Going Yellow - Mod Podge Table Redo

 

If you’ve been reading the blog this week, you’re aware of my “Going Yellow” series.  This week I’ve been sharing how I updated my living room  by using yellow accents for less than $100.

 

 

Today I’m sharing an easy redo where this table…..

 

 

 

…was updated to this table.

 

 

The original post , “Decoupaged $5 Goodwill Table”, was about how using paper and Mod Podge on furniture can be a creative an inexpensive way to update thrift store furniture.  For this update, all I did was cover the old paper with new yellow paper using the same method that I shared in the original post.

 

 

I love the black, yellow and grey combination of this space now. 

 

I have one last yellow project to share with you tomorrow, so stay tuned.

 

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Upcycled Night Stands

I have another thrifty guestroom project to share with you today……..

Last summer, I paid $4 a piece for these tables.    When we finally got around to fixing up the guestroom, I decided to use the garage sale tables as night stands for the room, but they needed a little fixing up before I used them in that space.

To do this, I painted the tables with some sample antique white Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint that I got for free with one of my paint purchases.

To add interest to the tables, I simply decoupaged the tops of each one with some scrapbook paper that I had in my craft closet.

And that's pretty much it:)  Another $10 project completed…..

.....and I really like the look and simplicity of my “new” night stands:)

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DIY Coasters (for less than $.35 each)

My husband is a coaster freak.  Even if a glass doesn’t have condensation on it, he will still insist that a coaster be used.  And when we have family over, he subtly puts coasters near everyone’s drinks, so our guest will know that we use coasters in our house.  In my husband’s eyes a coaster is a practical home item, but in my eyes coasters are not always pretty home items…..and that’s where this project comes in. 

I think that most things in my home should be somewhat appealing to the eye, and there is just nothing attractive about the set of coasters that my husband used in his bachelor pad.  They’re not ugly – they’re just plain, boring-looking coasters, and because we only have six of these boring-looking coasters, we are always carrying coasters around the house and forgetting where we put them.

Since the coasters are always out and always being used, I felt the need to address this problem.  Awhile ago, I saw someone use $.16 tiles from Lowe’s to make beautiful, practical coasters, and I thought…..Problem Solved!  I'm not sure who originally thought of this idea, but whoever thought of it is a genious. 

The first thing I did for this project was to go to Lowe’s and buy several 4x4 tiles.  The great thing about this project is that each individual tile is only $.16 a piece, making each coaster less than $.35 when finished!!!   Because Mod Podge and hot glue are two of my crafting staples, this project cost me less than $8, and I made 24 coasters with that $8. 

After I bought my tiles, I began selecting pieces of scrapbook paper to go with each set of coasters, and then I cut the paper to fit each piece of tile.  One piece of paper will be enough for several coasters.  FIY: One sheet of paper is $.59 at local craft stores, but I usually stock up when it goes on sale 6 for $1.

Once the paper is cut, decoupage the paper to the tile using Mod Podge.  To do this, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the tile, and firmly press the paper to the tile.  Then, coat the tile and paper with a second layer of  Mod Podge.

Once all of the tiles have dried, hot glue cut pieces felt to the bottom of the tiles.  I cut the felt the same way I cut the paper.  One sheet will make the bottoms of eight coasters. 

I used12x18 firm felt that I purchased from my local craft store for $.79 a piece.   Make sure that it is firm  felt if cutting it with a paper trimmer.  If using scissors, it doesn’t matter what kind of felt is used.  Adhesive felt is also sufficient for this step, but it is more expensive per sheet. 

At the end of this project, I had made 5 sets of coasters: 6 for the living room, 4 for our bedroom, 4 for the guest room, 5 for the dining room/sitting room and 5 for the loft, giving me a total of 24 coasters.  Now my coaster dillema is solved, and the best part  is that it took less than a  ten dollar bill to pay for this entire projectJ

Whether you’re in need of coasters for your own home, or wanting to give them as a gift to someone else, the above method is a cost-effective way to personalize a practical item for anyone’s home.

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Decoupage Tray

I have one last decoupage project to share with you this month.  I decoupaged this tray  awhile back but haven’t posted about it until now.  As all decoupage projects tend to be, this is a really easy project that can be customized to someone’s personal taste.

 

First, I bought a wooden tray.  Most all craft stores have them for around $5.  I got lucky and found one at Goodwill for $2.   Secondly, I painted my tray.  Then, using two pieces of scrap book paper, I began decoupaging the top of the tray.  To do this, I applied a layer of Mod Podge to the bottom of the paper and glued it to the tray, then I applied a layer of Mod Podge to the top of the paper and let it dry.

 

I liked the simple look of the black and white polka dots, but the beauty of using scrapbook paper is the variety that craft stores offer.  Keep in mind that any kind of paper works for decoupage projects.  You don’t need to limit yourself to only using scrapbook paper.

