Month: June 2013

It’s Sunday, Have a Seat: Upcycled, Hand Painted Decoupage Football Lover’s Chair

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I can assure you this will not be the last chair upcycle you will see on this blog.  I have really grown fond of Upcycling old chairs.  Not only do they look great when finished, They are a manageable pieces of furniture that fit easily in my smaller car. (I dream of someday having a truck or van to go for the bigger pieces) They also tend to be priced right.  Many of them are chair orphans separated from their original set.  On this day of thrifty shopping I came across two chairs priced very reasonably at $5.99 each. My husband had suggested since the Sports Team TV Trays turned out great, to do a matching sports themed chair.  Of course me being me I said sure!  I had picked up a perfect X back chair that would work well  for this latest project.

First, I cleaned the chair removing any dust or dirt.  I then painted the entire chair with a white latex primer.  I applied two coats of primer total. This was important since I did not sand the chair and it had a bit of a lacquer finish.  The Latex primer helps the paint to adhere to the chair better.  While the chair dried I prepared The Philadelphia Eagles logo I had printed.  I cut out the image.  Once the seat was dry I used Mod Podge Matte to glue the decal to the seat carefully smoothing out any air bubbles. I then added a few layers of Mod Podge over top of the decal.  When you hand paint using brushes sometimes the paint will splatter.  Protect your decal by covering it with Mod Podge (Once dry any paint can be wiped away with a wet cloth.) Or cover it with a plastic shopping bag.

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Now it was time to paint the chair.  The Philadelphia Eagles colors are Hunter Green, Black and White and those are the colors I wanted to use for this chair. I used about 2 coats of Acrylic paint allowing to dry thoroughly between coats in front of a stand up fan.

The next day, I used the Mod Podge Matte to completely cover the chair to seal it to prevent chipping.  I covered the chair in 2 coats of Mod Podge and the seat received 4 coats. I always add a bit of extra protection in areas I know will get the most use.

Before and After:

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Recap of Materials Used:

Chair

Mod Podge Matte

Sponge Brush to apply Mod Podge

Print Sports Team Decal of your choice

Scissors

Acrylic Paint/Various sized brushes

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Sports ChairSports Fan Chair Made with Mod Podge-On The Upcycle

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“Like” On The Upcycle on Facebook

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On The Upcycle on Facebook

I have started a new Facebook page for “On The Upcycle” on Facebook.  Their is still much work to be done on the page, but thanks to Bucket List Publications for the ideas on how to increase traffic and promote readership to your blog.  Make sure and check it out.

A Decorative Touch: Dollar Store Metal Decoupage Planters

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I found these metal planters at Dollar Tree in their lawn and garden section. These planters were functional, but not very decorative.  I was attracted to the shape, material and size of these planters.  Of course, the price was certainly right.  What was that? Only one dollar?

If you decide to use these planters  in the yard, make sure to use Outdoor Mod Podge to seal them for added protection.  My plan was to keep them inside. I decided to use Mod Podge Matte Finish to decoupage some Victorian imagery onto the planters. I cut out the images, glued them to the metal planters and did my best to smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles with my hands.  When dry, I used a paint brush to apply two coats of Mod Podge. Now, they display some lovely pink and purple Hydrangea from our back yard on our mantel.

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Deccoupage metal Planter

Decoupage Metal Planters

The Patriotic Pasta Necklace~ Fun With Paint

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I love getting my daughter interested in creative endeavours, and there is nothing more exciting for a 2-year-old than finger painting!  My little girl loves color!    There are many non toxic, and washable paints and markers available that are safe for young children. Making sure they are non toxic is key.  I looked down to find my little toddler apprentice lips were blue!  There is a great recipe to make your own edible toddler finger paint at Momtastic Be sure and check it out!

My daughter’s art room is our kitchen, which is the easiest area to clean, since inevitably the walls will get their own bit of artwork on them.  Once the painting was done, it was off to the bath and bed.  The artwork left to dry on the front of the fridge.

