Tag Archives: Mod Podge

Oh, The Parties You’ll Throw!

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It’s the first post in May and it’s already the 15th? Oops! I guess you can call me busy. Oh yeah.. you already do- 2busybrunettes! (yeah, yeah. Stop rolling your eyes!) Well, let’s see… what have I been busy with? Well there was that baby shower at school I helped host last Thursday, the spa night I threw for our teen girls at church Friday night, my husbands and niece’s birthday celebration this weekend, and wrapping up the year at school. It may not sound like a lot, but just imagine bringing all the right things to the right places at the right times. You know how it is getting yourself out of the house without leaving anything behind! And please don’t imagine the way my house looks after getting ready for all those events!

So what is today’s post about?

The baby shower! And if you couldn’t tell already, the theme was Dr. Seuss. What better theme for a teacher’s baby shower?

Here’s some close-ups of the tables.

  
  
 

Those centerpieces are just butcher paper from the school. I painted Dr. Seuss-like shapes on the paper (trees from The Lorax, bowl from The Cat in the Hat, balloon from Oh, The Places You’ll Go) and cut them out. Then I used library books to create some height, and I borrowed those cute lil characters from other teachers. Oh, and did you know that you can’t find Dr. Seuss party stuff anywhere!? It’s true! At least I couldn’t! So I added to the Dr. Seuss theme by altering the wooden baby blocks (scroll down for more info). I also wrapped the plasticware in napkins and twisted pipe cleaners around them. That was lots of fun! I didn’t have to worry about how they looked, because after all, it’s a Dr. Seuss theme.. and how can you mess up Seuss?

Here are some more shower pictures!

  

  

How about those cakes? Well, this being a creativity blog and all, you might think I made them. Think again! The edible cake was from Wal-Mart!! The topper is one of the Christmas ornaments I use on my classroom tree. The diaper cake was made by another teacher at our school. But, she did share with me how she made it, so if you’re interested, here’s the scoop. (Oh yeah, just in case it’s hard to tell from the picture, those are blue table cloths with red and white striped wrapping paper down the center. Like I said, I had to get creative to do Seuss.)

Dr. Seuss Diaper Cake:

1. Start by gathering 3 containers in varying sizes- one for each tier (Large for the bottom, medium for the middle, and small for the top).
2. Roll up the diapers and place around the containers. Use an elastic band to hold them in place.
3. Wrap ribbon around the diapers and glue in place.
4. Cover three cake boards (one for the base, 2 for tiers) in coordinating fabric.
5. Glue the containers to the cake boards.
6. Decorate your cake with a book, rattle, stuffed animal, etc. (This cake has bulletin board cut outs popping out from behind- ordered from the internet).

*To get your decorations to stay in place on the top tier, cut out slits in the top container to stuff the goodies into.

Now for those adorable wooden baby  blocks that were tumbling down the books.. I did make those! So if you’re interested in those, here’s the lowdown.

  1. I used Island Blue (Anita’s Acrylic), Citron Green (American Acrylic), and Orange (Anita’s Acrylic) paint.
  2. I found that sanding the blocks helped the paint go on better.. go figure!
  3. Paint your blocks! FYI: I didn’t paint all the blocks. I left some red and some yellow.
  4. Finding a cheap Dr. Seuss book (yard sale? thrift store?) trace the pictures you would like to use on your blocks.
  5. Cut out the pictures!
  6. Paint a thin layer of modge podge over the block. I did this on one of the sides of the block with the picture. I left the number side and the letter side alone.
  7. Place your Dr. Seuss picture over the picture on the block.  I just turned my picture the same direction as theirs. Let dry.
  8. If you are like me, you will have some edges that are sticking out from the block. Cut those off. Then put another coat of modge podge over the picture.

