Homemade Coasters and Mod Podge!

Lately, I've been incredibly eager to be crafty! Yesterday I made homemade coasters and homemade mod podge. Ahhhhhh!!! Can't you see the heavens opening up?? It was fun! Thank you Pinterest!

I bought 8 - 4x4 inch tiles at Home Depot for $.16 a piece. Score!! It was suggested to buy the white tiles, but of course, Home Depot was out of them. I bit the bullet and bought the ecru/almond color - slightly off-white.

Then, I went to Hobby Lobby to pick out my scrapbook paper. I went with a purple/green color scheme. Totally doesn't match ANYTHING in my house (except maybe my office which has a purple lamp shade), but I loved the colors and went with it. I plan on doing some more coasters because I saw so many gorgeous papers that I wanted to use.

I started my coasters by cutting out a piece of one of the sheets of scrapbook paper. I wasn't thrilled with it because 1.) I failed cutting in Kindergarten. My lines are never, ever straight. 2.) I didn't feel like I could get the correct size. So... I had an epiphany. When I got into couponing I bought a paper cutter. Ta-da! Straight lines and any size I want!! And even on all sides. So I got to cutting.

My Homemade Mod-Podge:
An old salsa jar
A bottle of glue
Water

At first I didn't mix it correctly. I put in some glue (about 1/3 of a bottle) and added a lot of water. Too watery - no good. So, I scavenged the house for more glue. I found two quarter full bottles and dumped them in. I think it is a pretty good consistency now. The recipe I found online said use equal parts glue and water. I'm sure that's about what mine came out to in the end.

I used a sponge brush and painted the glue mixture on the back of the scrapbook paper cut-outs and painted the tile itself. I laid the paper on top and then painted it with more glue mixture. I tried to use a medium thick coat on top. They dried beautifully. I repainted them probably 4-5 times letting them dry completely between each coat.

Here they are!

I saw on a blog somewhere that sometimes mod podge leaves things a little sticky and to use a spray acrylic on top of the coasters. Mine aren't sticky at all! But... I'm debating on spraying anyway to add another layer of protection against water. I'd hate for my paper to get wet.

Also, I forgot the felt feet when I bought the paper so that's not done yet either. But don't they look so neato?

Have fun!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Update:

I did decide to spray acrylic over them and they look way better. They have just a slight sheen over them now. They could probably use more acrylic, but I'm ansy and want to use them already!

Here's one that's sprayed:

Melissa

Catching up!

Okay, first off, I'd like to apologize to anyone who looks forward to my blog that I haven't blogged in nearly a MONTH! With my school schedule, karate, choir, work, Clark's track coach schedule, and keeping my life going in between, everything is always hectic here. Now, throw in putting the house on the market and final exams - talk about OVERLOAD. No excuse to leave all of you hanging, though, so I apologize.

Now, what have I been up to over the last three weeks? Well, we cleared the back yard of all the leftover wood from cutting down the huge tree in our backyard. Then, we laid new sod. Let me tell you, the back yard looks AH-MAZING now. Better than it did, at least.

Before

After, with grass!

We also painted our kitchen, which had this horrid, orange-tinted beige, flat paint. It was awful. We went with the same color we painted the hallways which is a light, creamy-beige color. Now its a ton brighter! I'll take pics and show you all. I have to find a before. I am the worst at taking before pics. We also de-cluttered the ENTIRE house. No.... wait. I (me, myself, and I) de-cluttered the ENTIRE house. Well, maybe that's not totally true. The hubs went through the big kids' clothes and closet so that took a huge load off and he did end up cleaning out a lot of the garage, too. I did the baby's room, the office, the kitchen, both closets, our room, and both bathrooms. WHEW. It was a big chore, but the house feels so much nicer, too. Unfortunately, all my sweet, family pictures, my wedding invite, and other personal items had to come down. Boo!

Our realtor told us we needed some pops of color in the front yard, so, mom and I went out for some pretty pots and flowers. That was FUN! I have never really been a plant person, but I think Mom may have sparked a green thumb inside of me. I love looking at my beautiful flowers in the yard. :-) I feel so proud of them. There aren't many right now, but when we move, we'll plant more in the actual landscape. While I was out, I found Gladys! "Who is Gladys?" you may be asking. Well, she is the coolest, owl-shaped pot you've ever seen! I simply love her. (Clark calls her Homer, but that is SO not her name!)

Gladys!

Anyway, while we were "staging" the house, mom and I decided we needed a headboard. I've never been one to blow money on useless things and I don't think headboards serve a particular purpose. But, nonetheless, my room looks significantly better with a new headboard. I made it for $24!!! Can you believe that? Here's how (you'll never believe how easy it was):

1 old bedroom door (or anything that is a few inches thick and the shape you're looking for)

2.5 yards of batting

2.5 yards of polysatin, navy material

2 hanging hooks

staple gun

I laid the batting on the floor and laid the door on top. Cut the batting to size leaving about 4-5 inches all around. Pull the batting over the top of the door and staple it to the back tightly. Do the same with the bottom. With the sides, fold the corners in like a present and then staple the batting to the back of the door. Add two hooks to the wall and two hangers to the back of the headboard and hang on the wall. I am not good at the measuring and leveling and all that, so, you'll have to get someone else explain that part. ;-)

Do the same with the fabric and voilà! You've got a headboard. Pretty simple, huh?

You can dress it up however you like, but for now, mine is plain. I may decide to attach some satin, ivory ribbon, but that will be a future project.

Please ignore the horrible bed making job. :)

Okay, so now that you're all caught up on the last month, here is my home for sale.
For Sale!
Please pass the word along. I desperately need something bigger for these hooligans! My big kids need their own rooms already, otherwise, someone isn't going to make it out alive! <insert evil laugh here>

Happy catching up!