Aunt Deb's Wall

My Aunt recently bought a lovely new house, and with that lovely new house, came lovely empty walls. Which, of course, she would like filled. Going on very little, this is what I came up with for her new dining room. The room has 1 wall painted sage green, and she added a sand colored table runner and table cloth to the table.

You'll Need:

Mod Podge
1" bristle paint brush (3/$1 at DT)
Wooden Embellishments ($1.99 at Hobby Lobby, $2.99 at Michaels)
Scrapbook Paper
Paint
Distress Ink (I used a color called Peeled Paint)
3 Saints pictures from DT
Sand Paper

The wooden embellishments

1. Because the paint will need time to dry, start this process first. I painted my embellishments all Ivory color. I wound up needing 2 coats, but next time, I think I'd choose to use spray paint for reasons I'll note below.
2. Once the embellishment is covered and dry, water down your brush, and use a second color. I choose Moss Green. Water down the paint with the brush, and cover the object, paying close mind to fill in crevices, creases, dimples, etc. Let it set for just a moment, then use a slightly damp paper towel to wipe the paint off. This should leave just a slight hint of color in the creases.
3. After it has dried completely again, I took my Peeled Paint distress ink, and just brushed it against the surface, so that some ridges were brushed with a deep sage green color.

Note about these embellishments:

I'm not sure if it was the paint I used, or the quality of the wooden embellishments, but every last one of them showed little surface cracks, and the tops were peeling from the backs after I painted them. Given that I used 4 different packs, and 3 different designs, I think it was the quality of the embellishments, and not the paint. One of them even had to be glued together. I have used these once before, and spray painted them first, and they did not do this. Maybe it was a bad lot, but given that it was 4 packs and 3 different designs, I'm not sure.

The picture

1.  Sand the surface of your picture down, first. The Mod Podge will adhere better. Once it is sanded, make sure to thou roughly wipe it down, so that the dust is all gone.
2. Measure the paper- I measured it wide enough to wrap around the edges. Cut it out, and set it aside. 
3. Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the front of the picture. I chose to use Matte finished. Once it's coated, smooth the paper on. In my case, I turned the paper upside down, and put the picture down on it so I could more easily center it. Using pressure, your hand, your distress ink- whatever you have, smooth out the paper as it dries, to limit or eliminate wrinkles. 
4. Once it's dry, choose your next paper. For my second paper, I ripped a sheet of cream colored, slightly pearlized scrapbook paper in half, then tore the remaining edges. Once torn, I distressed each edge.
5. Mod podge the paper onto the center, paying close attention to smoothing out wrinkles. If you are happy with the over all picture at this point, and have no desire to add to the basic design, Mod Podge over the entire surface for a top coat, and let dry.
6. Once it's dry, take your now dry wooden embellishments, arrange them how you like, and hot glue them into place.
7. Lastly, seal the wood with a coat of Mod Podge.

 My total costs:

Wooden Embellishments: $8
Scrapbook Paper: $1.35
Saints Pictures- $3
Paint, Ink, Mod Podge- Pennies, it was on hand, and reusable

Total Cost: Roughly $12.50 for 3 8x10 Wall Hangings

This post is linked up at the link parties listed here.

Craft Hacking Grandin Road

It all started with a message on Facebook from my mom. She found some wall art she really liked, but the price was just insane. She asked me to wrap my head around it, and see what we could do to recreate it.

It was very clear to me that we could indeed do it for much cheaper than Grandin Road wanted for it.

Here's a photo of the original art work she loved.

It's 3 canvases across, and 4 canvases down, for 12 total canvases. In this instance, it resembles a telephone pad. The canvases are sold separately, at a cost of $119 each for 16x16, and $159 each for 24x24.  To buy 1 each of the 16x16 canvases, you are looking at spending $1,428. Want to splurge on the larger size? $1908 in all.

Well, it was a no brainer to me. Obviously we could do it a LOT cheaper than that, and fully customize it while we were at it!

This weekend, I drove over to her neck of the woods with my older daughter Raegan, and we got started.

