Odds n' ends rack.

I'm not sure that anyone in the world has more odds n' ends than I do, at least it's hard to imagine. It's often hard for me to find things I need, especially craft supplies. This is why I love projects like the cabinet above from Sarah at Create Studio. Uncluttering projects are a crazy crafter's (um, me) dream. Sarah refurbished an old bathroom cabinet into this wall storage, complete with fabric Mod Podged to the inside. Visit her blog here to see the before, and then poke around to see more of her amazing projects - including these Mod Podged shoes.

A polka-stripey tray and a giveaway.

Hallo! Introducing two of my favorite things, in one small Christmas tray - stripes and polka dots. If you met me, you would find somewhere on my person one of these two patterns. What's better than stripes or polka dots you ask? Both of them together. The reason that I made this tray actually stems from receiving this decorative image transfer kit from the wonderful people at Tilano.

Boring plastic mini storage drawers turned cool.

My bloggy friend Abbie lives in New York, so you know what that means. Small space. Possibly small enough to Mod Podge everything with one 8 oz. jar and still have some left over. Abbie has been so kind enough to share pictures of her fantastic apartment decorating with us. I bring you a plastic storage bin from her master suite, and she Mod Podged paper into the drawers to dress it up a bit. Boring turns non-boring! Go here for more pictures of the master suite and to see Abbie's amazing view. If you never saw Abbie's children's room, it's worth a visit - I featured her before.

Fabric ornaments with your little ones.

I know that right now many of you have little ones at home - they are out of school, it's cold outside and they are bored. Good news - Mod Podge is here to help. Since many of you are also setting up trees this weekend, you can set your kids at a table with these fabric scrap ornaments and let them go to town. Once you are done, slap them on the tree (okay, not so much slapping as placing). They are so easy and inexpensive, you probably have everything you need already, and your kids are going to have a great time.

A chest of drawers with a special surprise.

Kristi from Addicted 2 Decorating is becoming quite an accomplished Podger - remember the patchwork table she did? She recently used Mod Podge to problem solve, and I'm so proud. You see, her husband is a network administrator, and has computer stuff everywhere. They also have a network server at home. And what are you supposed to do with a big box of wires? I mean, how do you hide that eyesore? Kristi did it, using the dresser you see above. Visit her here for the details, and to see a picture of the dresser before the makeover. Prepare to be impressed.

One last thing - Happy Thanksgiving. In addition to all of the other wonderful things in my life, I'm so thankful for you, my readers - you make all this Mod Podging worthwhile. XO.

Birdie knobs make me want to tap dance.

The funny thing is, I took tap dancing lessons when I was 22. I wasn't that good, even though my heart was in it. This is why I have a Mod Podge blog rather than a tap dancing one.

I LOVE The Graphics Fairy. If you haven't been, go now. Karen, who runs the site, offers new vintage images every day. Let me tell you folks, great clip art is not easy to find, especially not in one place. Not only does Karen offer fancy schmancy images, but she makes cool things, like these birdie knobs above. Visit here for the tutorial as well as a free PDF sheet of the images. Then start poking around. One caveat though - you are going to be there for hours. When your family files a missing persons report because you are lost in the computer, don't say I didn't warn you.

Mod Podge glitter punkins and gourds.

In your frenzy to be the perfect Thanksgiving hostess, you remembered everything . . . turkey, pie, cranberry jelly stuff (with the can lines still on it), sweet or mashed potatoes. Then ACK! You forgot to decorate your table. Knowing Martha would be ashamed, you turn to The Mother Huddle for her tutorial on how to make a fantastic little sparkly centerpiece suitable for a king's Thanksgiving table. Go here to see how it's done, and if you have some kids hanging around bored since they are out of school, put them on glitterizing duty. Kids can use Mod Podge (it's non-toxic) and this is easy enough for them to get great results.

Torendi fabric cards.

After Thanksgiving Day, I am going to have some time on my hands - I'm SO excited to be able to tackle a few projects. With Mod Podge, of course. I may even be able to make some cards, like the one you see above by Tiff from I Heart Art. She used fabric from Torendi (LOVE the cupcake stamp they have there), Mod Podge and some other card making goods. Check out Tiff's cute little cards (this one and others) right here. I didn't even think about being able to put the fabric through a Cricut or Cuttlebug once it's Mod Podged. Thanks Tiff, for the 411.

Because I'm fond of a great giveaway.

Before I blogged and when I was just reading them, I never entered any giveaways because I thought I never had a chance. After I started blogging was when I realized how wonderful giveaways are, and I even won a few . . . then I started hosting them and that was even more fun!

Just a little tip - if you want to know about great giveaways, visit Today's Give Away. The site promotes work-at-home moms (bonus) AND has 5-6 new giveaways each week. Another great feature is that you can list your own giveaway by e-mailing todaysgiveaway(at)gmail.com. Now get out there and win! I just love free stuff. I really do.

Oh, and come back next Sunday for . . . drum roll . . . another fun giveaway I'm hosting.

Mod Podge and Amy Butler collide on this jewelry box.

I really like Amy Butler, I mean, who doesn't? Erin from My Little Creative Outlet does too, and she used some of Amy's Lotus papers from K & Company to make over a sad jewelry box for her niece. I particularly like Erin's attention to detail with the paper and the paint around the curves. What I'm saying is, it looks perfect. Check the jewelry box out before she remade it and see some other shots right here. Gift season is upon us my friends. Time to hit the Goodwill and see what you can refurbish!

Mod Podge fabric clothespins bust your scraps.

It's almost time for Thanksgiving break, which means you'll have some hours to kill. My suggestion? Spend those hours looking through your stash for cool things to Mod Podge. One idea is these fabric covered clothespins by Julie at My New Therapy. She uses them for fridge clips (add magnets) and clip clips (without the bold "CHIP CLIP" lettering). Julie provides a PDF with her tutorial right here. I'm telling you my friends, these are perfect holiday gifts.

I finally screen printed with Mod Podge.

I finally did it! I screen printed with Mod Podge. I've talked about this before, always wanted to do it, and I finally did. Let's not talk about the fact that I want to use wallpaper with Mod Podge too and haven't done it yet - no, let's not even go there. I'm so pleased with the results of my project that I bring you a tutorial. I'll start with something easy and then tell you about my shirt above.

Here's my first try, the snowflake tote:


To do screen printing yourself, you need to gather a few supplies. Here's what I pulled together.

Anthropologie inspired mirror on a budget.

Anthropologie is one of my favorite funky clothing and housewares stores. Love the store, don't exactly love the prices. You can imagine my excitement when I visited Mitzi's Collectibles and found that she had imitated an Anthropologie look in a very fantastic way for a lot less money. And she used Mod Podge. Can you say, "I'm all in?" You are going to love Mitzi's mirrors, and want a wall of them like I do, so go here to see them all. I particularly like Mitzi's little tidbit about Victorian vanity. Apparently I have to stop checking my teeth in public because it's tacky or something.

Playing with decorative gourds.

My bloggy pal Pam from Gingerbread Snowflakes has quite a way with Mod Podge, as you can see from two of her previous projects here and here. She has been kind enough to dazzle us again with another project. You see, Pam recently "got her gourd on" for some fall decorations, and the picture above is what resulted. You will be quite pleased to learn that Mod Podge preserves the color in greenery and leaves, which is a little something Pam taught me. Please visit her here to get the full tutorial for gourds, because you know you need them gracing your mantle. STAT.

Salt dough leaf prints.

I was SO SO pleased to find this salt dough project by Gail at That Artist Woman. I love the colors and nothing says "fall" better than leaves. It also reminds me so much of my most prized possessions in the whole world - a salt dough plaque I made when I was two:

Gail has been so kind as to share the adult version of salt dough prints with us at her site right here. The good news is that kids can help you, so at the same time you are creating, your children can be too. What to do with the finished prints? Use them as accents in your other projects, make smaller versions for scrapbooking or even create a mobile. Don't forget to seal them with the Podge!

Happy Sunday and giveaway winner.

I'm thankful to have such a great group of readers on this blog. And to have bloggy friends like Chrissie Grace, who was kind enough to donate this awesomely awesome "give thanks" plaque to one lucky reader.

Without further adieu, the winner is Sue. And that rhymed.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Come back soon for another giveaway, I promise!

Thankful tree full of leaves.

It's a thankful time of year, and so I bring you a thankful tree from Roots and Wings Co. To be honest, sometimes the holidays actually bum and stress me out . . . I know that's true for a lot of people. With everything in the world as it is these days, I appreciate a reminder that there is much to be thankful for.

Katrina, sister-in-law of the gals at Roots and Wings, created this delightful tree to hold leaves of thanks. Each day they write something they are thankful for on the leaves and then they fall to the ground. At the end, there's a whole yard of thankful leaves. Cute, huh? Visit here to learn more about the creation process.

Get your countdown ready with Christmas advent boxes.

It looks like I'm not going to be able to stop Christmas from coming - but then again, why would I want to? Especially when there are such wonderful little advent boxes to make, like these from Ali Edwards. Lately I've been a big fan of:
1) boxes
2) letter sizes and typefaces that don't match
3) holiday projects

Oh my word, a project that combines all three! AND Mod Podge. I'm in heaven. I love love Ali's blog, so you should visit it too. Go here to find out more about these boxes. You only have a few weeks to get your advent calendar together for me - and please put $100 bills in the boxes. Okay? Thanks - bye!