All in all, this project cost me less than $5. This tray gets used on a daily basis, so we certainly got our $5 worth out of it;)

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Decoupaged $5 Goodwill Table

I’ve shown you a lot of decoupage projects lately, so I thought I’d show you another one that I did years ago.  When I got my first apartment, my entire apartment was furnished from thrift stores.  Here’s how I turned an ugly side table into a usable piece for that apartment.

First, I bought a random $5 table from Goodwill that met the size requirements I was looking for.  Then, I painted the table black.  Once the table was dry, I applied a layer of Mod Podge to the top of the table and quickly placed scrapbook paper on top of the wet glue.  I used four pieces of scrapbook paper that looked like pages from a dictionary and left a few inches of painted black edge along the top of the table.  Lastly, I applied a second layer of Mod Podge on top of the paper, and then let it dry. 

After supplies, this table was less than $10.   I still use this table in our house now, so I’d say I got my ten bucks worthJ

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DIY Canisters from Recycled Holiday Tins



I mentioned in my last post (Labeling Glass Canisters) that I had a DIY canister project I wanted to share with you.  Well, here it is.  After several years of using small, glass Ikea canisters for my baking needs, I've moved on to these large, repurposed canisters….and it only cost me $10 to do it:)

I was inspired by these canisters that I saw at Hobby Lobby.  In need of the large canisters, I priced them only to discover they were $15 a piece.  I needed eight canisters for the following items: flour, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, stevia, tea, coffee and hot chocolate.  I really didn't want to spend one hundred-plus dollars on canisters, so I decided that I was just gonna have to get creative.

Here's what my canisters  looked like before their makeover.  I recently found these holiday tins at Hobby Lobby, and the best part is that they were clearanced at 90% off.  While these tins met my storage needs, the festive decorations on them....well, not so much.  To fix that little problem,  I got my craft on and spruced them up a bit.



These are the way my canisters turned out after they received their makeover.   Obviously my version of these canisters is not dishwasher safe.  Since they are only holding flour and sugar, a quick wipe down of the inside of the canisters is sufficient when they need to be cleaned.  Supplies needed for this project are as follows: recycled tins, paper, Mod Podge, letters, and spray paint.  Here's how I gave eight holiday tins a practical makeover.

First, I took off all of the lids off and painted the tops of them only.  I did not paint the bottom of the lids for obvious reasons.

While the lids were drying, I began to transform the outside of the tins with paper and Mod Podge.  I measured my paper to fit each container.  It took two pieces of scrapbook paper to fit around one container.

Once the paper was ready to be assembled, I brushed a layer of Mod Podge onto one half of the container.

Then, I placed one of my pieces of paper onto the glued surface.  Once the first piece was secure, I Mod Podged the other side and applied the second piece of paper.

Here's a helpful tip when working with Mod Podge.  To avoid those pesky bumps, air bubbles and wrinkles that tend to form as the Mod Podge dries, use some sort of flat tool to even them out before they dry.  I use my pizza scraper, and it does wonders.  And since the pizza scraper is  only being used on the paper, not the glue, there isn't any crafting damage done to my kitchen tool.  Multi-purpose, now that's what I'm talkin' about;)

Once the paper has been applied around the perimeter of the container, a second layer of Mod Podge needs to be applied to the paper to give  a sealed, finished look to the containers.

After my containers were dry, I decided that I wanted to make labels for each container.  To do this, I simply used Word.  I printed out my labels and cut out each individual letter for the canisters.  I then applied the letters to the paper using the same Mod Podge technique that I used to apply the paper to the canisters.  Stickers would have saved me a lot of time, but it would have also cost me more money.  My money was worth more than my time, so I chose the tedious way of making labels for this project;) The font that I used was Cooper Black.  I used 120 font size for the larger containers and 100 font size for the smaller ones. 

After I made the five large canisters, I made these three smaller ones for coffee, hot chocolate and tea.  I used the same Mod Podge  methods to make these as I did the other five.   If Mod Podge isn't your thing, recycled tins can receive a simple makeover with a coat of paint and some stickers for labels.   If you can find a pattern that suites your taste, contact paper could even be an alternative for this project. 

 

So that's it!  Recycled and repurposed, these newly revamped canisters represent my style in a practical and inexpensive way.  Does it really get better than that:)

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Mod Podge Laundry Room Sign





           Like my floor lamp project that I posted about on Tuesday, I completed this project a few months ago but am just now getting around to posting it.  I love the way this laundry room sign turned out!  I can't take the credit for this creative idea.  I was inspired by another blog that I follow called Dittle Dattle.  She made a "family" sign that inspired me to make the above sign.  You can find her tutorial here. 

         This project can be used in a variety of ways.  It could be a welcome sign, a holiday sign or a child's name sign.  In my case, I wanted to make something to go on the laundry room wall, and this project looked easy and inexpensive.  Using supplies that I already had, this project cost me less than $7.  Here's how I did it.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

1.   a piece of craft wood for each letter -  I got mine at Hobby Lobby for 50 cents each. 
2.  a variety of scrapbook paper  

3. paint, if desired
4.  Mod Podge 
 5.  letters -  I made mine on the computer.

6.  ribbon 
 7.  curtain rod -  If you don't have an extra one that isn't being use, yard sales and thrift stores are great places to find curtain rods. I found mine half off at Goodwill  for $1.

DIRECTIONS:

Step One:  Cut the paper to the desired size.  I made mine a little smaller than the wood.

Step Two:  Paint the wood if desired.  I used spray paint that I had on hand, and I only painted the outside of the wood to save time and supplies.

Step Three:  Cut out letters and arrange paper onto wood and letters onto paper.

Step Four:  Mod Podge the paper to the wood and let dry.  Once dry, Mod Podge the letters to the paper and let dry.
 

Step Five:  Cut even strips of ribbon and hot glue them to the back of the wood.

Step Six:  Hang Letters on curtain rod and hang curtain rod to wall:)

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DIY Decoupaged Porcelain Ornament for Less Than $1

These ornaments could be adjusted for your specific needs and could be personalized with fun sayings or individual names.  For less $1, they make really great, inexpensive, personalized, quick and easy, homemade giftsJ

            For those of you who don’t know, I have a large family.  I have seven siblings, and most of them have families of their own.  In fact, my parents have seventeen grandchildren.   One of the things my mom gives the grandchildren every Christmas is an ornament.  This year she wanted to give ornaments that specifically said, “You’re My Favorite” to each grandchild, because thy all seem to think that they are Grandma’s favorite, even though Grandma is constantly reminding them that they are all her favorite.  It has kind of become a joke between all them, so my mom asked me to make the ornaments.  She instructed me to make them on a tight budget, since she needed me to make seventeen of them.  Oh, and I shoud also mention that I needed to make all of them before Thanksgiving, because my family gets together to celebrate Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  I was able to make all of the ornaments for about $13.  That’s less than $1 for each ornament.  Not too bad, if I day say so myself;)

SUPPLIES :

Porcelain Ornament – $1 at Hobby Lobby, but I wait for them to go half off.  I was able to get all 17 ornaments for $.50 each

Scrapbook Paper – .$.59 per sheet at most craft stores, but I always wait for them to go on sale for 5 for $1.  I used 4 pieces of Christmas scrapbook paper for this project.  Christmas wrapping paper would also work for this project.

Mod Podge – Usually about $6 for a standard bottle, but most stores have coupons for one item in their weekly ads.  I always have this on hand, so I didn’t need to buy any for this project. 

Small Foam Paint Brush - $.44 at most stores.  I like using these for small decoupage projects, because they are inexpensive and they cover well.

Paint – I used spray paint, only because I had plenty of silver on hand and wanted an even coverage.  C raft paint would also work

Computer – I used the computer to print my phrase, because I had so many ornaments to make.  Stickers would work too, but it could get costly if you have multiple ornaments to make.

Ribbon - $1.99 at most craft stores.  I got mine half off for $1.

DIRECTIONS:

Trace ornament over the back side of paper twice (two circles per ornament).  Cut out all circles.  Lay all ornaments flat on an area prepped for paint.  Paint one side and let dry.  Once dry, paint the other side and let dry.   Decoupage circle to one side and let dry.  Once dry, decoupage other circle to the other side and let dry.  Print out words, cut using a cutting board and decoupage to front side ornament.  Once ornament is completely dry, put the ribbon on the ornament and hang on tree or wrap as a gift. J

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Upcycled Wall Decor With Dollar Tree Decal

The Christmas season is upon us, and I have a project for all of you crafty readers out there looking for ideas to make Christmas gifts on a budget.  This upcylced project cost me all of $3 and could be a thoughtful yet inexpensive Christmas gift for those on a tight budget this year!  

Using a $2 sign from Goodwill, a $1 decal from the Dollar Tree, some white sample chalk paint that I got for free when I ordered my graphite chalk paint., and some spare ribbon from my craft closet, I was able to make the outdated "angels" sign into a fresh, modern "welcome" sign for our home.  

TIPS:

1.  this could work with any piece of wood...new or old

2.  if using an old sign, paint over sign with chalk paint and let dry

3.  if you don't have chalk paint, sand and prime before painting over the old sign

4.  once dry, place decal over painted wood

5.  if wood already has holes, pull ribbon through holes and hang on wall

6.  if wood doesn't have holes, drill holes or use brackets to hang on wall

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