Telephone Pad Wall Art

You'll Need:

1. 12 Canvases- we went to Dollar Tree and picked up 12 of the bird printed 5x5 wall art picture, which are stretched like a canvas around a wooden frame, but the "canvas" is more of a plasticy feel.
2. Mod Podge
3. Scrapbook Paper or Fabric- We used 2-3 patterns for each canvas, but the scraps left over on most of them were large enough for some numbers or contrasting. I would recommend 12 sheets of 12x12, and 4-6 sheets of 12x12 for extra paper
4. Distress Ink
5. Stencils or computer print outs of numbers- we used stencils on some, free hand on some, and computer print outs on some
6. Paint brushes
7. Buttons- we used these for dots on the number 3 block, but this can easily be skipped.
8. Scissors

All in all, supply wise, we spent $12 on the canvases, and we spent roughly  $15 on scrapbook paper, with plenty left over. The buttons we found came in 3 packs, but only 1 large one per pack, so we bought 3 packs at $2.99 each. Split that down to what was used, and it was $1 per button- but this could easily be "On Hand" with buttons you have, or circles, or even just using the number 3.

We picked up the stencils for $3.50 after a 40% coupon, and they're totally reusable, so I'm not counting that as a cost necessary to this project. I had Mod Podge, but we also bought some, again with 40% coupons. I had everything else on hand that we needed.

So total costs:

Canvases- $12
Paper- $15
Buttons- $3

For a total of $30 spent, probably less when I subtract papers not used. $2.50 for each of 12 pieces for this large wall art. I -freaking- love it. We "saved" $116.50 on each piece we made, for a total savings of $1398. Almost $1400 saved by "Doing It Yourself!"

And now, for the tutorial.

1. First, do as I say, not as I did- match each paper up with 1-2 contrasting papers for the numbers or design. Trust me. Once you've matched it, lay it all out in the order you want them in- rearrange so you don't have all orange on top, and all green on the bottom have the colors matched up where you want them. Take a photo, and number the backs of the paper in pencil. Trust me. 
2. Decide which paper will be the back ground. We decided to crumple some, and leave some flat. The crumpled paper got distressed immediatly. From there, start covering the canvases. You'll want to measure the paper out to about 1/4" wider than the canvas, give or take a bit.
3. Spread the top of the canvas with Mod Podge (we used Matte, and it turned out great), and smooth the paper on. From there, start folding and Mod Podging it around the edges. Take care to remember where the hanger is on the back, and don't podge over it.
4. As the canvases dry, distress them to your liking. We used 4 different colors, so some were more brown, some had a touch of black, some red, etc. 
5. Once all the canvases are papered, it's time to start cutting out your numbers. While we did do the phone pad, we didn't do a number, precisely, on each one. The 4, for instance, spells out FOUR in a square, instead of the number 4. The 5 is hash marks. The 3 resembles a dice with 3 dots. Be creative. Also- this is where you'll notice that while a large chunk of paper A stands out nicely against paper B, when cut to a thin number, it blends RIGHT in. Ugh. This is where chunks of scrap paper came in nicely to form blocks behind some of the numbers. I also took advantage of my distress ink to high light edges, or create square blocks behind numbers.
6. When you are satisfied, start to podge over the tops, adding the numbers. 
7. Seal the top with more podge.
8. Viola! You are done!

All in all, I was surprised at how quickly this project went. We made 12, and granted, there were 2 of us working on it, but the entire project only took about 2 hours from start to finish.  And without further ado, some photos.

A few of the paper covered canvases

Trying to figure out/remember what papers we picked to go with which papers. Oops- this is where my stressing of doing this first came in.

A few finished canvases

This one, we wound up going back and outlining the letters with a cranberry colored marker, because while the print stands out, the letters themselves blend in, and it was very hard to read the letters FOUR. I did not, however, get a photo of it outlined.

(I just LOVE the 2 with the circle around it!)

And finally... The whole thing!

The entire project, put together- isn't it fantastic? The awesome thing about this? Well, aside from being FRUGAL? It's totally customizable when you DIY. Don't like the colors? The fonts? Want letters instead of numbers? Totally doable. It came out great, and we had a lot of fun making it!

I'm hard pressed to pick an all out favorite, because I love the entire project. And I also love that I "saved" us almost $1400 with some ingenuity and craftiness. 

One last comparison:

Once my mom gets it hung, I'll get some photos of it, but I was too anxious to post this wicked awesome project to wait for them!

This post is linked up at the link parties listed here.

Talented Tuesday & A Twilight Craft Box

Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope everyone's week has been going great so far!

Welcome back to Talented Tuesday, where you, my awesome readers, strut your stuff, and show us all the cool stuff you've made recently. From food, to furniture, to clothing, and so much more, you guys continue to amaze me with your fun projects.

Below is one of my weekend crafts- a wooden box made over in black, white, and red (with pink, since I had a very hard time finding just dark red printed scrapbook paper, after stopping at 3 stores). My oldest daughter is going to be 14 soon, which is enough of a shock to my system. Right now, she's very into Twilight, so I've been making Twilight inspired crafts.

I found a cubed wooden box at the local grocery store, of all places, on clearance for $2-something. Perfect! I snagged it without an immediate project in mind, but it only took a few days to come up with an idea. When I had my Girls Day Out with one of my good friends last Friday, I picked up some fun supplies- scrapbook paper (like, a ton!), Glitter mod podge (ooOOOOoOOoo...), ribbon, wooden 'knobs' (a 3 pack), lots of felt, 2 Distress Ink ink pads (black soot, which I am NOT in love with, and Fired Brick, which I do love), and much more.

Below is the project. I was overly zealous, and did not stop to take any before or during photos (that's becoming a bad habit...), so all you have is the finished project. I also didn't stop to paint the box first, but... that's not really something it -needed-, just thought it would be a nice touch.

What I Used:
5 Sheets of Scrapbook Paper (not a whole sheet needed of each, but I wanted a different pattern on each side)
1 Wooden Knob
Paint
Mod Podge
Distress Ink

1. Measure and cut your paper. I used 5 different patterns. Because the lid has edges, I tore the paper in half for a more distressed look. In some instances, I had to tear more off to allow for where the wood meets.
2. I used Black Soot Distress Ink on the red paper. I don't feel the black soot was up to the same quality as the Red Brick I also bought, or the Vintage Photo I have had for a few weeks. It got ALL OVER my hands, and it did not dry anywhere near as quickly- when I mod podged it to the wood, it smeared on the first one. You can kind of see it in the photo above, on the red swirly side of the box.
3. I used Red Brick Distress Ink on the black & white sides, and it worked wonderfully. For the most part, I distressed all the sides of the paper (all paper used, actually), and a few smudges here and there in the middle of the papers.
4. For the top section, I tore each of the four edges. 
5. I used Matte Mod Podge to attach the paper to the box. Once it was dry, some of the paper had an over hang on the corners, so I sanded down each corner and edge on the box, and some of the sections where the lid meets the box, so the paper wouldn't get in the way. 
6. For the top coat, I went with Glitter Mod Podge, so it sparkles, like the Vampire Wannabe's in Twilight. (can you tell, it's not my favorite book ever?) Glitter Mod Podge sparkles nicely, and I can't wait to use it in some Easter crafts.
7. While this dried, I painted one of the wooden knobs. I first thought the red I had on hand would be too bright, so I added a few drops of black, but the color came out all together too rustic and brownish, so I wiped as much of it off as I could, then repainted it red. The dark color showed through in some spots, for a distressed look, so my mistake? Totally on purpose to distress it. Or so I'll tell anyone who asks. I also added some spots of black ink around it with a foam brush, for added depth to the color.
8. When the knob dried, I used E6000 to glue it to the center of the lid, then I mod podged over it with Glitter Mod Podge. 

And, really, that's all she wrote. It was an easy craft. Unfortunately, when I went back for more boxes, they were sold out. But, I did score a really cool, unfinished wooden jewelry box. Can't wait to try that one out!

I wish I had the Glitter Mod Podge on hand last week, when I made a springy heart in twilight colors. They match, but not totally, since I used Gold Shimmer, and used the Vintage Photo Distress Ink, which is brown. But, there you have it. I now have 2 Twilight inspired crafts for Raegan's birthday in April.

Hopefully, I'll come up with more before then!

 

  

 

This post is linked up at the link parties listed here.

---

The Rules

1) Post a blog about something you've made- a refurnish, recipes, a craft project, a sewing project, room decoration, anything you've done!

2) Add a link to your blog post- not to the blog itself, but to the individual posts! You can post more than one project, just add more links! The links should look something like:

http://theherberfamily.blogspot.com/2010/01/love-banner.html

and NOT like this:

http://theherberfamily.blogspot.com/

3) Add the code below to each post you link to the MckLinky, so that others can post their projects here as well! The list will accept new links through Saturday, so if you make something new, come back and post it! Don't forget to look at the links on the list, and let people know where you found their post at!

This MckLinky will remain open and accepting links through Wed night, so feel free to come back and add more links if you post new things!!

---

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://theherberfamily.blogspot.com/"><br /> <img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv318/princessspanky/button_tuesdays.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" width="125" height="125"></a></p>

---

Mod Podge Madness!

Over the weekend, I picked up a new bottle of Matte finished Mod Podge, and a bottle of Glossy finish, both on clearance at a local store for just $3 a bottle. Oh, the Mod Podge joy to be had!

I've been Mod Podging all weekend. All right, all right, not ALL weekend, but I have done quite a bit of Mod Podging.

First up- A Heart Shaped Springy Clip Thingy. Yes, I'm sure that was the technical name for it. Back before Christmas, I found a large basket packed full of craft supplies for just $2.99 at Goodwill, and it came with all these shaped clips on springy stands.

I was looking to make a last minute Valentine's Day decoration. I chose to paint the base and edges red. It was a Crimson color, which was supposed to be a bit more burgundy than red, but it was bright red when it came out. Ah well, red is red, right? I'm glad now that I know, before using it for something and messing it up because of the color.

I used 2 different black and white scrapbook papers to cut into hearts for the wooden clip, and distressed them with brown ink. I know, it would have looked better with black, but I wound up loving how the brown looked with it.

To mod podge them on, I used my gold Shimmer mod podge, and it turned out great. They reminded me of the Twilight book covers- all black, white, and red. Raegan thought they kind of reminded her of it, but not much. Either way, the girls had a birthday party on Saturday, so that was one of the items they included. The girl is also a Twilight nut like Raegan.

I wound up loving it so much, though, that I made a second one for myself last night.

 

Next, I did another springy thingy, this time a flower. I made it to match the sign I made for my niece Alex for her upcoming 3rd birthday. 

 

  

 After "finishing" this, I went back last night, and added a coat of silver glitter paint to the base.

Ignore the wand for now.

For my next project, I tackled my 1963 wooden Cigar box. My aunt yelled at me for Mod Podging an antique, but honestly, it's much nicer now, while still keeping the appearance it had, for the most part. Here's a before shot of the box, which I found for $.99 at Goodwill last month.

For this project, I bought some scrapbook paper that felt old- it's the backs of old post cards all written on. I cut it to fit the lid, then used brown distressing ink on it to age it more. I choose to use my Gold Shimmer Mod Podge on this, to help aid in the antiquing feel.

  

  

 When I was doing this, I got some mod podge on the unfinished wood, and loved the way it made it look. So, instead of mod podging the entire box with scrapbook paper, as I had planned, I stopped with just the front panel, and lid done. The Gold Shimmer Mod Podge gave the wood a nice, rich finish, which turning it gold. It looks great. 

In the photo below, you can see the difference in the finished and unfinished wood. The box itself never had a finish- it was just flat, dry wood. I left the bottom un-Podged, where as the visible sides are podged. It's a drastic difference! I also Mod Podged the entire inside of the box.

 

I want to find a small glass knob to attach to the lid of the box, to make it easier to open, but as it is, I love how my box turned out.

Last night, Nick and I went to the movies (Book of Eli- which I loved!), and to kill time, we stopped at Target, where I found the dollar spot ribbon spools. There are 6 spools of ribbon, 18 inches of ribbon on each spool, for $1. I love them, and used a lot of them at Christmas, so it was nice finding new ribbons. I picked 3 different ones.

Anyway, despite the late hour when we returned home, I got in the mood to craft. I didn't use any of that ribbon, but did use more Mod Podge!

Last week, I found a package of 16 wooden dowels on clearance for $.68, so I picked it up without a use in mind. Last night, as I was sorting out my wooden shapes, I saw the package of 10 Butterflies and 10 Flowers I got at Dollar Tree. An idea was born- Paint, then Mod Podge the shapes, and paint the dowel, then glue, and Viola! Magic wands for kids!

I started off with a heart shape I had, and made one for my Niece Alex to match the other items I've made so far.

 

  

I painted the heart green, then added flower paper to the front side of the heart. I distressed it with red ink, then added a layer of silver glitter paint, before using my Glossy Mod Podge to podge it. 

For the dowel, I painted it bright blue, then used the round head of a pin to polka dot it with the green paint. I added a layer of silver glitter paint, then used the glossy Mod Podge again.

I glued the heart onto the dowel with E6000, and let it sit over night, then took silver, green, blue, and pink ribbon, made a bow, and left long ribbon trails on it. It totally matches the sign and spring clip I've made for her, as well!

Speaking of the sign... When I made it, I didn't have paint to match the paper, so I stained the letter A with lavender ink, and used markers to color the sides. I did not love it. I went ahead this weekend, and painted the A blue.

Before:

After:

 

I do believe that is all my weekend crafts. Plenty of Mod Podge Goodness to be had! 

I did:

1 wand

3 Spring Clips

1 Cigar Box

1 Repainting on a Sign

I only have 1 more thing to do for Alex's birthday- her ALEX banner, similar to my LOVE banner I made for Valentine's Day. I have to get some colorful felt yet, but I have a lot of brightly colored ribbon for it. I may also make a crown she can wear from felt to match.

This post is linked up at the link parties listed here.