For my blocks, I typed (using the font, “Mail Ray Stuff”) up Dr. Seuss words (green, eggs, ham, pop, hop, fox, socks, cat, hat, etc.) and printed them on bright blue paper. Then I followed steps 7 & 8 with the words. They looked great without them though. (Ok, I lied. My husband followed steps 7 & 8 for the words! Did I tell you I have the best husband ever? I was getting everything else ready for the shower and he volunteered his precious time. I love him!)

There you go! That’s the Dr. Seuss shower. And in a year, you can be sure I’ll be posting a Dr. Seuss first birthday party. I’ve already been asked to do the decorations!

Oh, the parties you’ll throw!

P.S. Remember that post about removing the labels from containers to reuse them for an Earth Day craft? Well here’s my kiddo’s repurposed creations.

Aren’t they cute? They had a blast making them. We had aliens, monsters, bug holders, clocks, Nerf gun bullet holders, lightning bug catchers, butterflies, and much more!

Altered Clipboards

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I am always being inspired left and right by others’ organization! Pinterest is no stranger to pictures of organized spaces! And I LOVE organizing, as mentioned here. So, the tutorial that I’m sharing today is one I am very excited about.

Lately I’ve been drawn to numerous pictures like these of altered clipboards mounted on walls. The clipboards are hung in craft rooms or home offices and re-purposed as hanging storage for memos, pictures, projects, or whatever!

(Click picture for original source; left: Better Homes and Gardens; center: Martha Stewart; Right: Apartment Therapy)

        

I have been looking forward to doing this so that I can have a handy visual for the materials and inspiration of my next project. At the same time, I wanted my clipboards to 1) be eye-candy for me and serve as wall art whenever they are empty and 2) coordinate with the green/white/silver theme of my craft room. Here are the materials and steps for my creation:

Materials:
- 1 clear clipboard
- paper cut-outs (scrapbook paper, magazine clippings, etc…)
- Mod Podge
- sponge paint brush
- ribbon

Directions:
1) First, wash the clipboard off and dry it with a dish towel in order to ensure each side has a clean surface.

2) Cut out the designs or words you want to cover your clipboard with. I used my Cricut Expression to cut out the designs you see here. I used Cricut Cartridge Accent Essentials, accent 17.

3) (Do not glue anything in this step!) Arrange the paper cut-outs how you want them. If you place them on top of the clipboard, it may make the next step a little easier.

4) When you are ready to adhere the paper, flip the clipboard very carefully, but quickly onto the table. Now the pieces are on the table upside down in the arrangement that you desire.

5) Pick up one piece at a time and paint mod podge across the top of the piece (on the pattern you want to show).

6) Repeat step 5 for a couple of pieces to make a row of glued pieces on the clipboard.

7) Press down the pieces so there are no air bubbles. This will make a much neater appearance on the top side (the side you will see).

8) Now, paint mod podge across the back of the row you just adhered. This will seal the pieces of paper in place and create a smooth surface for the back, instead of bumpy paper. Now the paper will be less likely to peel off in the future.

9) Do steps 5-8 repeatedly until you have the entire design completely glued on both sides.

10) Lay the clipboard face down, leaning on the table. Allow at least 15 minutes for it to dry.

11) Embellish the top of the clipboard with whatever you desire. I used ribbon. On the first clipboard I tied a nice bow, and on the second one I tied strips of ribbon in knots until the metal clip was covered.
    

12) Hang on your wall for the storage you need, or use your cute clipboard on the job!

I used the Cricut Cartridge Accent Essentials, accent 39 for the second clipboard.

Happy crafting/organizing!

I’m linking up with:
JAQS Studio, Blue Cricket Design,

The DIY Dreamer

One Chatty ChicLil\'Luna

‘Egg’cited About Easter

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In anticipation of Easter, my husband and I made these eggs last night. Ok, fine. I made these eggs last night while my husband studied Physics next to me. He did make one egg. I guess that was overdoing it for him. =)

I just love them! Here’s the details if you’re interested.

