Guerrilla Glue

I did it. I tried Guerrilla Glue for the first time. And... it kind of worked?

2 weeks ago, I was very inspired by the projects that were linked up. And so I tried a few.

I went to the dollar store and got 3 little candle stick holders. Then I went to Target and got some pretty plastic plates.

I spray painted the candle stick things white, and then added a clear coat to seal it.

Once that dried, I glued the candle sticks to the plates, with my Guerrilla Glue. I placed heavy objects on top, and left them overnight.

Ta Daa!



They look so awesome!



Oh, wait...

Huh... that doesn't look very good...



It bubbled. A lot. And I'm not sure how to fix it.

Any ideas?



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I finally got off my butt and made something.

The last time I made anything was... well, way too long ago. And so I am super proud to unveil my latest craft!

More picture frames!

I know, I know. Not that original. But hey, it's something! And I think they turned out pretty cute.

Here they are together. And yes, I realize they sort of clash.

In case you are curious, here's a rundown on how to make them.

Buy really cheap wood frames from Michaels. These were $1, but I bought them with 40% off coupons. So you're looking at sixty cent frames!

Trace and cut out a piece of paper to fit the frame. Then Mod Podge it on. Be sure and smooth out the bubbles!

While that's drying, cut out a piece of Burlap to fit the cardboard square in the center. Podge that on.

Decorate the burlap. I used stamps and little glass rocks and a paper flower. Be creative (I'm picturing a green Shamrock...).

Distress the edges of the frame with ink, and then paint a layer of Podge on top, to protect it.

And ta daa! A great little gift, or something to spruce up a shelf. Sorry the picture quality is so bad. I took these at work, right before I mailed them out. Like I said, they make awesome presents.

I am gonna link up to all of these parties. I recommend you do the same :)

.



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Japanese Inspired Wall Art

I had some leftover flowers from this project, and so I decided to make some wall art. This is maybe the coolest thing I have ever made.

I was at the Dollar Store the other day, and I totally hit the jackpot. I'll have to do a separate post sometime to show all the awesome stuff I found there. I'll just say this for now: GO THERE. And bring more than $10 with you.

Here's my tutorial attempt.

Frames, $1 each.

They came in this red color. They also had black, white, and natural ones. But for Valentines Day, this color was perfect.

And even more so when I distressed it. Did you know they have sand paper at the Dollar Store, too???

I painted some Mod Podge on the glass.

Then I pressed some burlap onto the Podged glass. Sorry, no pics of this part. After it dried, I trimmed down the edges of the Burlap. Then I stuck the glass back into the frame.

And it looked like that.

I chose two little branches, which I had gathered the previous day. I hot glued a few paper flowers to the ends.

Then I glued the branches to the Burlap in the frame. Using a little dot of Gorilla Glue would probably turn out prettier, but I didn't have any on hand.

And ta daa! Beautiful 3D artwork, perfect for Valentines Day. I think they look a little bit like Japanese wall art.

See? Pretty.

This one is my favorite.

What do you think? (your feedback would be much appreciated)



I'll be linking up to the places on the right. INCLUDING the new craft link party!

A new one?

Yup, that's right! There is a new link party every Wednesday RIGHT HERE. So check back then, and link up your crafts! (even your old ones- they will be new to me :)



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A String of Hearts

Remember how I was going to have my Valentines Decorations all ready by February 1st? Well, that didn't happen. But here is one I finished last night.

I know it doesn't look like much, but it's really pretty in person. I cut out different size hearts in pretty colors, and embellished them with the same techniques I used here. This makes my kitchen look so cute (and draws the focus away from the dirty dishes in the sink).

I am also ready to go with another project that I am super excited about. I spent all night making these things:

Now I just need to go find some branches in the park. And pick up a can of white spray paint. If this turns out half as awesome as it looks in my head, we might have a new favorite project on our hands...



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Valentine Mail Boxes

Once a week, we have "Family Home Evening." Basically, the whole family gathers together for some quality time. That sounds a lot more impressive than it really is. Right now 'the whole family' is just Kurt and me. But we don't let that stop us!

I was in charge this week, and so, of course, we made a craft. He was such a good sport.

I saw some plain white mini mailboxes in the Target dollar Section a month or so ago, and picked them up. Since then, I've seen dozens of ideas on how to decorate them! They are all over blogland.

I thought this would make a cute Valentines Day tradition. The idea is, we can leave little notes or gifts or pieces of candy in each others mailboxes. When we have children, they can stick valentines and other little things in them too. Original idea? Nope. But I think it'll be a fun way to celebrate this holiday.

Kurt designed this yellow one by himself:

It was his first time using Mod Podge. He wasn't exactly excited about it. The man hates glue on his fingers.

When I was little, I would coat my hands with Elmers glue. I loved peeling that stuff off.

When I told him this, he just stared at me. It was like he didn't understand how that could be fun.

He is so weird.

Cute, huh? I got the "you've got mail" idea from this post, over at Miss Crafty Pants. Her font is much cuter. Actually, my mailbox looks a lot like hers. But Kurts is very original.

I'll link these up to the usual places on the right.



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Burlap Backing Tutorial

Remember the Valentines Day Tiles I made a few days ago? And remember how I didn't post a tutorial? That's because I am lazy.

Some of you guys were curious about what I meant by "I glued a square of burlap on the back of the tile (with both hot glue and Mod Podge), and hot glued the Raffia to the Burlap."

So here are some pictures.

This is everything I used. The burlap is just a tiny bit smaller than the tile.

I Mod Podged the back of the tile (pretty thickly), but left the center clean.

Then I filled the center with hot glue.

And used a popsicle stick to press the burlap down. DO NOT USE YOUR FINGERS. You will get burned. Trust me.

After the burlap was pressed down, and both glues had seeped through the material a little bit, I pulled up the edges slightly. And ran a line of hot glue along the side.

Then I used my popsicle stick to press the burlap back down, into the line of glue. Again, if you use your fingers, you will get burned. I promise. You might be tempted to try it, but just say no. Repeat this step on the other 3 sides.

Now it's time to attach the Raffia. I actually like using ribbon better (I used it here). But I didn't have any that looked good with these tiles, and Raffia looks good with everything. You should always have Raffia on hand. That is probably the best advice I can give you.

Grab the center of the Raffia, and smooth it out between your fingers. Run a line of hot glue near the top of the tile. Set the Raffia onto the hot glue.

Then use a popsicle stick to push the Raffia down into the glue. If you want to use your fingers, go ahead. But you will probably get third degree burns.

Once everything is dry, bring the sides of the Raffia (or ribbon) up, and tie them together.

Kurt was all "are you sure that's gonna hold?" So I had him tug on it a little. Now he is a believer. That stuff isn't going anywhere.

And if you are wondering what I used to embellish the flowers, I'll show you.

Little glass stones. The kind people stick in the bottom of vases. Neat idea, huh? And pretty cheap. Especially with a coupon.



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How do you craft?

Hey guys, I was wondering. What do you do while you craft? Do you listen to music, watch tv, or do it in absolute silence?

Cause I've done all 3. Except I watch my tv online. I think that is an important distinction. Because I don't know about you, but whenever I flip on the tv, I end up watching something dumb, like Judge Judy. It's painful. But watching tv on your computer- that's completely different. It's watching tv with a purpose. You choose the show, and even the episode, and you barely waste any time on commercials.

Yeah, I've put a lot of thought into this.

My favorite way to craft is with friends. But that barely ever happens. So I spend a lot of time watching episodes of my favorite programs: Modern Family, House, Psych, The Office. While I was making the checkerboards, I watched every episode of Make it or Break it. EVERY.EPISODE.

Pandora also gets a lot of use. During Christmastime I listened to it so much, they were all "Guess what? Now we are going to charge you." I sat through your advertisements, Pandora. I think you made enough money off of that. But in the end I coughed up the $1, because really? It was worth it.



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Check out these Checker Boards! -giveaway closed-

YOU.GUYS.

Look at these! They turned out even better than I expected.

Here is the traditional Annie's Checkerboard.

Cute as ever, right?

These are the Checker Pieces. They feature a silver flower in the middle (but they don't have to. The plain colors are pretty, too).


And here are my new designs!


Brown and Blue (because this color combination is so hot right now :)

Here is the first checker combination for this board. A sprig of leaves and a Bird.


And here is the second option, with leaves on both. I like both options.

This next board is Brown and White. And the brown squares have little pink lines running through them. Look closely- they are there.

These checkers are 2 shades of pink. This is a really pretty set. Super girly. The images in the center are a dragonfly and the bird.

Green on Green. This one is maybe my favorite.

And here are the pieces. I really love them.

What do you think? And which are your favorites?

And do you want one?

Because today I am being Featured over at Keepin' the Castle, and I am giving one away! The winner gets to choose their favorite set. How awesome is that??

Just click here to see the contest details.

And then the the 3 that aren't chosen will be the first items I list on my Etsy shop!!

Today is a good day :)



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Valentines Day Tiles

I finally finished a project! I've been dealing with some serious Craft ADD lately. I'll start a project, and get distracted by another project. And then another. And then brownies um, healthy food. So now I have 6 or 7 half finished projects strewn around my living room (and yes, it's driving Kurt crazy).

But last night I forced myself to finish this, so I'd have something to show you guys today. You are my motivation :)


They turned out pretty nice, huh? I love decorating tiles. I got these 6x6 beauties at Lowes for 60 cents (ish) each, and busted out the Mod Podge.


For the 3D flowers, I used this tutorial (it's at the bottom of the page). It's super easy. But it uses hot glue, so be careful- I think I burned myself 6 times last night :/


This project uses pretty paper, Burlap, and Mod Podge. My three favorite things, all in one project! I just wish I could take better pictures- these look so much prettier in person.


To hang them, I glued a square of burlap on the back of the tile (with both hot glue and Mod Podge), and hot glued the Raffia to the Burlap. For instructions and pictures, click here.


Tiles are so in right now.


So that's my Valentines Decoration. If you make some of these, post a link! I want to see what you guys come up with. I'll be linking up to all the parties on the right :)

In other news, I have the hiccups. Again. For the 4th time today. I think my body is trying to entertain itself. It's all "Oh, you have to answer the phones at work? Take that! Let's hear you talk now." It thinks it's just sooo funny.

Not cool, body. Not cool.



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