DIY

What is it? The 50 Cent Wooden Mini Pallet Makeover

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Buy now ask questions later! The price was certainly right, only 50 cents, but what was this item and what was it’s original use?  It looked like a miniature pallet, but felt a little like a tray. Whatever it was didn’t really matter. I loved the fact that it was a fresh unstyled piece and I was determined to give it a new look. After searching the Goodwill shelves a bit more and leaving disappointed, I took a trip down the fabric aisle and found a nice old bed skirt with a triangular pattern that would be a perfect restyle fabric.

I gathered the materials I would need. Firstly, I traced the pallet slats onto the fabric with a black sharpie marker. I repeated this a total of 3 times once for each slat.  I then cut the fabric out with scissors.

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I applied the Mod Podge to each slat with a foam brush and glued down the fabric smoothing it out gently with my hand.  I used black acrylic to paint the non decoupaged areas. Once the piece was completely dry, I applied Mod Podge over the entire tray to seal it.  Not bad for 50 cents!

Before/After:

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“Me Want Cookie!!!” Cookie Monster Decoupage Cookie Jar

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Family Proclamation: We really need a cookie jar!  Every time me or my husband open a bag of vanilla wafers for our little one, the bag rips and the box won’t stay closed. The cookies also don’t stay fresh for very long under these conditions.  Often times, I end up cramming all the cookies into one sandwich bag, not very attractive!  So, I just so happened to be in the thrift store last week, when I  came across a large glass jar with a lid for only $1.99!  This I thought to myself, would make a perfect cookie jar so into my cart it went.

As most of my readers already know my daughter is a HUGE Sesame Street fan.  Her favorite doll is her Ernie doll which she carries with her everywhere she goes and takes with her to bed at night. Her other favorites are Elmo and Cookie Monster.  It just seemed like a no brainer that a Cookie Monster/Sesame Street Cookie Jar was in order.  I printed out 5×7 Cookie Monster image from online, and for the sides of the jar I decided to recycle an old Sesame Street Birthday Party Decoration.

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I cut out all of the images I wanted to decoupage to the jar.  The birthday decorations were a bit larger than needed so I carefully trimmed them up so they would fit. The great thing about using the birthday decorations you ask?  They are double-sided and reflected the same image on the inside of the  jar as well as the outside-Awesome.

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Next step was to  apply the Mod Podge with a medium-sized artist’s brush.  I carefully glued the images on the glass.  I did this slowly, smoothing out the paper with my hand as to capture as little air between the paper and the glass as possible. Once dry, I applied two coats of Mod Podge over each image to seal it permanently to the glass.

Now, we have a fun and decorative place to keep our cookies fresh without dealing with those frustrating bags!

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The Secrets Out: John Waterhouse Decoupage Wooden Box Craft

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I was in Michael’s Craft Store picking up some scrapbook paper, when I took a small detour down the wood craft aisle.  They had every shape and sized bird house, jewelry box, and  storage crates just to name a few.  Normally, I would just walk down the aisle and keep going,  but today I was intrigued by the idea of creating a craft from new previously un-used material. Besides, I had already looked through my home, been out thrifting, and  spent work lunches at Goodwill, and was unable to come across a simple wooden box to decoupage.  I thought one of these wooden boxes would be perfect for my friend’s birthday which was still a few month’s out, so I had plenty of time to make it in between making other crafts.

Art Minds Wooden Box

Wooden Box at Michael’s.com

My friend is a fan of the arts and I had been searching for the perfect painting to decoupage for her.  I came across the artwork of John Waterhouse  and saw a print entitled “My Sweet Rose”  It reminded me of my friend instantly when I saw it, and I thought she would love the image. I traced the box lid  on to the print with a pencil, cut it out and placed it to the side.  I used a foam brush to apply the Mod Podge to the box lid.  Once applied I glued the image to the box, carefully smoothing out any air bubbles or wrinkles.  I allowed the piece to dry.  Once dry I applied another coat of Mod Podge to the top of the photo, sealing the photo to the box.

I decided to stain the box instead of painting it.  I used a wood walnut stain, but any wood stain, finish or color would work. It really depends on personal taste.  I didn’t want the box to appear too dark so I only applied two coats total. I allowed the box dry. While drying I measured out the floral wrapping paper I wanted to use to line the inside.  I applied the wrapping paper with Mod Podge. The biggest challenge was keeping the wrapping paper from bubbling up.  I find wrapping paper the few times I have used it, doesn’t work well (Keep in mind it is thinner paper and purchased from the dollar store) The floral print ; However matched perfectly and I decided despite the challenges to use it in this project. Once the entire piece was dry I used another coat of Mod Podge to seal the entire box. I allowed the entire piece to dry under a fan overnight.

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My friend’s birthday was July 4th, and she received the box in the mail and loved it.  John Waterhouse it turns out is one of her favorite artists, and she loved the keepsake quality of the box.

That also means, now that the secrets out I can share this craft with all of my internet friends.  I hope you enjoy!

Materials:

Used or new wooden box

Wood stain color of choice

Image/or images e to decoupage

wrapping paper (inside liner)

Craft foam brush

Scissors

Paint brush to apply stain

Wine Craft Wednesday: Upcycled Wine Bottle Garden Decorations

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There is nothing better than spending an evening decompressing after a long, hard day with a glass of wine.  Of course, even the occasional wine drinker is left to answer the question, “What do I do with all those empty wine bottles?” There are many great ideas out on the world-wide web for upcycling used bottles of all shapes and sizes.  Some of these projects call for “bottle cutting” and from what I have been reading online this is not always for the faint of heart. I wanted to do a wine bottle upcycle project that was simple and didn’t end with a trip to the Emergency Room.  I had decoupaged some bottles in the past, but I thought this time I would try something a little different.  I would attempt to make an outdoor garden marker using Outdoor Mod Podge and recycled gift bags.  First, I filled up a large pot with hot tap water.  I filled the wine bottles with hot water so they would submerse,  and placed them in the pot.  I let them sit for about and hour or until I could easily remove the wine labels.  While they dried I gathered the materials I needed.

Gift Bags

Scissors

Outdoor Mod Podge

Foam brush

I cut out the images I wanted to decoupage.  I turned the bottle upside down bottom of the bottle facing up.  I glued the images to the bottle using the Mod Podge and a foam brush.  I used my hands to smooth out the images and placed the  bottles under a stand up fan to dry.  Once dry, I applied 3 coats of Outdoor Mod Podge over the top of the image to seal. The instructions on the bottle of Outdoor Mod Podge say to let the piece dry indoors for about 72 hours.  An alternative use would be larger garden markers.  You could decoupage an image of a vegetable for example to label plants in the garden. The bottle neck acts as a stake to anchor the bottle into the ground.  Nowyou can kick back in the yard with that glass wine and admire your upcycle!

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Upcycled Wine Bottle Garden Markers

A Manic Monday: Rock N’ Roll Themed Candles made with Mod Podge

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Anyone who knows me well, knows one thing: “I don’t like Monday’s!”  It’s always tough saying goodbye to the weekend and I always seem especially sluggish coming off the weekend.  As much as I love bigger projects, sometimes it is fun, and refreshing to complete a smaller, simpler one.  This craft seemed a perfect one to share especially on a rainy Monday.

I love Rock and Roll and am a big fan of music in general.  My husband and I were sitting around on a Saturday night, Watching “That Metal Show on VH1 Classic” kicking around ideas for projects. I thought it would be cool to make Rock and Roll candles.  The dollar stores sell long white glass candles. They are perfect and literally any image can be put on them with a little Mod Podge. We chose Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy images and printed them out 5×7 on photo paper.  We cut them out and placed them aside.

I applied Mod Podge Matte onto the glass.  I centered the photo and glued the image down. slowly smoothing out any creases. Once dry, I applied 2 coats of Mod Podge with a medium brush over top of the image to seal it.  If Rock N Roll isn’t your thing.  Any image will work so let your mind run wild.  Family photos, scrapbook paper, sports images- Maybe Monday’s aren’t so bad  after all!

Materials:

candles

printed image of choice

scissors

Mod Podge Matte Finish

thick paint brush

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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

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 )

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