Vincet Van Goo Goo

What day of crafting would be complete without some sort of pasta art project.  I decided to make a pasta necklace in celebration of the 4th of July holiday. I thought it would be something fun for my daughter to play with and wear.  This was a pretty simple craft in which the kids can help make too!

Patriotic Pasta Necklace

I used three plastic cups.  I poured Red, White and Blue paint into the cups and dipped the dry Rigatoni noodles in each color.  I repeated this until I had enough to make the necklace my desired length.  It seemed like it was taking a while for them to dry, so I decided to I let them dry overnight.  Once they were dry, I threaded them onto the twine Red, White and Blue in that order, tied a good knot and Poof! Instant Patriotic Pasta Necklace!

Kids Craft Necklace

And Erin seemed to like it too!

Living On The Upcycle: Money Saving Tips and More!

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For those of you who have decided to follow my little DIY Blog, I can’t thank you enough.  It’s been about two months now since I started blogging, and I have really enjoyed the sense of online community here on Word Press.  Those of you who have been following me and my decoupage obsession have seen me use scrapbook paper on many of my projects.  I wanted to share with you the book of papers featured on my blog.  I purchased this scrapbook paper book at AC Moore for about $12.99 and it features damask and other patterns in mostly black and white.  I still have some sheets left, but have used many of the patterns featured inside.

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Recently, I had to purchase more Mod Podge Matte as I was in danger of running out.  We all know Mod Podge can be expensive.  When you restyle a lot of bigger projects such as furniture you can end up using a lot of the stuff.  I have been to a few craft stores locally, and so far the only one I have seen that sells Mod Podge by the gallon is AC Moore.  A gallon of Mod Podge is priced at $36.99!  Ouch!  The key is to wait until they feature the 50% off one regular priced item coupon. On a recent trip with the store coupon I saved over $18.00 off the price!  When the cashier keeps saying “Wow you saved a lot!” you know you got a great deal!  For current coupons and deals visit AC Moore Online

Mod Podge by the Gallon

Lastly, I have been working on an “On The Upcycle”  Logo.  I want to say thanks to Re:Retro for posting her blog entry Retro Office Stuff  featuring the retro Dymo label maker. I am a sucker for old, retro things and I just happened to have a Dymo label maker that I hadn’t used in a really long time.  Her blog entry inspired me to knock off the dust, have some fun, and use it again.  I came up with these logos.  To me it says what is old can be new again : )

On the Upcycle logo

 

On the Upcycle BW

Repurposing Glass Bottles: Celestial Dish Soap Dispenser

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While at the new Joann Fabric Store the other day, I found this great little glass bottle with a liquid dispenser top.  It was a bargain at only .99 cents!  Seeing the dispenser, reminded me of a wine bottle re-purpose I saw on Pinterest from the  Mom 4 Real Blog.  It took a wine bottle and restyled it into a liquid dish soap dispenser.  I thought this was pure genius and it looked great!  The only problem for  me was counter top space, so rather than use a wine bottle for my attempt at the project, I decided to use this smaller square glass bottle. A simple decoupage restyle was in order! I gathered up the items I would need to make this project happen.  I decided to go with a celestial themed print I loved, and it matched the colors in my kitchen perfectly!

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I decided to use Outdoor Mod Podge for this project.  My reasoning behind this was the close proximity  this bottle would be to the sink.  I thought it might hold up better with the added protection.  I simply printed the image, cut it out, and glued it to the glass with the Mod Podge.  Once dry, I then added 2 more coats over the image to seal it.  I believe the liquid/stopper/dispensers are sold separately so any glass bottle in which one of these stoppers would fit the opening would work for this project, a wine bottle is a fine example of that. I posted a photo below of the finished product.  This was an easy project and I am loving the whimsical celestial imagery!

