More Decoupaged Pumpkins

Check out some more of those decoupaged pumpkins!   I love the fabric that Love Sweet Love used!!!  So fun!  Are you going to decoupage any pumpkins this year?

See the decopauged pumpkins.

Guest Blogger - Altered Artworks - Decopauged and Embellished Case

Hello Someday Crafts fans. As Michelle takes time to enjoy her new son, it is my turn--and my privilege--to ignite your creative juices.

My name is Doreen, and I blog on Altered Artworks. This is my virtual haven where I share my passion for altered art.
Several years ago, I started an in-home business called "Coffee, Tea or Me Pots." I painted terra cotta pots and decoupaged them with different designs. It was fun searching for perfect items to fit various themes, creating great ready-to-go-gifts, complete with cellophane wrap, ribbon and coordinating tags.
However, my current creative passion is Altered Art "transforming the mundane, one embellishment at a time." This has become a wonderful time sucker hobby. Roaming through the bric 'n' brac aisles of local thrift shops, looking for that one lonely and somewhat out-of-place mail holder, is one of the best ways to spend an afternoon. Is it weird that I get goose bumps when it's "50% off green tagged items" day?
Here are before-and-after photos of my favorite transformations:

vintage mailbox

[before]

[after]

leopard-turned-turquoise note and key holder

[before]

[after]

shutter -turned-everything holder

[before]

[after]

I also love creating special occasion canvas wall art. I use graduation announcements, wedding and bar/bat mitzvah invitations as well as photos to help create long-lasting memories. Here is a canvas I created for my Mom using two photos, the first of her holding ME just after I was born (circa 1956) and the bottom photo of me with my two daughters (circa 2010).

Although I just opened my first Etsy shop, I prefer inviting friends over so they can create their own altered art. Everyone brings snacks and I provide the craft supplies. These workshops have become more than crafting--it is Creative Therapy.

I also volunteer at a local senior home helping seniors create something special for them. It's great for their self-esteem and their fine motor skills. It's so fulfilling to see their faces light up when they are able to tie a ribbon or glue tiny rhinestones onto a photo frame.
Today I would like to share a fun, simple and inexpensive idea using a mundane plastic pencil box that I bought for less than $1 (both Staples and Michael's sell these).

Mundane pencil box screaming for embellishments

Here is an easy tutorial on how to transform this box into a "campy" gift, ready to sneak into your child's duffel bag before he/she goes off to summer camp.
Gather together an assortment of scrapbook paper and coordinating ribbon, rub-ons, stickers, buttons, a metal label holder, and anything else you would like to use to embellish the box.

Ribbon, rub-ons, rhinestones, buttons, etc.

Measure the front of your box, and cut two pieces of coordinating paper using the exact dimensions. This box measures 7-3/4" x 2-7/8". Edge the paper with liquid chalk.

A little edging to emphasize the border

Punch a hole in one of the papers for the snap closure. Using Mod Podge, coat the top of the box and the wrong side of the paper, and adhere paper to box. Smooth out any bubbles. When dry, apply a second coat of Mod Podge.

Bring on the Mod Podge

Then add ribbon, buttons, and any other embellishments. 

Standing on end to dry

 I embellished the side of the box with a rub-on that reads, "Life's Better with Chocolate."

"Life's Better with Chocolate"

 Slide out the inside tray, and Mod Podge coordinating paper to it.

Mod Podge the interior

Now add other embellishments to the top. I used buttons, a metal label holder, and personalized the box using my vintage Dymo label maker. I also glued a flower button to the top of the snap closure.

When completely dry, add "ingredients" including a pack of gum, band-aids, chapstick, mini suntan lotion, postage stamps, playing cards, and a mini note from home!

This fun box can be easily adapted for a back-to-school gift. Add new pencils, pens, erasers, sharpener, and a 6" ruler for a great first day of school surprise. Taking it one step further, I created a coordinating note holder (from a wooden clothespin) and a tile coaster to place a water bottle on. There's something about a coordinating ensemble that just oozes fun!

If you would like to see more transformations, I hope you will visit me at Altered Artworks. Please leave a comment that you stopped by from Someday Crafts. And if you like what you see, I hope you become a new follower.

Michelle, thank you so much for this opportunity to share my passion for altered art with your readers. And congratulations on your new baby!

THANKS, DOREEN! You definitely have the skill of turning ugly, old things into something beautiful! I have some knicks and knacks you can work your magic on!!!!!

Visit Altered Artwork to see more of Doreen's beautiful creations!

Guest Blogger - Simple Simon & Co. - Decoupaged Patterned Boxes

Hi! I'm liZ from over at

Simple Simon and Co.

There, my ridiculously talented sister-in-law (who is also named Elizabeth) and I post our daily sewing, crafting, and kid related projects.
Today we are super excited to be here at Someday Crafts with a little project I've been working on. Among other things I hoard, I mean I collect, vintage patterns. And well, my "collection" had gotten out of hand and I needed some sort of system to store them in. I wanted something that would keep my patterns tidy, easy to access, and look as cute as my patterns do.

Here's what I came up with:

Mod Podge Patterned Pattern Boxes.

They are easy to make and absolutely perfect to store your sewing patterns in.

Here's what you'll need:
*5 Quart storage bins (I bought mine at the Dollar Store but they also sell them at Wal-Mart)
*Mod Podge
*An old paint brush
*Some old patterns that you are willing to part with

Just a note here about the patterns---I can't bear to see any potentially good patterns being wasted---even if it is to decorate something I want. SO I chose patterns that should never ever be sewn again to use for this project. That way I wasn't destroying something that I may want later and I was saving the planet from pregnant women walking around wearing that red jumpsuit.

Now. On to the instructions:

#1. Using your paintbrush, slather some Mod Podge over the area of the bin you are going to start covering.

#2. Lay a piece of pattern over the area covered in Mod Podge. Press it down firmly with your fingers or the paintbrush. (Note: Patterns are very thin so be a gentle...)

*Don't worry about having to fold the pattern over on itself around corners. That will happen. As for the wrinkling...don't worry about that either. Wrinkles happen and it's ok. It will give your bins texture and character.

#3. Use large pattern pieces first and then fill in any blank areas with smaller pieces. Do this until your entire bin is covered with patterns.

#4. When your bin is covered go over the ENTIRE surface with your Mod Podge. (This will give the frail pattern paper a protective layer that will become hard and prevent your bin from getting rips and tears. Plus it makes it look shiny and cool.)

#5. Hot glue a big old ribbon to the front. (I used strips of scrap fabric to make mine.)
And now your done!

(However, if you are really particular about your patterns you could skip the bow and make a cute label for the front detailing the sizes or styles of patterns in each bin. Obviously I didn't do that with mine...as per most of my projects I chose fun over practicality...)

I love my little army of pattern boxes. They are exactly what I needed--I can easily flip through the contents of each bin, the patterns are organized by size and style, and of course, they look good on my shelf. It was just what I needed.

Thank you, Michelle, for letting us share one of our projects amid so many other amazing tutorials. We have been so excited to be a guest on your amazing blog and we had a lot of fun putting together our project.

Thanks again,

liZ

THANK YOU, liZ!!!! My favorite projects are ones that are quick, simple, inexpensive and turn out really cute and this is definitely one of those "favorite" type projects!

Head over to Simple Simon & Co to check out all the AMAZING tutorials and ideas there. You will spend hours looking around!

Guest Blogger - Live. Laugh. Photograph. - Anthropologie Inspired Mirror

Hello Bloggy Friends!!

My name is Laura and I am over.the.moon excited to be here today! I'm the author of the blog live.laugh.photograph where I blog about crafts, sewing, photography, style, and digital scrapbooking to name a few. In real life I'm a cosmetologist which means I love doing hair and makeup and sometimes I share a little bit of that too!

This is ME. Hi! Nice to meet you!

Here are just a few of my favorite projects you can find on my blog!

Bird Nest Necklace {Tutorial}

Pottery Barn Kids Knock-off Wall Decor

Grapefruit and Lemon Salt Scrub

You can check out more of my tutorials here!

Now that you know a little bit about me, I'm going to show you my latest project! Today I'm going to show you how to make this Anthropologie inspired mirror using a little paint and some fabric scraps!

Here is the original = $168

And here is mine! =$5

To get started you will need these supplies:

Craft wood mirror {I got mine at Michael's}

craft paint/paintbrush
fabric scraps
scissors
mod podge
razor blade or painters tape to protect the mirror from paint and glue

Let's get this party started! First, you will want to paint the wood in the color of your choice. I used white because this mirror is going in my daughter's room and brown wouldn't go with the flow ;)

Here is where you might also want to tape off the mirror part to prevent any paint or glue from getting onto it. I didn't do this step because a plain old razor blade works just as well! Either way you do it, we'll take care of it at the end ;)

While the paint is drying, you can measure and cut out your fabric scraps for each of the four corners of the mirror. I found that starting with the 4 corners first was the easiest way to go. Mine measured 2x2 inches.

Take a little mod podge and brush it onto the wood or fabric. Whichever floats your boat! Place it onto the mirror and smooth it out. Fabric is very giving so if your square isn't exact you can push/pull into place!

Do this for each of the corners of the mirror.

Since my mirror is a rectangle and not a square, I knew that the fabric squares would have spaces in between them. No biggie! I just measured to figure out how many more fabric squares I needed to cut out. It ended up being 10.

Cut those babies out!

Now play around with them to see where you want them to go and mod podge them to the mirror!

Easy breezy!

If you like the tattered effect, you can always leave the frays alone. I usually love the distressed look but I went completely against everything in my body telling me to leave it alone and mod podged it to make those little frays disappear!

I went through and put a coat all over the mirror brushing the frays into place as I went!

One last step! Once the mirror is dry go ahead and take off your tape if you used it or grab a razor blade and scrape off the paint and glue.

Then use some window cleaner to get it nice and clean!

And now you have your very own Anthro inspired Mirror!

Now marvel at your pretty creation!! SO easy right?

Thanks so much for letting me share my little ol' project with you today! It's been a pleasure and an honor to be guest blogging here at Someday Crafts!

I'd love for you to stop by my blog, Live. Laugh. Photograph, anytime and say hi! I love meeting new people!

xoxo

Laura, THANKS for the cute and easy knock-off! We all love to save money! Head over to Live. Laugh. Photograph. to get more of this goodness!