Guest bloggin' on Someday Crafts with a fall frame.

Good day to you, and happy Autumn! Some of you have snow already, some rain with soggy leaves. . . some of you would just like fall to begin. I know I would. I've recently made a fall frame for a guest blogging post on Someday Crafts - Michelle was kind enough to host me. If you are new to Mod Podge, a frame is the best way to start. It's equivalent to a scarf in the knitting world. Frames also make a great gift because pretty much everyone likes them. Come visit me at Someday Crafts right here to see my tutorial (puggie pic not included).

Decoupaging stairs - wonderfully true.

I'm always looking for "different" Mod Podge projects, if you know what I mean. I think this definitely qualifies - and Kecia from LemonCholy's is the owner and creator of the decoupaged stairs above. These lead to her studio. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get much better than seeing tons of Mod Podged pictures on the way to crafting . . . but you know I am partial to Podge.

Visit Kecia's blog here and her online studio site here. Isn't her work beautiful?

Polka-dotty shelf makeover for $1.

I'm seriously amazed by the Mod Podge talent out there, and Kimberly from Seriously Daisies is no exception. You all know me well enough by now to know that she had me at polka dots. In addition, I absolutely love the color combination, which gives me the good funny stomach tickles. Visit Kimberly here to learn more about the shelf and to see the before. You'll be amazed - she did this for one buck!

Patchwork top dining table.

I get so consumed with the color blue, stripes and polka dots that I sometimes forget to mention other things I love - other things like patchwork. When I discovered this table at Addicted 2 Decorating, I let out a squeal of delight. I mean seriously, the dogs all tilted their heads to one side.

Kristi from Addicted 2 Decorating bought the table base at a local thrift store, added the table top and then got kri-zazy with Mod Podge. I absolutely love the results and I just keep looking at the picture because the colors make me so happy. Go here to see Kristi's table and then poke around to see some of her other treasures. Yay for patchwork!

Chrissie Grace give thanks and a giveaway.

Now that we are safely past Halloween, we can move onto another falltastic holiday - Thanksgiving. This project is not so much about Thanksgiving day itself but what you are supposed to do around this time of year. Wait for it. . . . give thanks!

Meet Chrissie Grace, mixed media artist and painter (in addition to being a wife and mother to four children). Chrissie created this piece using mosaics, Mod Podge, paper and more. She's not only very talented but very kind, as I learned from exchanging e-mails with her. She's so kind in fact that she is offering her amazing artwork as a giveaway for Mod Podge Rocks and Chrissie Grace readers. Yep, you can win this Give Thanks hanging for keepsies. Here are the rules, which are pretty simple and give you three chances to win. You must do one of the following, but doing any of the other two gives you extra entries:

1. Become a follower of Mod Podge Rocks (in case you are lost, that is where you are right now)
2. Become a follower of Chrissie Grace
3. Leave a comment telling us one thing that you are grateful for (besides friends and family)

To get the ball rolling, I'm thankful for shaved ice. Not the regular cubes that come out of the dispenser on the front of your fridge, but the chopped kind that makes a drink extra cold and oh-so-delicious.

Giveaway closes this coming Saturday, November 14th at midnight. This is your chance for some original and very cool Chrissie Grace artwork - now get over to her blog and thank her! Please?

Old books become new wall storage folders.

My friend Pam from Gingerbread Snowflakes has come up with a very creative and ingenious way of using old books - she's turned them into wall storage folders. The one she has pictured is making me kind of hungry, actually. It's also making me think that wall storage folders would be perfect for me, would there be an office in Mod Podge Command Central. You see, I love organizational stuff, because I am by nature NOT organized. Except for my sock drawer. You would be totally impressed by my sock drawer.

Visit Pam here to see her very detailed tutorial, very helpful if you are going to create this project. Also note that you could paste pictures or words corresponding to what's on the inside of the folders if you want to impress all your friends and say (in not so many words) "you should be jealous of my organizational skillz."

Guest blogger, Fawnda from Fireflies & Jellybeans.

Hello Mod Podge Rockers! I can not tell you how excited I am to be swapping blogs with Amy today! She is like famous! She does some awesome stuff with Mod Podge - but you know this already - you read her blog! : )

Here is a little about me:

I'm Fawnda from Fireflies and JellyBeans, a little DIY craft blog I co-author with my best friend Jeannine! I am a SAHM (that is a stay-at-home-mom) to a son. I am married to most amazing man (sorry ladies - I found him first!) We adopted our son from Korea about 10 months ago! He is 19 months old and he is truly a joy and probably one of the cutest kids in the world (right along with yours)! I tutor High School Math students (before I became a SAHM I was a math teacher).

I love to craft!

I rediscovered my sewing machine about 8 months ago and I love it! I also love to make cards. I am addicted to the scrapbook paper packs (they have a theme for everything and I want them all)! I also think that Mod Podge Rocks and I have a fun craft for you today!

Monogram fabric-backed plates:

Here is what you will need:
clear glass plate
fabric (enough to cover your plate)
Scrapbook paper (enough for your monogram)
X-Acto Knife
Scissors
Mod Podge and brush

1.) Make your monogram. I free handed my "N" but you could print a letter off of your computer on the back of your paper using the Mirror Image Printing option. I also traced around the bottom of my plate to know how big to make the letter.

2.) Cut out your letter using an X-Acto knife.

Optional: I distressed my letter with some brown ink.

3.) Cut a piece of fabric into a square that is about an inch bigger on each of the sides of the plate (I know the plate is hard to see but it is clear).

4.) Place your plate on a cup with the bottom facing up. I found it was easier to work with this way!

5.) Brush on a coat of Mod Podge on the inner circle only for now.

6.) Place your monogram upside down on the Mod Podge.

7.) Brush on Mod Podge over your monogram. Make sure to keep the monogram flat and to press out any bubbles. Now - let dry (have a sandwich or something).

8.) When it is dry, bush on more Mod Podge all over the whole plate . . . be generous with it.

9.) Place the fabric over your plate and flatten out any bubbles.

10.) Brush on more Mod Podge over the top of the fabric. Let dry. . . this can take a while so just put it off to the side. Or, you can do what I did and check on it every 10 minutes or so. . . is it done yet? - nope. . . is it done yet? - nope . . .

11.) When it is FINALLY dry cut off the extra fabric by cutting around the plate as close as you can. If you are worried about the edges frying you can brush a little more Mod Podge around the edge.

12.) Flip it over! Very Cool!

Wouldn't this be so great as a hostess gift? You can bring it with cookies, bars, or other sweets on top of it and they get to keep the plate! Be sure to check out Fireflies and JellyBeans for other great ideas! Thanks so much Amy for swapping with us! It was so much fun!

This Mod Podge-r tries papercutting.

I'd like to introduce you to the work of Judy Carrell, an artist from Indiana who created the amazingly beautiful rooster papercutting piece you see above. Through a conversation with Judy about papercutting and how she got started, I was inspired to try it . . . thinking that I could somehow incorporate Mod Podge into this fabulous art form. I like to incorporate Mod Podge into everything I do, including baking. Just so you know, Mod Podge doesn't make a good non-stick coating. It's too gummy!

To give you a little history, papercutting dates back to 6th century China, and since that time there have been several variations within several cultures. One of the most popular is Polish papercutting, also known as Wycinanki. German papercutting, or Scherenschnitte, is another popular type. This is the type that inspired Judy, a retired-German-teacher-turned-crafter. Interestingly enough, she began papercutting when the sun ruined a piece that her husband had received as a gift. She thought it was a shame that it had been bleached, so she grabbed some gummed-back paper she had gotten from Germany and (with some little scissors) went to Re-creationville. Since that time she's created a wide variety of pieces, ranging from flowers to birds to other nature items. Check out the intricate detail of her rooster piece:

All of the papercuts that Judy does are simply gorgeous and inspiring! During my conversation with her, I asked if she could share a few tips with me. Here's what she said:
-First timers (like myself) should probably try copying something to practice. Judy also looks at the world around her to get inspired (she's even used postage stamps), and doodles to create backgrounds. I'll get there eventually!
-Carbon paper is great for tracing designs to paper and then cutting out. She also uses regular typing paper to create templates.
-She uses everyday items for templates, ranging from a dime to a pizza pan. Brilliant!
-For detailed pieces like the above, keep organized with labeling and envelopes. I particularly liked this tip because my usual route would be to spread the pieces around the coffee table and then watch them fly when the ceiling fan goes on. I get hot when I'm crafting!

Following Judy's advice to a tee, I decided to copy something to practice for my first try. I grabbed a sheet of owl scrapbooking paper and enlarged Mr. Blue Owl on the copier. I made two black and white copies. With some blue scraps of cardstock, one light and one dark, I used the template to cut out the larger dark blue body and the smaller light blue overlay. I even cut out some feathers with my craft knife. The eyes, feet and beak were easy - also done with scissors and scraps of cardstock. A little paint + Mod Podge + papercuts + me = the following:



Okay bloggers, now I want to hear what you think. Anyone tried papercutting? Do you love it? Do you have any tips? Ever used it with Mod Podge? Please share with me! I'd love to see what you've done and hear your opinions as I begin my foray into the world of papercutting.