  1. Find some pretty napkins. It looks nicer when the napkins have a white border around the designs. I got these napkins at Wal-Mart. Tissue paper works well too. You will also need modge podge and a foam paintbrush. Oh yeah, and eggs! I used blown eggs, but if you don’t plan on keeping them, you can use hard-boiled eggs.
  2. Cut out the designs you want to use. You can also cut out individual letters to spell a word.
  3. Peal the back layer from the napkins. (This could also be done before you cut out the designs.)
  4. Using a foam paintbrush, put a thin layer of modge podge on the surface or your egg.
  5. Place your design on the modge podged egg. Smooth it down with your finger.
  6. Brush modge podge over your design. This little monster looks like he’s saying, “No!! Not icky modge podge! I don’t want to be stuck to this egg forever!” =)
  7. Let the egg dry. It is easier to do one side at a time, leaving time to dry between sides. I stuck a toothpick in the tiny hole I had used to blow the eggs. Then I turned them upside down and stuck them in an egg carton- that way the eggs didn’t roll around and get smudges or get newspaper stuck to them.

Here’s how they turned out:

Monsters… for my classroom.

I made girly ones for my (almost) seven-year old niece who came to visit me today. (Joshua made the one that says, “easter.” Didn’t he do a good job?)

These springtime ones I made from tissue paper. They are going in my hutch.

Have an ‘egg’ceptional day!

To The Letter

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One of my favorite crafts to do is “Altered” Wooden Letters. You may have seen some of these at a craft fair, in a boutique, or at a friend’s house and thought, “That’s so cute!” or “Who made that?” Well, now you can take all the credit because I’m gonna give you the few simple steps to making them. It’s easy, I promise!

1) Gather your supplies:

  • wooden letter(s) from Hobby Lobby or Michael’s
  • newspaper or paper towels
  • 1 bottle of Mod Podge
  • 1 small foam paint brush
  • scrapbook paper of your choice
  • paint (if desired)
  • pencil
  • scissors

2) Turn the wooden letters upside down and trace the shapes onto the back of the scrapbook paper that you want to show on the front of the letter.

3)  Paint the wooden letter the color you wish. For the paper/painted hybrid version that I like to do, it is only important to make sure that the sides and backs are painted well. I usually paint the whole letter, worrying mostly about how the sides look. Sometimes (because I like to use a light paint color) I have to paint 2 coats to have it looking the way I like. * Also if you are painting the back, the painting should be broken down into more steps, allowing each side to dry so that it doesn’t stick to the newspaper!*

4) While the paint dries, cut out the scrapbook paper letters.

5)  After the paint has dried, lay the paper letters onto the top of the wooden letters. Make sure they will fit. (If they are too big, that is fine too! You can always come back and trim the edges later!)

6)  Dip your paint brush into the bottle of Mod Podge and paint a thin coat onto the front of each letter. Then lay the paper letter on top and smooth it down with your fingers.  Let the letters dry for 10 minutes or more.

7)  Now, apply another thin coat of Mod Podge on top of the paper.  This will give it a shiny/glossy look. (You can skip this step if you want the final product to be more rugged or natural.)

8)  After the top layer has dried, now you can trim any excess paper that might be hanging over the edges. I use a small pair of scissors to do this because it is easier to get into the corners.

9) Add any finishing touches that you desire: paint, glitter, ribbon, bows, buttons, any embellishments of your choice!

Here is the latest letter that I did for another baby girl’s nursery. It’s my favorite so far. I just did a simple “E” for Emelyn to hang on the nursery door.  We hung it on the door to the hospital room when she was born, but they had already hung a wreath for Christmas, so we tried to work with it. However, using one of these letters in a wreath could be a cute idea too!

Altered wooden letters aren’t just for nurseries either! Use them:

  • in the kitchen: EAT
  • at Christmas: JOY, NOEL
  • at Valentine’s: LOVE
  • at Halloween: BOO!
  • on the mantle: FAMILY
  • in the classroom: READ