Make Batik-style cloth (using glue)

I'm currently still in the process of decorating our walls with colorful and affordable wall art.  After seeing how easy it is to make Batik-style cloth, I thought I'd use the method to create a cloth wall hanging.

Here's my fishy batik wall art:

Are these fish wearing argyle sweaters?  Hrmm....

Materials:
- Cotton cloth
- Paint
- Water
- Paint Brushes
- Blue gel glue
- Saran Wrap (or wax paper)
- Tape
- Pencil, markers
- Paper
- Old tooth brush
- Iron
- Dish cloth

Directions:
1.  Prep your fabric.  (I used some leftover muslin from our rollie pollie bean bag chair, so hubby hemmed it for me.  I also ironed it.)

2.  Draw out your design.   Outline it with a marker to make the lines darker.

3.  Tape a piece of saran wrap over your design (so your glue won't stick to the paper).

4.  Tape your cloth over the design.  Trace your design with the blue glue.  (Remember, the glue will protect your cloth from being painted.  So, any cloth covered by glue will remain its original color.)

5.  Let your glue dry.   (I waited overnight.)

Left- Wet glue on cloth                                       Right- Glue dried by the sun

6.  Add a bit of water to your craft paints to make them a bit more watery and easier to spread. Channel your inner artist, have fun, and paint.

7.  Once your paint dries (I waited overnight), soak your cloth in warm water.  Your glue will start to soften and soon you'll be able to brush it off with your tooth brush.  (My glue lines were fairly thin, so it only took about 10 minutes of waiting before I could scrub and scratch off the glue.  You'll probably have to wait longer if you used a lot of glue.)

8.  Lay your cloth out to dry.  Place a dish cloth over it and iron it.  Then, enjoy your very own hand painted cloth wall art.

And here's what the batik effect looks like up close:

Happy glue batiking!

Psst- Want to see more wall art ideas that are affordable and super easy to make?  Check these out:

• Faux Stained glass
• Painted Twig Wall Art 
• Paint Chip Wall Art
• Coffee Filter Pinata letters
• Egg Carton Wreath

Make Popsicle Bracelets

When I saw Mama Miss's Washi tape Popsicle bracelets, I was completely smitten.  Bracelets... made out of Popsicle sticks?  Super neat-o.  Count me in.

So today I present my version of Popsicle bracelets.  They were really fun to make and brought me back to my summer camp days.

Materials:
- Popsicle sticks
- Craft paint
- Paint brush
- Glasses
- Tupperware
- Water
- Painter's tape
- Drill
- String
- Scissors
- Fine sand paper
- Mod Podge
- Foam Brush

New Jersey Children's Museum

I don't know what the weather's been like where you are... but around here... it's been hot.  Really, really, really, hot.

So hot that the park across the street has been practically empty all weekend until 5pm, when some brave souls drag their stir-crazy children out.

So hot that I feel like a roasting chicken when I step out into our apartment's hot, stuffy, lobby.

So hot that our curtains are drawn practically the whole day so that we keep the sun's powerful rays out.

Blech.

With hubby home for the long weekend, we wanted to hang out as a family... but where could we go that was fun, kid-friendly, and indoors?

Luckily for us, Hubby found out that the New Jersey's Children's Museum is located only about a half hour away.  So, we spent one weekend morning there, hiding from the heat and having lots of fun.  We're so thankful that places like this exist.  They had lots of toys and interactive exhibits just right for young kids.  And, bonus- everything there is meant to be touched, pulled, pinched, dropped, etc... which is just perfect for us, since Chuck's super active and curious.  Here are some photos from our fun (and cool) day:

Need something demolished?  Chuck's ready to help out.

Fee-fie-fo-fum!  There's something awesomely cool about seeing things in miniature size

Perhaps Chuck's favorite exhibit- the sandbox.

Largest kaleidoscope I've ever seen- you had to turn a steering wheel to operate it

Chuck and a new four-legged buddy save the day

Ack!  These little wooden Wild West toys are just too cute.   

The super-humongous lite-brites board made us feel like kids again  (It would also be an awesome DIY to make one day... oh huubbbby.....)

Hope you had a good weekend as well.

Happy July 4th

Dear friends~

Happy July 4th. 

Hope you have a restful, refreshing, and reflective weekend.  

I'll see you next week!

Make your own trunk cover

****Update-  A lot of people seem to be interested in this trunk cover.  Full disclosure here... after using it for awhile, we've noticed that there's one big problem with the cover.  Every time we drive, the back bar pops out.  Grr....   So the cover holds up if the car is parked... but the back bar won't stay put if the car is moving.  So once hubby and I get some free time, we will tweak the design.  Does anyone have ideas with how to fix that problem?  Hrmm... I'll update you with our progress..... Sorry!*****



It's now been a year since we left Michigan and moved back to the East Coast.  Wow.  Time really flies.  

It's also been about a year since we lost our trunk cover.  Grrr movers!  We figured it was time to finally get a new one.  However, with trunk covers being so pricey, hubby and I took the thrifty way out and and made our own.  Here's what our trunk cover looks like:

It was really easy for us to design and hubby to sew.  In case you find yourself missing a trunk cover (grr, movers!), check out the directions below.

Materials:
- Two shower curtain rods
- Piece of fabric

Directions:  
1.  Measure the two distances (across the trunk) between the pairs of holes where the original trunk cover rested.  (These distances will determine what size shower curtain rods you buy.)

2.  Measure the distance between the two holes on one side of the car.

3.  Purchase

• two shower curtain rods that will span the two distances across the trunk
• a piece of fabric that will span the distance between your two rods (with an extra bit to create tube "sleeves" for your poles)

4.   Sew one tube "sleeve" to hold in one shower curtain rod.  Place your sleeved rod into the car and use chalk to determine how to sew the next curtain rod.  Then, sew your other tube "sleeve."   Insert your second rod in your sleeve.

Then, voila.  You've got your very own personalized trunk cover.

On the negative side, it won't be able to slide open and closed like your original one.  However, on the positive side, it covers the items in your trunk and was made for a fraction of the cost

Happy crafting!