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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Tutorial: Houndstooth Stool Makeover


I’ve had these inexpensive Ikea stools for ages. I use them for absolutely everything. They hold my dinner most nights, serve as extra seating, a place to rest my legs while blogging and so much more. The only problem is that they were kind of trashed. Kid marks, spilled drinks, you name it stains of all kinds have sunk into the unfinished wood. So, I decided it was time to give them a little makeover. I actually used chalkboard paint since I thought that would be fun for the nieces and I’m totally in love with how they turned out. I used a houndstooth FolkArt stencils with a mix of acrylic and chalkboard paints.


I started off by painting the stool with Folk Art acrylic paint. I mixed a few colors that I had on hand to a color similar to the green in my fabric covered boxes.


After the white coat dried I taped the stencil in place and using a stencil brush I applied the chalkboard paint.


It’s probably better to let it sit there and dry but I’m so impatient I lifted the stencil off super quickly and washed off the paint. Then after the pain was dry (about 30 minutes) I moved on to the next section.


It definitely had a learning curve but after I got the hang of it it wasn't too bad. The edges aren’t perfect but I kind of like the imperfection of it. I thought about trying some spray adhesive but I wasn’t sure if there would be residue left on the bench.

Be sure to visit Plaid on Facebook, Plaid on Twitter, and Follow Plaid on Pinterest
Also see all the other fun things my fellow bloggers made with stencils.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Handmade Halloween: Gryffindor Tie Necklace Tutorial and Hogwarts Student Costume


When I first saw neck tie charms pop up at all my local craft stores I knew that I needed to make myself a Gryffindor necklace. So when I received my giant box of goodies from Mod Podge and Plaid Crafts I knew those bottles of Dimensional Magic and yellow Folk Art paint were destined for just that.


If like me, you are the sew-er in your family, you probably spend a lot of time making everyone else's costumes for Halloween and then throw something together last minute for yourself (if you dress up at all). What I love about this project is that with a button up, skirt, and cardigan, it can pass as an easy costume -who doesn't want to be a Hogwart's student? Plus you'll have a fun necklace you can wear year around.


You'll need:
  • Plaid paint and a small brush
  • jump ring
  • necklace
  • Dimensional Magic Mod Podge (one of my favorite products ever as I've mentioned before!)
  • toothpick
  • tie charm (I got my charm at Hobby Lobby I called and they do carry them in all their stores and I checked their website and they are there too, but I've seen them at other craft stores I frequent as well).

I picked a charm that had one of the colors I wanted so I just used yellow paint on the silver parts. When I messed up or was a little sloppy I just used my finger or a tooth pick to clean up the paint while it was still wet. If you need to paint both colors just wait for the first color to dry and then proceed with the second color.


Once the paint is dry add a layer of Dimensional Magic Mod Podge to the top of the charm. If you have never used Dimensional Magic you're in for a treat. And even without box of goodies from the company I would and have said this many times but DM it's one of my all time favorite craft products. It adds a great resin like glaze that is crystal clear, has no odor and is super easy to use. Seriously you should check it out.

 
Next add a jump ring unless your charm comes with one. To open a jump ring you want to slide the sides out so they are parallel to each other as opposed to just opening it by spreading the ends apart. If you do that it messes up the shape and can break the jump ring. 


Add a chain, throw on a white button up and cardigan and you've got an easy peasy Gryffindor student costume with a necklace that can be worn many times later. Fun right?


UPDATED: If you are interested in purchasing one of my Griffindor (or other Houses) Tie Necklaces I am now selling them in my Etsy Shop along with other bookish gift items.


If you missed my unboxing video you can see see all the fun goodies I was sent, my reaction and craft room here. Also be sure to check out these other fun Halloween projects using Mod Podge!

Thanks to Plaid Crafts for the fun. Connect with Plain on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Find my post disclosure here.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Tutorial: Weasley Family Clock


I've been wanting to do this project for a very very long time. I know I've not the only one who drooled over Molly Wesley's Clock in the Harry Potter books, come on a clock that tells you where you're family members are (including specifically if they are in mortal peril) um yeah. So when my box for the Crafter Challenge arrived with a giant wood plate I knew exactly what I would make. I had SO much fun making this.


It was a bit time consuming but so much of that was figuring stuff out that I think it'll be way speedier for you guys since you get to get to benefit from my hard work ;) And yes I may have watched Chamber of Secrets with the remote in hand as research.

What You Need

  • Wooden Plate (mine was 15 inches in diameter)
  • Clock Kit
  • Large Clock Hands
  • Dimensional Magic
  • Pictures Printed (see image below)
  • Distressing Ink (brown and blue)
  • Black Vinyl
  • Sliver Scrapbook Paper
  • Double Sided Tape
  • Brown Marker
  • Yarn or String for measuring
Sorry for some extra and not pictured items, that's what happens when I don't have things totally planned out before I start.
What To Do
Start by drawing the scrolls onto the lip of your plate. You want to have 13 equal sections. I figured this out by using yarn to get the circumference and folding it in 13 equal parts and marking the sections (I could have done math but it made more sense for me to see it this way). Using a pencil I freehanded the scrolls.

Find the center of the plate and drill a hole. Make sure it's wide enough to fit your clock piece. 


Cut the locations you want out of vinyl. Even though the film clearly shows "dentist" as a possible location, since there was that thing suggesting that wizards don't have dentists (remember everyone was confused when Hermione said her parents were dentists) I couldn't bring myself to put that so my lists includes a mix of locations from the book and movie. I did: Mortal Peril, Bed, Travelling (I went for the British spelling), Shopping, Forest, Work, Garden, School, Home, Prison, Hospital, Lost, and Quidditch. Affix the vinyl and then trace the scrolls and add any desired accents.


Next print the faces you will be using onto cardstock. Cut them out and with double sided tape attach them to the silver paper. Cut spoon shapes from the silver paper. Next add some dimensional magic to the pictures to make them shinny and look like they are in glass. Allow to dry for a couple hours.


Use distressing ink to make the plate look old. I used brown all over and since the film version had blue accents I used blue around the edges.


Cut out the name hands of the clock. You can use the template I made below or make your own. I tried a bunch of different ways but I found using an exacto knife was the easiest route. Make sure your end part is at least triple the size of the clock piece it will fit onto (I had to add more paper). Then punch holes in the edge. I had to punch twice to make the hole big enough to fit onto the clock.


Finally fit the different hands onto the clock as well as the clock hands. I know the Weasley clock didn't really keep time but I liked the idea of it being functional as well as cute since sadly I don't have magic to have the locations stay current...or do I?
 
 I used these pictures for the hands.


Here's my name hand template (I ended up making them smaller than this) Click on the image to enlarge and save to your computer.

Thanks to Oh My Craft! for sponsoring this fun project. Be sure to check out them out


Saturday, September 1, 2012