Two Words.. Mod Podge!!

    Mod Podge can be found at any craft store. Or, you can make home made mod podge yourself at home. The recipe for homemade mod podge is so insanely simple..All you need is a glass jar with a lid, some school glue like elmer's, and water. I'm sure this is not how real Mod Podge is made, but this recipe is a good runner up.
     If you are an old school crafter then you already know about mod podge. I have played with mod podge many times, but really, almost forgot about it until recently. I was surfing the internet looking for crafting ideas to share with you and there it was. Mod Podge! Being that spring has finally sprung I thought mod podge would be a great way to do a little crafty spring decorating!
     I find it amazing how this sticky milk like substance can give a boring object a little extra flavor. I guess that's why I like it...Or maybe it's because of how it feels on my fingers..lol like a kid playing in mud...kinda lol Which reminds me, this is also a great craft for kids to do too!
      So, for the newbie crafter, or the old school done it all crafter....May I present....Mod Podge!

How to Make Homemade Mod Podge:
Put equal amounts of glue and water into a jar.
Mix until well blended...
lol yep, really, that's all you have to do :D
Be sure to label it so that people know what it is... safety first :D


      Okay, so now that you have your mod podge, it's time to get creative! There are so many things you can do with mod podge the possibilities are just endless. I myself decorated one of those cheap plastic flower pots to put my chick and hens in. Pretty simple to do. All you will need is a flower pot, a page of newspaper, a paint brush, some sort of decorative paper (I used  paper streamers), and mod podge, homemade or store bought. So here's how to decorate your own flower pot using mod podge.

How to Make a
 Mod Podge Flower Pot:

Step 1-  Take your newspaper and place it on the surface you will be working on cause this is gonna be messy...lol

Step 2-  Tear your decorative paper into little pieces.

Step 3-  Using a paint brush spread your mod podge on one side of  a peice of decorative paper then stick to the side of your flower pot. Do several peices of paper overlapping a little and every so often go ahead and put a thin coat over the pieces already placed on your pot. Be sure not to place the paper on the bottom of your pot, and only around the top edge not too close to where the dirt will be. That way the water can't get to it.

Step 4-  Make sure that all of your paper peices on the pot are completely covered with mod podge then let dry.

It's just that easy!!

Side Notes: 
You can also use fabric instead of paper! Just be sure that it is rather thin material. Thick material doesn't always come out too good.

Some other projects you can do with Mod Podge are...

Decorative eggs: Blow out an egg and cover with decorative paper.
Use a pop bottle to make a vase
Wall Decor: take a picture you like, cover both sides with mod podge and place on a piece of board.
There are just so many different things you can do.

If you like the idea of working with Mod Podge be sure to check out this site. They have some really cool ideas there :D  http://www.modpodgerocksblog.com/

Well that's all for now, thanks for reading :D
 Make a Great Day!!
-Winney

Easy Way to Etch Glass

       Another cool handmade gift idea that I think every crafter should know about is etched glass. And before I tell you how to etch glass the easy way, first let me give you a tidbit of information on the different ways there are to etch glass.....
    There are three basic ways to etch an image onto glass. First there is sand blasting. There are several ways to sandblast an image. Sandblasted etchings look very professional, however there is a good amount of expensive equipment  you need to etch glass this way. The second way to etch glass is by engraving. Engraving an image onto glass is rather easy. All you need is an electric engraver tool and a talent for drawing. Now, I have the tool, but the drawing talent...not so much. lol   The third way is to use etching cream to etch an image onto glass. In my opinion, using etching cream is the easiest of the three. All you need is a bottle of etching cream and a piece of glass. You can find etching cream at almost any hobby store, a small bottle costs around $6 or $7 and will get through several etching projects. 
    
   Easy Glass Etching:

 And here is how to use etching cream to etch glass. This is not a new idea by any means. But there are a few people out there that still don't know how easy it really is to do. The finished product looks like you took a lot of time on it, but really you can have a piece of glass etched in a matter of minutes! 
Hope you like :D




Step 1-  Find a piece of glass to etch. This can be an ashtray, a vase, a bowl, whatever you think you would like to dress up with a design. Make sure it is clean and dry. I suggest using something unimportant to you while you are practicing.

Step 2 -  Make a stencil of the design you want to use.  (This is probably the hardest part of this project, I personally use contact shelving paper.) There is a special vinyl paper specifically made for this, but it can be a little expen$ive. Secure the stencil to the piece of glass.

Step 3-  Cover the entire piece of glass by securing paper around it with tape. This is very important. If the etching cream touches any part of the glass it WILL etch it! Covering you glass will ensure that you don't end up with unwanted etching on the glass.

Step 4-  Using a medium size paint brush spread your Amour Etching Cream all over the stenciled area. Be sure not to get the etching cream anywhere else on the glass. (covered in step 3)  Let etching cream sit on glass for 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 5-  Rinse etching cream off of glass with water. Peel off the stencil and dry.

 
Side Notes:
-If you are going to use contact shelving paper to make your stencil, be patient and gentle with it or it will stretch and mess up your image..
- How long you leave the etching cream on your glass will decide how dark your image will look.  So, if you want it to be barely there, only leave it for 3 minutes maybe. Want it darker? Maybe try for 10 minutes....
-I have seen etching where people had painted on the back of the image to give it highlights doing this can make your image look pretty cool.
-Also, you can use etching cream to etch on colored glass and even on mirrors, so keep that in mind when your being all creative!

Quick video tutorial to show you how easy using glass etching cream really is :D
Now, in this video they use a stamp technique instead of a stencil, but still pretty helpful.

This is a video of How to Etch Glass using a Dremel Engraver

Have an Awesome Day!
-Winney