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Fabric and Mod Podge Mania- Upcycled Kids Wooden School Desk

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What to do? Yesterday, the hubby had to go off to work so it was just me and the daughter dear all day. I decided to take a trip up to the new Joann Fabric  mega store that just opened up down the street from my house (I now have a craft store practically within walking distance, this could be dangerous!)  Usually, as you all know, I am a “thrifty” shopper, but today I had a few crafting supplies I had to pick up and I figured why not give it a look?  They had a great coupon I found online,  30% off total purchase (except for sale items of course) Which was icing on the cake –if I decided to buy anything.  I walked into the store and it was HUGE!  The place was filled with aisles, upon aisles of fabric.  I am used to Goodwill prices, so I was shocked at how expensive fabric can be! One fabric in particular  was $49.99 per yard… yikes!  Thank goodness they had good sales and aisles filled with fabric at $4.99 a yard phew!

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I found this great school themed material. I had purchased a wooden school desk at an outdoor flea market some time ago, and had no idea how or with what material I was going to restyle it.  Now it was no question the winner was… fabric! I picked up a yard for about $5.89 on sale.  Once me and the giggle-goo got home, nap time was approaching so, I put the little one to bed and gathered my materials I would need to get started.

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First thing was to make sure the piece was clean and free of dust.  Then I used a black marker to trace the desk top and seat onto the fabric.  Once this was done, I carefully cut the cloth with a pair of scissors. I then generously applied the Mod Podge Matte finish on the desk top and on the seat using a larger paint brush to smooth it out.  Then I applied it to the fabric, using my hands to smooth out any air bubbles.  Messy you say?  Absolutely, but I feel with fabric it gives me more control, than using the Mod Podge tools.  Besides, I have never been afraid to get my hands dirty!  Once it was smoothed out, I then applied a layer of Mod Podge over top of the fabric. While that was dying, I painted the piece.  I used Red, Black, and Blue all colors featured in the fabric. The wood was ready to paint and not in need of priming, but it was very dry and soaked the paint in initially.  It took about 3 coats overall to get the desired result. I brought the piece back upstairs and allowed it to dry for several hours under a stand up fan.

Fast forward to later in the evening.,with the daughter asleep for the night and the hubby finally home, I worked on finishing the piece. I decided to cut out some swatches from the material and Mod Podge these onto the sides to add a little more life to that area.  I then covered the entire desk with 2 coats of Mod Podge.  I usually add more coats to the areas that will get more use and where the cloth was applied.  I used 4 coats on the seat and the desk top areas.  Pictured below is the wooden desk before and after:

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The hubby loved how it turned out and I can’t wait for the little one to use it!  She loves sitting at her little table and chair so I think she will enjoy this just as much and it will grow with her.  I also love the neutrality of the desk a boy or girl could use it!

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Stay calm and happy crafting my friends : 0 )

DIY Recycled Wooden Photo Plaque

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We have all seen them at the thrift stores and swap meets, and outdoor flea markets.  They are wooden plaques with various images painted or printed on them.  Sure, you can purchase wooden plaques at your local craft store brand new, but this one cost only .99 cents and I rescued it from a possible trip to the landfill.  Purchasing “pre -owned, only added one additional step to the project. I had to use a white, latex primer first before I could paint the plaque black with acrylic paint.   As far as projects go, it doesn’t get any easier than this!   This is a great beginner project if you are using Mod Podge for the first time.

First, I formatted and cropped the black and white photo into an oval shape and printed it out on photo paper.   I can’t afford photo shop, but there are plenty of free great photo editing software on the web.  I use  Paint.net .  This is my one of my favorite photo’s.   I took this when my daughter was only two days old.  Amazing how those days go by so quickly!  Even more reason to immortalize these special  moments  in time.  I left some time for the ink to dry on the paper and cut out the image carefully with a pair of scissors leaving a white border around it.  This I thought  would make the photo stand out from the black plaque.  I then glued the photograph down to the plaque using Mod Podge Matte finish.  Once dry, I covered the photo plaque with two coats of Mod Podge allowing the plaque to dry between coats.  The nice thing about recycled plaques are often times than not, they come ready to hang on the wall!  I was more than happy to add this Photo Plaque to our photo wall leading upstairs.

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Pictured above Before and After

Materials:

Wooden Plaque/New or Recycled

Mod Podge Matte Finish

Printed Photo to decoupage

Scissors, Paint brush

Black Acrylic Paint

White Latex Primer

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Breaking Bread: Decoupage Bread Box Restyle

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Decoupage Bread Box

When I was growing up, the one thing I remember we always had in our house was a bread box. So, naturally, when I moved out and acquired a home of my own, I immediatly bought this breadbox. Yes, this ACTUAL bread box! That would make this breadbox over 18 years-old! As far as bread boxes go it was typical, a wooden box and that was it.  No color, no style.  For years I thought of doing away with a bread box all together.  It took up a lot of counter space and it was nothing special, but where would I put the bread? When I started experimenting with Mod Podge and decoupage, This bread box was on my to do list.  Many projects have come and gone and it was finally time to decoupage the box!

This project was not as easy as it looks.  First, I measured the scrapbook paper I wanted to decoupage to the door,  I only had one piece in this style and in order to make it work, I had to trim, line up the design,  and fit it together in a few spots.  After the bread box  was cleaned, and primed, I glued the paper down with Mod Podge, and let dry.  I then painted most of the Bread box blue with acrylic paint and let it dry.  Next challenge was the number of coats of paint!  Cleaning it only helped so much after many years in the kitchen there was still a bit of grease on it.  I applied as many coats as it needed about 4 in all.Once the entire piece was dry, I applied the Mod Podge Matte to seal it.  I find the more layers of Mod Podge the better.  Yet another challenge was the door and not leaving enough room between the paper and the opening.  I had to carefully trim this with an X Acto knife.  Despite all this, I am glad this project is finally finished and the bread has a restyled box to call home

Decoupage Bread Box Mod Podge

A Lively Computer Tablet: Decoupage Makeover

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Decoupage Tablet

I remember a time before computers.  Sure, actual computers have been around since as early as the mid 1930’s, but most computers were not accessible to the general public until the later 1990’s when I was already out of High School and beginning college. It wasn’t until the internet came in to play that everything changed, and computers began to get smaller and smaller.  I also remember a time when the closest thing to a computer in school was a book or a type writer.  I looked forward to getting new books every year, just so I could cover them with a brown paper bag!  I loved to draw designs on these paper jackets, pay tribute to my favorite music groups, and draw just about anything my teenage mind could come up with.  This was the inspiration behind this project.  Why not  “cover” the modern book, my little MID brand tablet.  I loved the result I achieved with decoupage smart phone makeover  So, I decided to give it a try.  I prepped the tablet cleaning it and removing any dust.   I then traced the tablet onto the scrapbook paper.  I picked a nice brightly-colored scrapbook design.   Keep in mind the design possibilities are endless! Joann Fabric had a great sale, five sheets of selected papers for only $1.00!   Once traced, I cut the it out, carefully cutting away the speaker area with an X-Acto knife.  I also paid close attention to  any other areas I did not want to cover with the paper.

Next, I applied Mod Podge to the back of the tablet, carefully avoiding any areas that might not tolerate glue, like the speaker for example.  I carefully glued the scrapbook paper to the back of the tablet, mind fully and with a smaller paintbrush.  This kept the glue from getting into any of the important areas.  If you are worried, you can also put a small piece of scotch tape over those areas to protect them, carefully peeling it off later.  Once dry, I covered the outside with multiple coats of Mod Podge Matte finish allowing to dry thoroughly between coats.

Materials used:

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I love the new look!  Who says an ugly tablet doesn’t deserve a decoupage makeover?

Live on the UPCYCLE!