ll be doing another post about something else I made for these prints soon, so I’m not done yet.

If you’d like to see my Halloween board on Pinterest, click here. If you follow me, I’ll follow you!

Shelf Makeover or… {flat surface angst}

Posted by Nat on Sep 21, 2011 | 1 comment

I have a love/hate relationship with flat surfaces. What would we do without them? Surely everything would end up on the floor. But because of them, there is clutter in my house and there are times when I seriously want to just open the trash can and sweep my arm across the length of our counters and swoosh it all away, even if there is a gift card lurking in there somewhere.

I’m sure you also have a love/hate relationship with something in your house, whether it’s a room, a light fixture, a door, something. Enter our shelf in the kitchen/eating area:

On the one hand, this thing is awesome because it stores much of Anna’s everyday art supplies (soon all the kids will use them, but for now, Anna rules the art roost here), and is a great place to throw our keys, a box of tissue, and because it’s where little hands can’t reach, I can put things up there and know that they are safe for the moment. On the other hand….. it’s seriously fugly. And tired. And old. Did I mention it was ugly? Here’s a closeup of the bottom shelf.

I spoke to my husband about it several times, and he mentioned that he was worried it wouldn’t stay up if we took it down and put it back up. For a while we were distracted with larger tasks with our house, so I just pondered what I would do, and finally the day arrived when I had to do something- I couldn’t take it anymore. So I took it down and disassembled it. I told my husband that if it didn’t go back up we could just hang some art in its place, and he agreed after seeing the look of desperation on my face. Here’s the finished product:

The metal frame I spray painted with this stuff:

It worked really well- it really does look hammered, and now that the iron (?I think?) has a sheen to it it seems so much nicer.

The shelves I spray painted white. I was going to use go ol’ 12×12 scrapbooking paper to cover it and give it some life, but the paper was too small, and I wanted a continuous pattern. Then my little genius self remembered that I have a large format printer, so I scanned the paper I liked (I think from a stack of paper from Michael’s) and printed it on an 11×17 piece of paper. I trimmed it up and used, of course, Mod Podge, to seal it on.

I ended up not really needing to do the top shelves because not very many people will be able to see them since they are so high, but oh well- they look nice even if only my 6’7″ brother-in-law can see them.

It looks so much better. I don’t love it, but I like it a lot more. It will definitely go when we remodel our kitchen someday (oh, how I dream of demo-ing the wood paneling), but for now it’s serving it’s purpose and it’s a lot cuter to look at.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

My parents are in town and we’re having lots of fun. I’m going to post more when I can- I just added lots to our laundry room- but we have to soak up the grandparent fun while we can!

Jack’s Wagons

Posted by Nat on Aug 22, 2011 | 1 comment

Jack’s room is coming along at a very slow pace. Perhaps it’s because he’s a boy and I know he doesn’t really care or notice that his curtains need to be hemmed, or that his closet has no doors of any kind.

I did, however, want something on the walls because the paint color is not very exciting. I like it because he won’t “outgrow” the color, but it’s nothing that makes you say, “Wow!” when you walk in the room.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again- if you haven’t discovered Cathe Holden and her blog, Just Something I Made, please get yourself over there and start reading and downloading awesome freebies. Eons ago Cathe posted some wagons. As I read the post and saw the wagon graphics I thought, “Finally! Something for Jack’s room!” This is what I came up with:

I tried to match the colors to his bedding, but it was super tricky and again, I knew Jack wouldn’t look at me at the age of 5 and say, “Mommy, these blues don’t match exactly.” He’s a sensitive boy and I think he’ll be able to see that would crush me entirely.

I printed the wagons out after editing them in Photoshop. Then I spray painted them with clear acrylic and cut them out. I chose the background papers. Then it was just paint the 12×12 canvas with acrylic paint, and Mod Podge those suckers up (is Mod Podge a verb yet? I think it should be.)

Here’s a close up of one:

Here are a few shots of his room:

I’ll admit that this project was a bit rushed- I think I was trying to finish in time for a gathering at our house, but not quite sure- it’s all a blur. I’ve gotten so many compliments, though- people really like them.

Thank you, Cathe, for your wonderful downloads- I love them!

Also, a side note is that I added Jack’s name to the wall above his bed with cardboard letters. I’m actually not too pleased with them, but am showing anyway. I think I may get some wooden ones and see if that turns out better. Jack loves them, and knows that they spell his name. I’m waiting for the day that he yanks one off the wall. They are painted with acrylic paint and Mod Podged- nothing fancy: