Mod Podge

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:

I am linking up to Craft-0-maniac’s Monday Link Party,

The DIY Showoff,

Skip To My Lou.

Someday Crafts,

Crystal & Co.

More Mod Podge Projects

Posted by Nat on Jun 21, 2011 | 9 comments

This post is going to make me look like a Mod Podge addict, which I very well may be.  But in actuality, I did these projects randomly over the last six months, and I’m slopping them all together into one post because they all work in relatively the same way.  I love how a little bit of fun paper can add a pop of color and make things so much nicer to look at.

Project #1:  Bathroom stool

Anna uses this stool from Target to make it easier to sit on the potty (I just tried to find it on their website and the only color that shows is blue, and it’s out of stock- sorry!).  The only thing I didn’t like about it was that it was all-white, and it got dirty from her little feet so easily.  So, I just traced the top on some 12×12 scrapbook paper that I liked, and found a complimentary page in another pattern for the sides, and presto:  new look.

Project #2:  Ikea Stool

Similarly, we use this step stool from Ikea often and all over the house- in the kitchen, in the laundry room.  It actually now sits in the front hallway most often, but since I’ve Mod Podged it I don’t feel so bad because it’s kind of cute now.

Project #3:  Tubs in the Laundry Room

Lastly, you may have seen my post, Operation Organization, where I Mod Podged a bunch of tubs to help organize our hall closet.  We still plan on adding more tubs to that closet, but in the meantime, our laundry room was out of control.  I’m sorry to say I don’t have a “before” picture, but the two shelves over our washer & dryer were just covered with all of our dangerous chemicals, cleaners and such.  It’s the only place in the house I’m okay with having heavy chemicals because the kids can’t reach anything up there. So I headed to Ikea to get more of the big tubs and set this up.  It’s helped so much- we can grab what we want easily and it forces us to limit what goes up there.  There are a few things in the middle that are too big for the tubs, but that’s okay.   Still looks a LOT better.

The process for all of these was the same:  layer on Mod Podge.  Add paper.  Let dry.  Mod Podge the top.  Let dry.  Done!  I did use a brayer for both of the stools- I love the brayer!  If you have questions about any of these shoot me an email!  Also, I have noticed that the tubs in the laundry room are rippling a little bit- I imagine because it’s rather humid in our laundry room when the washer & dryer are going, but it’s not horrible.

I’m linking up to Today’s Creative Blog!

I’m so happy that Briana from Sweat Peas and Bumble Bees also asked me to link up to her party, What I Made Wednesday.  Thanks, Briana!

Lastly, I’m linking up to Fingerprints on the Fridge’s “Feature Yourself Friday”!

Coffee Table Upgrade with Mod Podge

Posted by Nat on Jun 18, 2011 | 12 comments

What else would I use to upgrade something?  I mean, really.

So we bought this table from West Elm right after we got married in 2005.  I cannot say that I recommend West Elm furniture for families with small children- it just didn’t hold up.  I loved the table when we first got it- it’s not too big, round (I love round tables for some reason), looked cool for a long time.  But our first condo faced west and the sun hit it during sunset, which took its toll.  Then Anna came, and she did a doozy on it.  I didn’t help either, what with my in-home-acetone-using-French-pedicures (ahem).  So, it was looking pretty sad.  We are now in abode #3, and it was really looking bad.  But we didn’t/don’t have the budget for new furniture right now.  We do, however, have a budget for craftiness and fabric- couldn’t possibly cost as much, right?!  Hmmm… not so sure, but I sure do like how this turned out.  Here’s the before:

I went to my local JoAnn Fabrics, spotted the fabric and loved it right away, so I bought 3 yards, and some black upholstery/pillow trim.  I stocked up on staples for my staple gun, made sure I had plenty of Mod Podge (fabric and hard coat) and a brayer (new fave tool!) and off I went.  In case you aren’t in the mood to scroll, here’s the finished product:

I apologize for the lack of photos- this was done months ago during my blogging break, but I will describe it as best I can.  I won’t say this is a tutorial, but if you ever ponder doing the same thing with one of your pieces of furniture, please shoot me questions and I’m happy to answer them.

First I poured a pretty hefty amount of Mod Podge (fabric) on the table and spread it out as evenly as I could over the top, but not the sides.  Then, I carefully laid the fabric on top, like so:

Then I used the brayer to roll the fabric out as flat as possible until I could see no air bubbles, no bumps, etc.  With the pattern in the fabric my eyes did cross a bit from time to time, and eventually I had to sit down and take a breather.

I waited a bit, and then I carefully trimmed off the excess fabric.  This is when the stapling began.  I wasn’t really sure how I was going to do this part- it was definitely a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants project.  But I ended up being happy with the results.  Basically I pulled the fabric straight down and stapled until I absolutely had to pleat it because of the direction the fabric was pulling.  It seemed scientifically impossible to get it all to lay flat on the sides.  You’ll see in the collage below that there are just some pleats here and there- I stapled them as tight as I could- my fingers were nearly raw by the time I finished.

Finally, I added the trim with a hot glue gun.  I think in hindsight I should have stapled at least the beginning down with a staple or two, but it’s holding up great so far, so maybe it’s not completely necessary?

I wasn’t done yet, though.   I started the Mod Podge process with the hard coat formula using sponge applicators.  I have only been able to find MP hard coat in the smaller jar, and I started with two jars, but ended up buying two or three more.  I always did these coats after the kids went to bed so it could dry over-night.  I decided to go with the “built up finish” because I knew this table would be put under great duress by us and the kids, and the more layers, the better.  This equates to a minimum of 5 coats.  After 5 coats, I didn’t feel it was done yet.  There were lots of ripples in the MP, and I was curious to see if they would go away with a few more coats.  I think I probably did 10 coats or so- it was a lot.  It was also a bit tacky, as MP sometimes is, and I didn’t know what to do about that.  In the end I first sanded it a bit with a really fine-grain sand paper, then sprayed the top and sides with two coats of clear acrylic spray.  I’m actually not convinced I’m done with it, but it’s holding up great until I figure out what to do- maybe I’ll put some custom-cut glass on it someday when the kids are a bit older?  Or maybe by then we’ll be able to afford a new table… Hmmm…     Anyhoo, here are some more shots of the finished product:

Starbucks Card Upgrade

Posted by Nat on Nov 16, 2010 | 2 comments

Hi friends,

Working has certainly taken its toll on my little blog here.  I hope after the holidays I can really come up with a system to keep posting more regularly.  We’ll see…

Onto my project…  I actually did this just before Halloween, but the backstory goes back even further.  I have a former student who I taught at school, and I also taught him piano lessons.  I met him in 2002 when I started my current job.  This year he started acting school at NYU.  Talk about a reality check- did you know that everyone grows up? It’s amazing, though, to watch a student grow into such an amazing person- he really is someone to be proud of.

Anyhoo, I procrastinated about giving him a graduation gift.  Then I bought the gift… and it sat for a little too long in my purse.  I’m amazed I didn’t use it instead, because I love me some Starbucks.  But I wanted to make sure he got something relatively funny and special to make up for the fact that his gift was totally late and not really that creative.  So I made over his Starbucks card.

Remember college?  If you went to college, I bet you wish you had an endless Starbucks card for those mornings when you wake up and need.  Coffee.  Immediately.  I harkened back to a day when I slept through an exam.  Actually, come to think of it, I graduated from college in 1998 and I don’t think I had been in a Starbucks more than 2 or 3 times.  I digress…

So first I hopped onto Photoshop and designed the new front for his card.

This is often how I feel in the morning, even though our budget doesn’t allow for Starbucks nearly as often as I’d like.

Then I slapped it onto the card- this was easy- I just tried to make sure the layer of Mod Podge was super thin because I didn’t want it to thicken the card up too much.

Then I traced the card holder to make it match.  I had to trace the holder both directions- a good lesson in spatial awareness.  🙂  I also had to make sure I traced the little notches, and I cut them with a razor knife before MPing.

Then I Mod Podged that sucker up as well.  Here’s the final product.  Note that I poked fun at myself for taking so long.  And you’ll probably see that the Mod Podge smeared the ink on my card- I did a thin coat on top and it did sort of “fog it up” but I sort of liked it, and also didn’t want to delay sending an already-late gift just because of some smeared ink.

I think I will do this again for Starbucks gifts- it was fun, easy, and once I got my rear in gear, a fun way to perk up an otherwise totally expected gift.

Cancer can kiss my…

Posted by Nat on Oct 4, 2010 | 9 comments

Cancer sucks.  Cancer can bite me.  For reals.

(If you’d like, feel free to scroll to the bottom to see pictures- I got lots to say.) 🙂

I’ve been debating about whether or not to post about this project because it’s a bit personal for someone, and the someone isn’t me.   But the thought of not sharing this doesn’t sit well with me either, so I’m going to post in hopes that my project might help other people dealing with the same thing, and that they will be able to copy my project in their own way.

A friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer in the last few weeks.  It’s an aggressive form of cancer, one that requires immediate surgery and treatment.  This friend is about my age- mid-30-something.  A beautiful family, a beautiful life, a beautiful woman.  And lo and behold, here comes the big C word to throw everything to a screeching halt.  To protect her privacy and her family’s, I won’t mention how I know this woman or her name- it’s really her story.  But I was still totally thrown by her diagnosis, perhaps because it really hit home that cancer doesn’t give a flying flip if you’re 4, 14, 40, or any age.  And because of that, cancer can kiss my ass.

After my friend was diagnosed I found myself in a place that I bet a lot of people have been: “What do I do?  What do I say?  How can I possibly make this better when it sucks so completely?”  I literally could not sleep the day I found out, even though I hadn’t spoken to this friend since earlier in the summer.  For a while I tossed in bed that night, and then as this idea came to me, the hairs on my neck stood up, and chills went from my shoulders down to my wrists.  I had a plan.

My apologies for not taking many pictures as I went, but as I made these canvases I also had family in town (my parents) and we had already planned a weekend trip amidst me trying to collect materials.  I was lucky to finish it in time for it to be with her when she comes out of surgery (hopefully) and is recovering.

I wanted my friend to know how many people were supporting her.  I sent out messages for all to write words- personal messages, inspirational quotes, whatever they felt comfortable with.  I collected all of these messages and then typed them up in various fonts that seemed to fit.  I had a lot of fun in Photoshop and learned a lot along the way.

I ended up needing 3 canvases.  I wanted the center one to stand out, so I searched online for a graphic design of a heart.  Then I painted my own simplified version using the colors I had chosen.  I outlined a heart on the canvas and then painted around it.  Then I filled in with white.  These are acrylic paints that I used.

(many apologies for the quality- some of these were taken at night)

I painted the other two canvases a teal color.   After they dried overnight I took the messages that I had already printed in various fonts and colors of paper and started to fit them all together like a puzzle.  I am only showing shots of the three complete canvases and up close shots of the quotes that turned out well.  I tried to keep the personal messages on the pastels and the single words and quotes on grays, with a little variation.  Below are some shots of the final product(s):

I used foam squares to give them some dimension, lifting some pieces above others.  This proved helpful with fitting things together- sometimes I need to tuck things underneath others, but I didn’t want anyone’s message to be blocked..

A friend wrote the verse on the right in this one (above).  Ikaika & Lanakila are two Polynesian words for “strength” and “conquer.”  I loved what this friend wrote and made it the center piece of the center canvas.  I think if I were fighting this fight I would want to be reminded of those two words often.

I love all of these fonts.  I’m a font addict.  I’ve been getting my fonts at dafont.com.

I made sure to use Mod Podge Paper so that the paper is preserved, and then I finished with Mod Podge Matte.  The paper elevated on the foam squares did curl a bit- perhaps I should have mounted the raised pieces on wood or something, but I actually ended up liking the way it turned out.

My hope is that if anyone you know is diagnosed with anything horrible- cancer or otherwise- that you might be inspired to make something for them.  I know that my friend will appreciate this, and I hope that in a couple of years, when she has kicked cancer’s ass that she can still look at these and remember that she wasn’t fighting alone- she had lots and lots of people fighting with her.

Beer Makeover

Posted by Nat on Aug 23, 2010 | 20 comments

I’ve been eyeing the six-pack beer containers for a while.  Not just for the delicious containers of summertime bliss, but for their revamp possibilities.  Last week I did a huge cleanup in my office- reorganized everything and made my creating space much more useable and functional.  Someday I’ll have a space like this or this, but that’s a long way off- right now I’m just happy to have a table and a closet.

When I was done I decided to get to work on the possibilities of this here beer container.  (Keep your beer preferences to yourself.  And if you haven’t tried this kind, give it a whirl- I love it.)

Here’s what you need if you’d like to repurpose your beer container.

• Beer container or anything else that holds cans/bottles
• Mod Podge (of course- it’s my new BFF apparently) and applicator (I like sponge brushes)  (I have MP Hardcoat pictured- was thinking of using it and decided not to)
• pencil or marker for tracing
• Scissors (I’ve only pictured my big pair, but I ended up using a small pair for the handles)
• Paper that you love, love, love and have been afraid to use for something because it’s just so nice.  Use it.  What’s the point in it sitting there?  There will always be more paper somewhere that you love.
• Any other cool, crazy accoutrements you’d like to add (stickers, letters, borders, zots, tags, etc.)
• Something to cover your worksurface.  Come on, we’re using MP people.

Steps to take:

• Drink the beer (sorry, had to say it)
• Decide how you want to use the paper- what’s going to go on the front, back, sides, etc.  I did not do this and ended up having to change things up.  It still looks fine, but I was momentarily bummed.
• Trace the different sides of your container on the paper and cut out.  You don’t have to be too precise- the parts that show on mine are hardly noticeable, and it just adds to the character.  I’ve had this paper on the left for years- I think, actually, for about 10 years.  I always thought I’d use it to write a letter or something, but never happened.   I just love her face and her arms.  I couldn’t bear to throw it away.  When I found it during my office reorganization I knew it had to be part of this- this way I can see her every day.  Love it.

• Mod Podge it up.  I painted the MP on the container first, smoothed the paper on top and then let it dry.  Then I came back to it 15 minutes later or so and painted the paper with MP.
• Add your “extras.”  I framed the girl in a frame I had that happened to look good with what I had.  Then I used 3-D Zots to lift her up a bit from the box- nice layered look, I think.  Here’s my finished product- I. Love. It.

Oh, but that’s just one side.  Here’s the rest, and a shot of it on top of my shelf.  The other side says, “Get your craft on!”  The two small sides say “create” and “love.”  I was going to do “create” and “inspire” but I ran out of R stickers.  Oh well.  Love is always a good thing, I say.  I’m using it to hold my (what else?) Mod Podge, acrylic sealer and brushes.  The slots are just a bit smaller than a large jar of MP, but since the cardboard is flexible it’s all good.

And now, here’s my little freebie for today:

I have 7 more pieces of this little lady.  Would you like to use her?  I’d love to send you a sheet- it’s just 8.5×11 paper, not thick at all.  My only condition is that when you make something with her you link up to this post and let me know what you do with her.  ‘M-kay?  Pictures would be awesome.  So, since I have 7 pieces, the first 7 peeps to post a comment will get her in the mail.  Make sure I can find you, either leave your email with the comment (not in the comment- in the box) or make sure your contact info is current on your blog.  That way I can get your address.  If you don’t want the paper but still like what I did, feel free to still leave a comment- I love to see what people think.

I am linking up to It’s a Blog Party,  C.R.A.F.T., and  Making the World Cuter.  Yee haw!

p.s.  I apologize for my excessive use of parenthesis.  (I can’t control myself.)