Easy Peasy Kitchen Mat

My kitchen is the only room in my house that I haven't painted or renovated in any way.  Just the thought of doing a kitchen overwhelms me completely...so instead I just added a new mat using my new FolkArt Stencils and Paints, so much easier~

Here's what I got in the mail the other day!

Click through HERE to see how to make your own mat~

Friday Flashback: Pretty Dominoes

In case you missed it...I'm on the other side of the planet enjoying some sunshine.  So, in the meantime, because I wasn't overly organized before I left, I'm bringing back some of my favourite projects over the years for an encore.

I really loved this project even though it wasn't as wildly popular as I thought it would be.  It's one of those posts that just sort of came and went without much fanfare.  I still love it though~
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I was one of those kids who always kept things in their original packaging.  I was also one of those kids who rarely threw anything away.  So, when I came across my childhood domino set in it's original box in pristine condition I threw caution to the wind and gave them a total overhaul.

 

If you want to make a pretty set of your own, here's what you need:

Materials
-Set of wooden dominoes
-Mod Podge gloss and Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
-Spray paint or acrylic paint
-paint brush
-pretty papers

Steps:

1) If you're super serious about crafting you will want to sand and prime your dominoes.  I am not that serious, so I just lined them all up and gave them several coats of spray paint.

I went back and forth on the idea of sanding down the edges to give them a shabby chic look but in the end decided that wasn't a good idea.  All of the tiles should look the same when they're turned over and they shouldn't have any distinguishing marks on them.  So... I just left them as is.

2) While you're waiting for your tiles to dry, pick out your pretty papers.  You need a different paper for every number you have (six).  You can cover the blanks too but this could be a little confusing when you're playing.  It's best to just leave them blank.

3) You're probably still waiting for your paint to dry so now's a good time to cut out your tiny little squares of paper to cover each of the numbers.  I used my Silhouette but you could do this by hand.  My squares are 18millimetres square.  Make sure to pre-measure your tiles to see if it's the same before you start cutting.

I was originally going to cover the blanks,
that's why there's seven tiles,
but I changed my mind~

4) Once your paint has finally dried, start adhering your papers.  The easiest way to do it is one number at a time.  Gather all of the one's and paste down the same paper on top of each of them, then all of the two's and so on.

I found it easier to brush the glue onto the backs of the paper squares instead of directly onto the tiles.

5) Next add a nice thick layer of Dimensional Magic to the entire top of your dominoes.

This gives them a super glossy, resin look.

It goes on a bit milky but dries super clear.  Just watch for air bubbles.  I put mine on so thick I had to let them dry overnight.

I couldn't put these lovely tiles back into their old box so I even made them a new holder!

Gorgeous!  Now I just need to find someone to play with~

Have a crafty week everyone!
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I had so much fun remaking this old favourite that I ended up recycling Rubik's Cubes as well.  You can see the remakes here.

Do you still have any of your childhood games?  Have you ever thought of revamping them to make them fun again?  Leave a comment below~

Oh! By the way...I don't really celebrate but, Happy Valentines day!

Surprise Candy Dish

As you know, I am well into holiday crafting...and now Martha Stewart Crafts is helping me!

Just look at all of the goodies I got in the mail!

To be honest, I didn't know where to start.  Should I decoupage?  Try some glass etching?  Break out the pretty paints???  And then I was inspired by some exotic looking dishes one day and thought "Hey! I could make that!"  So, I did.

Here's what you need to make your own pretty candy dish for the holidays.

Materials:
-cut glass bowl from the thrift store.  (Get one with lots of cuts but isn't super detailed.)
-glass paint in contrasting colours.  (I used Martha Stewart Fine Glitter Paint)
-paint brushes

Steps:
1) Clean and dry your glass bowl then just use your paint to fill in all of those cuts in the glass.  There are two things I love about these Martha Stewart paints...1) the fine tip and 2) the locking cap....brilliant!

2) Leave your paint to dry overnight.  Once you're sure everything is dry go overtop of EVERYTHING with a contrasting colour.  Do as many coats as you need to get a fairly opaque coverage.

Once all of your coats are dry you're done!  That's it!  So easy peasy.  What I love is that from the side it just looks like a normal little bowl.  But a peek inside reveals a whole other story...a SURPRISE!

This paint is dishwasher safe!

You can get the entire Martha Stewart Craft line at Michaels or in Plaid's online store.  With so many choices in craft and glass paint and the new decoupage line your sure to find everything you need for your handmade Christmas needs.

Here are some more projects from other bloggers:
And for even more inspiration, visit Martha Stewart's Pinterest Board!  You can also find more ideas on the Plaid Facebook page or sign up for their newsletter HERE.

*This is a sponsored post written for Blueprint Social for Martha Stewart Crafts.  No compensation was received other than the products shown and all opinions are my own.

Faux Gilded Antique Frame

If you follow me on Pinterest than you may have noticed a new little obsession of mine...printables.  Well, I decided to stop collecting and start using and came up with this great little frame for an old world map I found online.

Here's what you need to get started on your own frame:

Materials:
-a wooden thrift store frame
-a great printable image like THIS one
-Mod Podge or leafing adhesive and sponge brush
-gold foil
-optional: paint and a burnishing tool

(I know I could do all of this with real gold leaf but I'm trying to use what I have on hand, and besides, gold leaf is a bit on the messy side.)

Steps:
1) I picked up this great frame at the thrift store because I liked that it already had colour on it.  If you're using an unfinished frame add a coat of a nice dark colour like navy, black, or burgundy.  Or course,
don't forget to pop out the glass and backing materials before you get started.

2) I ran out of leafing adhesive ages ago and have never been able to find it since, so I decided to try out Mod Podge, and guess what!  It worked!  Now, it's not as good as leafing medium but it'll do in a pinch.  Just dab the Mod Podge on all around your frame, focusing on the edges and all the places you want your gold to show up.

3) Let the glue sit for a few minutes.  Once it gets to a tacky stage pull out your gold foil.  Keep in mind that I'm not using actual gold leaf.  This is just a foil that I got in a crafting kit (again, it was ages ago), and figured I'd see if it would stick...and guess what!  It did!

Really rub it on.  Don't be afraid to press too hard.
Once you see your frame showing through
then you know it's sticking.

4) Keep going all around your frame.  When you're done that, move onto the glass.  Do the exact same thing.  If you have a burnishing tool it will come in handy for rubbing the foil onto the glass.

Press hard but make sure you're on a flat surface so that you don't crack or break your glass.

Cut your printable to size, replace the glass in the frame, add your printable, and throw on the backing because you're done!

Just like that you've got a very antiquey, very golden looking piece to hang up on your wall.

I've got photos from my trips around the globe up all around my house (which at least one of my friends has insinuated is slightly narcissistic, but I don't care).  I think this old map makes a nice addition and tells people how I see the world...just one great big place to explore!

I've got a couple of trips planned and I can't wait to tell you about them once I get things in place.  It's been awhile since my trip to Thailand so I'm really looking forward to getting away again.  Do you have any vacation plans this winter?  Leave a comment below and tell us where you're going!

My First Painting!

Because I don't have my hand in enough craft pots (or enough craft supplies stuffed into my closet) I decided to take up another hobby....watercolour painting~

It's something I've always wanted to learn, but I've never considered myself to be artistic.  I'm crafty sure, but artistic, not so much.

I've studied Art History though and have a great love an appreciation for painting, so I figured it's about time I just get over my fear of creating something horribly ugly, and dive in.

Here's my first painting.

It's just a bunch of blobs of colour but I kind of like it~

I really like this corner for some reason.

I've only had one class so far, but I'm having fun learning something new.  If you have any tips for me, leave a comment below.

My tip for you is...whatever it is you've always wanted to do but haven't, DO IT!  There's no such thing as failure as long as you're trying.

This time last year

I guess it's that time of year when we take a look back to see what we've accomplished and how far we've come.

In this spirit I took a look at how many of you were hanging out with me this time last year...and it was just a fraction of all of you lovely new Etcetorizers. 

So, I thought this week would be a great time to recap some fun projects from last Christmas in case you missed them the first time around.  (Besides, I'm pretty worn out, and still have loads of things to do before the weekend.  So, it's time to recycle!)

First up ...  "Where's my wine glass?!?!"
(originally posted December 10, 2010)

Here's a fun and easy project to help keep everyones glass in it's place when you have your family over for the holidays.

If your family sits to the table for Christmas dinner this is a fun way to do name plates too to make sure everyone sits where they're supposed to.

I made these many years ago but when they went in the dishwasher a lot of the work that went into them was washed away.  Every year since then I've said I was going to redo them so we could use them again...and now I finally have!! 

Here are the supplies you'll need:

along with access to an oven

Steps:
1) Clean your wine glasses and dry.  Then paint each family members name onto the wine glasses.  I used a very fine and high quality paint brush to avoid frustration.

2) Now just paint a small picture of something christmassy onto the other side of each glass.  I like to do something unique for each one but you could make them all the same if you like that matchy matchy thing.

I also tried to mix it up a little.  Some glasses just have one larger image and others have a whole cluster of small images.  (Also, some look like my 4 year old nephew painted them and some turned out quite nice~)

3) Keeping in mind that I'm using "Paint and Bake" paint, once you have all of your glasses finished you now place them in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes to bake.  Until the paint is baked it's water soluble and all of your artwork will be lost if washed.  Even though after they're baked they're supposed to be dishwasher safe, I recommend hand washing them.

4) After they've cooled down and the paint is set, the only thing left to do is to fill your glasses with some wine (or juice) and have a great night with your family.

I bought these paints off of the Home Shopping Channel in Canada ages and ages ago (I think maybe more than 10 years ago) and I can't find them online anymore.  However, they're a Tina Lewis product and she still regularly appears on the Shopping Channel as well as QVC and HSN.  I think these days she's more into scrapbooking though.  You can find her website here .  If you really like this project and can't find similar paint, email her and maybe she can tell you where to find the paints.  (I did a quick Google search on Paint and Bake and found a site that tells you how to do it with regular acrylic paint but I would be cautious and do some more research first)

**Added: Martha Stewart debuted a new line of paints in 2011 which includes glass paints!

You can always find my past tutorials on the tutorials tab up top.  I've completed a new craft almost every week for the past year and a bit so there are loads of fun and easy ideas and projects to try~

Don't forget to link up your Christmassy crafts to this weeks Make it Great Monday link party!