DIY Faux Stained Glass (using Mod Podge and Fabric paint)

Around this time last year, I made myself a lovely faux stained glass panel out of an old frame, Elmers glue, and craft paint.  Sadly, that panel broke a couple of months ago.  I thought it was high time that I made another one, but this time I experimented with 3D fabric paint, Mod Podge, and acrylic paint.   After everything dried, I was surprised by how nice the panel turned out!  Here are the results of my little experiment: 

Tee hee hee.  Do you see bald men sitting in chairs.... or ladies with large hairdos?  They're supposed to be ladies... and I find them hilarious!  (I can't take credit for the design though.  It came right from this pinned image.)  Right now this modern and quirky stained glass panel sits inside Chuck's room and I always supress a giggle whenever I see their round glasses looking at me.

Wanna try making your own faux stained glass panel?  Read on!

Materials:

• Picture frame
• Three dimensional black fabric paint
• Mod Podge (I used Matte)
• Craft Paint 
• Paint brush
• Muffin Tin (or artist's palette)
• Pen
• Paper
• Optional:  Clear tape, glass cleaner

Directions: 

1.  Pull out the sheet inside of your frame and trace it onto a piece of paper.  (Alternatively, you could also trace the glass or back panel of the frame.)  Cut out your rectangle and draw a design on it.

2.  Clean the glass of your picture frame.

3.  Place the glass on top of your sketch.  Then, use your fabric paint to trace the black "lead" of your stained glass panel.

4.  Once your "lead" dries, turn your glass over so that the lead is on the bottom.  Place your glass panel on top of a sheet of clean, white paper.  Now you're going to paint the colored portions on the back of your glass. (I chose to do it this way so that I wouldn't have to worry about painting over my black lines.)  Create the colored portions by mixing together approximately 1 teaspoon of Mod Podge and 2-3 drops of craft paint.  Mix both together well.  Then, paint the back of your glass panel with the different colors.   

5.  Once your colored paint dries, place your glass back into your frame and secure it.  (I used a couple of pieces of clear tape to make sure the panel stayed put.)   Remember that the front of your stained glass has the fabric paint on it and the back of your stained glass has the colored Mod Podge on it  Also, make sure that you do not scratch the glass panel because the Mod Podge and fabric paint will scrape off.  


And that's it!  Make one of these babies for yourself... or better yet, get your kids to make one as holiday a gift for someone they love.  Happy crafting! 

DIY Heart Stenciled Shoes

DIY Heart Stenciled Shoes

 

As a stay-at-home mom, I often find myself suffering from a terrible illness...  shleppy-clothes-itis.

*sob*  

Yes.  It's true.

Instead of putting effort into my appearance, I often leave our apartment in super comfortable (aka super unflattering) clothes.  Extra large hoodies?  Check.  Shirts with stains?  Double check.  Ratty sneakers?  You betcha.

But I refuse to go quietly into the land of baggy sweats and Snuggies!  Oh no!  I will fight.  And with last weekend's unseasonably warm weather, I took a step in the right direction and crafted this pair of heart stenciled shoes.


These were definitely the cutest things that I wore last week.   I love hearts, so these red shoes were just the perfect little pick-me ups.


Here's how I made them:

Materials to make DIY Heart Stenciled Shoes:

(*Note:  This post includes affiliate links which means that I earn a small commission for every purchase made at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support.)     

• Canvas shoes (I purchased mine from Walmart.)
• Fabric markers
• Cereal box
• Pencil/Pen
• Scissors
• Exacto knife
• Cutting mat
• Rags

Directions to make DIY Heart Stenciled Shoes:

1.  Stuff your rags inside your shoes.  This will create a sturdier surface for you to stencil.

2.  Create a stencil from your cereal box.  (Looking back, I wish I made the area around the heart bigger so that I would have more material to hold onto as I stenciled.)

3.  Place your stencil onto your shoe and trace it.  Keep tracing your shape until your shoe is covered with them.  Then, color your shapes in.  (I tried to make the pattern uniform... but then failed, so I went with a more haphazard look.)

Repeat the procedure with the other shoe.  Wait for your fabric marker to dry, remove your rags, and then enjoy your new custom kicks.

Happy stenciling!

Sparkly Ombre Popsicle Stick Star Garland (using Mod Podge)

Note:  This is a post sponsored by Plaid, but the opinions are 100% mine.

Halloween is finally out of my mind and I'm now looking forward to the next set of holidays.  Even though I don't really like winter (boo, shortened daylight hours), I do appreciate that we're entering a special season filled with cozy sweaters, yummy food, family get-togethers, yummy food, twinkly lights, yummy food and of course... holiday crafting (and yummy food)! Right now I've got an itch to add more glitter and sparkle to my life.  Luckily for me, Plaid sent me a couple of holiday-themed crafting items, including Mod Podge Sparkle, which will help me to do just that.

Psst-  If you're new to Mod Podge, here's a bit of an introduction to their line of awesome products

• Mod Podge is an excellent all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish.  It's available in a ton of different formulas, making it a perfect to use for your holiday (or everyday) gift giving projects.
• You can buy Mod Podge at tons of retailers nationwide or directly from Plaid's website as well
• Not sure how to start using the product?  No worries.  Plaid's website has a ton of great tips and tricks for using all their products:   http://www.plaidonline.com/decoupage/dept/basics.htm

So, inspired by the upcoming holiday season and my love of the nighttime sky, I made this sparkly, ombre, popsicle stick star garland. 



Wanna make this simple and sparkly garland?  Well, put on your favorite holiday song and let's get started!

 Materials:

• Mini Craft Sticks
• FolkArt Multi-Surface paint 
• Plastic Artist's Palette
• Paint Brush
• Scrap paper 
• Mod Podge Sparkle
• Mod Podge Spouncer (an easy to use sponge brush)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Parchment Paper
• String
• Scissors

Directions:

1.  Decide how many stars you want to make.  Then, take that number and multiply it by 5 to figure out how many craft sticks to paint.  (Each star will be made out of five craft sticks.)  Now it's time to paint.  To create an ombre effect, first paint five stars your darkest color.  (Be sure to paint the sides of your sticks too!)  Then, add a bit of white paint to your original color to lighten it just a bit.  Paint five more sticks with this lighter color.  Keep repeating this procedure and mixing in white paint as you paint each new set of five sticks.  Your original color will become lighter and lighter, creating an ombre effect. 

2.  Once your paint dries, use the spouncer to apply Mod Podge Sparkle to your sticks.  This will protect your paint job and add just a bit of lovely sparkle.  Lay your sticks on parchment paper to dry.  (The parchment paper prevents the sticks from sticking to your work surface.)  Try to make sure that your sticks don't touch one another as they dry

3.  Once your sticks are dry, it's time to make your stars!  (If you have a bit of excess Mod Podge around the edges, use your scissors to trim it off.)  To make sure that your stars look similar, first make a practice star and then use a pencil to trace your star's five points.  Use these pencil marks as guidelines when you hot glue your stars together.

 4.  Arrange your stars in order.

 5.  Cut out your desired length of string.  Then, tie your stars on one by one to the string, starting from your darkest color and ending with your lightest color.  To make sure that the stars don't slide off, tie your string through the center of each star and not through one of the arms.   

And voila!  A lovely star garland, just perfect for the holiday season (or really... everyday!)

(To see how I painted the star painting, click here.)

If you'd like to learn more about Plaid Products, you can always connect with them on Facebook, check out their Paint Me Plaid Blog, or sign up for their Newsletter.

And.... Happy crafting!