Wall Decor Decoupage

On a nice sunny day, decoupage is a great thing to do outside!  (less stinky.)

I went to the craft store last week and was inspired to make art for my living room that was springy/summery because the current accent color is red. It just doesn’t scream “happy!” So after buying some blue candles, I decided we had to stick with that theme and begin my living room transformation.

This “piece of work” was my first attempt at Mod Podge. Although I’ll admit I didn’t get all the bubbles out, it was fairly easy & I think I’ll like the end result which will include various framed family photos, mixed with some framed fabric. I’ll have to post it later!

For now, here’s how to do this!

First, you need:

*Decorative Paper (scrapbooking paper)
-I used sale paper for $ .50/sheet
*Art canvas, although you could do it on wood, a tray, cardboard to frame or whatever
-I got 2 for $6.99
*Adhesive letters
-I got the word for $2.69
*Mod Podge
-The 16 ounce cost me $7.99
*Foam brush (not pictured)
-They’re a dime a dozen. Or $.50  :)
*Scissors
-Always in my stash!
*The all-important Iced Americano (not actually used in the craft project itself)
-$2.50 for a 16 oz. @ Bedrocks

1. Lay out the paper you want to use and get an idea of how you want to your canvas to look. I choose to have a bigger center piece so that “Family” would be a focal point.

2. Cut or rip paper, making sure to overlap pieces.

3. Use your foam brush to apply the Mod Podge to glue your pieces onto your canvas. Make sure to push out any bubbles. This was kind of tough—I don’t think the flexibility of the canvas helped. Let dry 15-20 minutes.

4. Brush Mod Podge on top of your pieces in an even coat. Let dry 15-20 minutes.

5. Apply adhesive letters according to package directions.

6. Apply another coat of Mod Podge!

7. Enjoy your unique piece of art!

STRAWBERRIES

I picked 24 lbs. of the yummiest berry in Oregon:

Made strawberry freezer jam, strawberry shortcake, and froze some.  I'm going back on Tuesday for more!  To make easy freezer jam, here's what you need to do:

Strawberry Freezer Jam (This isn't "my" recipe!  You can find it other places online, in pectin directions, etc.)

2 C. Berries, crushed
4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Water
1 pkg. Sure-Jel Pectin

Stir sugar into berries, a little bit at a time. 
In saucepan, combine pectin & water.  Stir, bringing it to a boil.  Once boiling, stir for 1 minute. 
Add pectin/water to straberries and stir until well-combined.
Immediately pour into containers.  Let jam set for 24 hours, then freeze.

By the way, the recipes warn against cutting the sugar, so I didn't!  :)  It won't set properly. 

No Cook Play Dough

By 10am this morning, I was still in pajama pants, a sweatshirt, and glasses.  Ah!  But I had done something!

I was trying to think of something to do with Brooklyn that would be fun.  It had been a long time since I had made play dough, so I thought I would try a no-cook variety. 

Here's what you need:

2 C. of plain flour
1 C. of salt
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 C. water
Food coloring

Mix the flour & salt.  Add water, oil, & food coloring, mixing all ingredients well.  Knead the dough.  Viola!  Play dough.

Now, for my opinion on this playdough: 

The upside is that it takes no time at all.  The down side is that it seems grainy to me.  Maybe because the salt never really dissolves?  It was great for instant gratification.  I made the mistake of not adding the color with the water & oil because I wanted 4 different colors.  Mixing it in after you've made the dough doesn't work well.  If you want to make different colors, I would suggest quartering the recipe in different bowls and putting the coloring in at the same time you add the water & oil.

I made this playdough recipe in the past & love it, but it does take longer since you have to cook it:  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Playdough-Play-doh/

The play dough I made from the recipe about 18 months ago is still nice & easy to work with.  It's just ugly now since all the colors have mixed.  :) 

Welp, that's what we did this morning & thought I would share.  Enjoy! 

Blog Writing

First of all, this is just a random pic of my 3 girls:  Riley (the patient dog), Brooklyn (the lover), and Bailey (the head smasher.)  I love it!

Sometimes I'm so horrible at keeping up my own blog, that it's a wonder that I write for another!  But please check out thinkcrafts, where I have the privilege of being the sewing contributor.  (Thanks, Kim.)  The fact is that I love writing, but I rarely take the time because I also love sewing, reading, sleeping, baking, playing with my kids, sipping coffee with friends, and watching Modern Family.  Besides the things that I love to do, there are always the things I don't love to do, but take up a fair share of time, namely:  house chores (while kids follow me around or hang on my legs.)

All that to say, life is busy and I sometimes wonder how people do it all.  I certainly question how to balance it all.  Some days, things work together and it's like my tiny world is in alignment:  house is clean, kids are happy, I get lots of coffee, and my husband & I go on a date.  Other days, I wonder if I'm going insane.  And who has time to write blogs?  Apparently, me.  Today anyway.  It's all a matter of priority, I suppose!

On a completely random note, here's little piece of advice:

Place a dryer sheet in the bottom of your trash cans in your bathrooms.  It really helps eliminate odors.  Just so ya know. 

Peace.

A first post

My first post should maybe be about why I created a new/different blog, or about sewing, or my kids.  But it's not.  Instead, I'm here to say that . . .

Everyone needs a good coffee cup.

Here's mine and it speaks truth of me every morning: