Mosaic eggs rock the house for Easter.

I love it when my friend Pam from Gingerbread Snowflakes plays with Mod Podge, because inevitably the result is something new and different - and very cool! Pam dyed her Easter eggs with Kool Aid and then had some shells left over. Realizing that anything can be used for art, even broken egg shells, she made this mosaic on another egg shell. Recycling at its finest, I say. You should make some for a great mantle decoration or table centerpiece. Go here to learn more.

A big soda lid turns into a clock.

I've been wanting to Mod Podge a clock for awhile, so I was tickled when I found this one by Sarah at Blue Castle. Sarah is great at seeing that something can be salvaged and then executing her vision using a wide variety of supplies including Mod Podge and spray paint. You know I love Mod Podge, but I also secretly love spray paint and Sarah has a category for it. Go here to see her clock, and then don't forget to check out her phone remodel and her barn star. All are awesome.

Yarn as art poppies.

Many of you don't know this, but I'm a knitter and have been since I was 15 years old. I've been knitting over half my life - WAY longer than I've been decoupaging. It follows that when I find a project that combines yarn and Mod Podge, I get the fun excitement tingles. I recently discovered this Poppies piece at Yarn As Art, the online site of the L and B Yarn Co. Leslie combines a textured background made using Mod Podge with some knit flower buds, and it's so cute I can hardly take it. Go here to see her tutorial and also to get the free poppy pattern. I really want to recreate this, with bright crazy colors.

Easter eggs galore and giveaway.

Easter is next week! That means you have all week to do a Mod Podge project, right? Here are some projects to get you in the mood. Eggs are easy and eggs are fun, so that is what I bring you - seven egg projects. Enjoy and don't forget about my weekly giveaway at the bottom.

Vintage label eggs with sparkle

Spring Easter egg basket

Perfect centerpiece (uses an egg carton)

Bunny eggs with tutorial

Williams Sonoma egg knockoff

Dollar store egg wreath

Vintage style Easter egg tree


Here's the weekly goods. Don't forget the giveaway rules:
1. Comment on THIS blog entry. What is your favorite Easter candy? I LOVE Cadbury eggs.
2. Only one entry per person.
3. Contest will close every Wednesday at midnight (EST).
4. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

Who won the iPodge giveaway last week you ask? It was T.J., Scrapity Anne and The Activity Mom. My favorite song? You are correct, it's hard to choose. If I had to, "Song Sung Blue" by Neil Diamond. We share a birthday, blue is my favorite color and it's so true that I'm subject to the blues now and then.

Eco Friendly Freckles and two more features.

There's so much going on today! Scroll down all the way to see everything.


I love this girl. Her name is Jessica, and she runs Eco Friendly Freckles. She also decoupages the fun recycled containers shown above. I *really* like polka dots, and the small white freckles on her pieces are included in that. Jessica hand paints and then decoupages her containers with sayings and pictures - taking something that would otherwise be in the landfill and making it useful with Mod Podge. Don't you love that? You can learn more about how she makes her containers right here, and her Etsy shop is here.

So I want to share with you two features - two bloggers who are kind enough to post little 'ol me on their blogs! First is Becca with Blue Cricket Designs. Click on the button below to see the two pots I revamped for spring with Mod Podge.

Secondly, Corey at Life With Little Ones interviewed me! Click the link below to see the questions and read my goofy answers - would you expect any less from me?

Final Torendi post, coupon code and giveaway.

It only seemed proper to say THANKS to Torendi for the last four weeks of fun we've had together. So here's my thank you card with little mushrooms, because I like mushrooms. Torendi wants to say thanks to you, too. So what are they doing? They are offering a special discount to Mod Podge Rocks readers:

15% off everything in the store no matter the price.
Type in "MPROCKS" in the area for coupon codes.
Good Friday, March 26th through Thursday, April 1st.

Thanks again Torendi. We love you - you rock!

Oh, and here are the card supplies:
Cardstock: American Crafts (green and brown), Cosmo Cricket (patterned), Halcraft (mustard)
Punch: Scalloped Nestabilities and the Sizzix Big Shot
Ribbon: orange left over scrap
Adhesive: Glue Dots and Tacky Glue
Adhesive Word: E.A.D Designs Vinyl Retro Thank You Rub-Ons
Marker: Marvy Uchida Le Plume II, Brown
Accents: Buttons and Mini Pop Dots to raise the circles


And now the giveaway! The rules are a little different this week because we are also giving away the fabric in addition to the last starter pack.
1. Hop over to the Torendi blog today and comment to win both the starter pack and fun fabric (you can see the fabric over on their site).
2. You must be a US resident, one entry per person.
3. Contest ends tomorrow night, 3/27, at midnight EST.

Remember, don't leave a comment here, go to the Torendi blog. Don't forget to give the Torendi ladies one final visit to tell them how much you love their stuff. Happy weekend everyone!

Guest Blogger: Lindsey from Inspiring Creations.

Hello Mod Podge Rocks Readers! I am Lindsey, and I craft over at Inspiring Creations! I am so excited to be here! I love Amy's blog and I especially LOVE Mod Podge! I love crafting, but I also have a very small budget! So I try to make things that are inexpensive but super cute! I love decorating for the holidays, so you will find a lot of holiday crafts over at my blog as well as recipe reviews, and a ton of tutorials! I hope you stop by and check it out sometime! Today I am going to show you how to make a Mod Podged Bird House with Frame! I found some great wood bird houses over at Michael's a couple of weeks ago and they were only a dollar!! So I picked up a few and have been wondering what to make with them! Well, I finally figured it out and I decided to Mod Podge them!! I can't tell you how much I love working with Mod Podge! It is so easy to use and you can use it on just about anything!

So here it is! My Mod Podged bird house with frame!

Let's get started!

Supplies Needed

1 wood bird house

1 8 x 10 black frame. (I had an old frame I painted black)

antique white paint

Scrapbook paper

Mod Podge

Distressing Ink

Hot glue

Step 1: If your frame isn't black, paint it!

Step 2: While your frame is drying, Paint your bird house with the paint of your choice, I used antique white.

Step 3: After your house is dry, distress it with some distressing ink! And then it's time to measure the dimensions of the sides, front, and top of your house! Once you have measured these, cut your paper to fit.

Step 4: Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge on your house then lay your paper over that and apply another layer of Mod Podge to seal the edges.

Step 5. After your Mod Podge is dry, hot glue the rope to the back of your frame!!

How easy is that! Only 5 steps!!!!

I love how it turned out and it was so simple, anyone can do this!!

Thanks Amy for letting me guest post today!!! I hope you all stop by Inspiring Creations and find some inspiration of your own!!

Tips on tutorial writing from Craftytips.com.

Hey Podgers! Michele from Craftytips.com and Blog About Crafts is here to share with you some of her favorite tips on tutorial writing. If you are new to blogging or just haven't done a tutorial yet, take a peek. Oh, and to Michele - you rock!
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Many of us take great pleasure in sharing our latest craft creations and explaining how we made them. It makes my day whenever someone drops me a line about one of my tutorials and shares what they made from one of my designs. Mod Podge Rocks is a true celebration of that wonderful sharing spirit among crafters and I am so excited that Amy invited me to be a small part of it!

I do apologize for my little friend; he’s a bit loyal and just loves his toothpick sized protest sign. I’m Michele and I love to crochet tiny little bears and other wee things. I’m the owner of Crafty Tips. If you haven’t been before, it’s a fun and free website where crafters share their websites and blogs along with their favorite crafting tips.

I talk about Crafty Tips, my two other crafting websites, the business of crafting, selling crafts online and just about anything related to crafts that I find interesting on my blog entitled Blog About Crafts. In my “day job” I offer writing and marketing services to small and medium-sized businesses to help build their online presence. It’s the absolute coolest thing to help someone build or expand their business and rediscover why they started it in the first place. I truly love what I do.

Amy and I talked via e-mail several times about what I could write about as a guest poster. As much as my little wooden card box is sitting within arm’s reach and just screaming to be cleverly Mod Podged, I’ve not worked (yet) with her medium of choice and wasn’t sure what would be a good topic to write about.

Whether you are selling your hand-made items online and/or a fellow blogger who is generously sharing your designs with others; I thought it might be useful to talk about things we can all do to make our tutorials better and easier to understand. After all, we’ve all faced the headache that often follows those three little words, “some assembly required.” Sometimes I wonder why they just don’t put on those instruction sheets “and then a miracle occurs” and be done with it.

Great project tutorials don’t require having award-winning writing and photography skills. Tutorial writing isn’t about perfect grade A+ grammar either. Tutorials should answer three basic questions for your readers – “Why do I want to make this whiz-bang thingamabob?”, “How hard and time-consuming is it to make this awesome thing I’ve just decided I can’t live without?” and “Can I follow the instructions and successfully make this thingamabob?”

To me, the first answers come from a photograph or two of the finished item. Unless the project is a mystery craft-along where the instructions are dribbled out over a period of time, I’m not going to blindly invest my time and deplete my crafty stash on an unknown project. After reviewing thousands of websites for inclusion in my site Crafty Tips Arts and Crafts Directory, I’ve found that most stolen craft-related content is presented without pictures. With that in mind, why would you want anyone thinking your latest creation might actually belong to someone else?

It’s also helpful to label projects as beginner, advanced or somewhere in between. While I might give an intermediate or advanced crochet project a try, it’s doubtful I’d do more than admire a quilting project that required advanced skills. While not everyone defines being an expert the same way, such a designation may prevent someone from expending time and materials on a project they simply aren’t ready for.

Don’t assume everyone defines terms the same way or is even familiar with those terms in the first place. It’s better to include too much detail than to frustrate your readers or even worse, force them to look elsewhere to find help with your instructions.

Take the time to explain what equipment you are using. If you are brushing Mod Podge onto your project, please tell your readers what sort of brush you are using. Can a hard-bristled, cheapo children’s watercolor brush be used or does your project require a foam or natural bristle brush? Don’t assume that just because you have a picture that your site visitor will notice and realize they should only use a foam brush or other quality brush. And don’t assume that they are frequent visitors of Mod Podge Rocks and know all about using Mod Podge. It might seem like common sense not to use one of those cheapo brushes when putting on a finish coat, but a true beginner may not know that.

It also helps if you number each step. That way if someone has questions or suggestions, they can let you know what part of your instructions they are talking about.

One last suggestion is about branding and name recognition. Always scatter your site’s name in at least two or three places within your tutorial. It helps remind people where they are and if they should print your tutorial, they always know where it came from. Mentioning your site’s name helps with search engine optimization and also adds a small layer of protection against someone reposting your entire tutorial without permission.

I’ve enjoyed working with Amy and hope you found my suggestions on tutorial writing helpful. Happy crafting!

Paper dollhouse.

I get a total kick out of this little dollhouse from the Paper Clips section of eWillow.com. Charlene is the site creator, and not only does she post fabulous paper projects like the one above, but she uses Mod Podge. That means we like her! If you have paper scraps or even fabric scraps (I'm sure you do), this would be something very fun to make for your little one. Charlene provides a complete template and a detailed tutorial right here.

The "tick tock on the clock but the parteh don't stop" giveaway

I'm going to tell you that Apple didn't make my little MP3 player here . . . although I'm wondering if Steve Jobs would like my creation? Maybe. Well, I have an exciting addition to the normal Mod Podge giveaway this week:

Here's the deal - I'm giving away THREE iTunes gift cards valued at $10 with each of THREE Mod Podge Starter Packs! This is the Starter Pack I'm referring to:


So here are the giveaway rules.

1. Comment on THIS blog entry. What is your favorite song? Next week I'll tell you mine.
2. Only one entry per person.
3. Contest will close every Wednesday at midnight (EST).
4. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

To sum up - if you win, you get a starter pack and the gift card. There will be three winners. Good luck!

Last week's winner of the starter pack was Bethany.

Mod Podge glasses case.

Being a chick that wears glasses, I completely appreciate this glasses case revamp from Char at Crap I've Made. It's funny, I like wearing glasses. They work for me. And I like giving them a special place to live. Go take a peek right here to see what Char did - she also has many other fun tutorials for your viewing pleasure.

Torendi post number three and a giveaway.

Card making with Torendi has been such a FUN experience! I love thinking of what occasions are "celebrate-able" and how I can honor them. I've never made anything to welcome someone - a new neighbor, a new co-worker for example. I wanted to use Fabric Mod Podge this week, and I wanted to welcome someone. I did both of those things with my Welcome Card above.

Supplies
Fabric Mod Podge (prepare the fabric with it before cutting)
Fabric: Canvas Mushroom
Cardstock: American Crafts (green), K&Company (blue sky), Basic Gray (brown)
Punch: Fiskars corner rounder
Circle Cutter or circle punches
Stamp: Image Tree Wooden Rubber Stamps, Antique Typerwriter
Ink: W R Memory Keepers Teen Angst
Ribbon: from Torendi's October kit "Joy"
Adhesive: Glue Dots and Tacky Glue
Accents: Buttons and Mini Pop Dots to raise the circles

To celebrate my third week with Torendi, the giveaway! The rules are very easy:
1. I'm giving away one starter pack every Friday for the month of March when I post my Torendi card (this is in addition to my typical Sunday giveaway).
2. You must be a US resident, one entry per person.
3. Comment on this blog entry. This week, just tell me what you are going to create this weekend!
4. Contest ends tomorrow night, 3/20, at midnight EST.

BONUS - at the end of this gig, on March 26th, Torendi is giving one of their fab fabrics away to a lucky person who has left a comment on a Friday during the month.

Subway art, an upcycled notebook and a book giveaway.

Michelle from Dilly, Dally and Flitter is a pretty fabulous Mod Podger, so I had to show her off to you. She put together a fun piece of subway-inspired art shown first, and then she upcycled a notebook shown second. Michelle has a great eye for color and likes to incorporate some brights like I do. She also used the word "snuzzle" on her subway art, and that sealed the deal for me. You must go visit her and all of the Mod Podge goodness she has to offer.

I also want to make you aware of a giveaway from my pal Creative Jewish Mom - the book "Crafting Jewish" shown above is one of her giveaways, and there are several cute Mod Podge projects inside! Click the picture above to enter.

Lifestyle: Doreen from Altered Artworks.

What is a lifestyle post, you ask? It's feature I do once a month about the person behind the Podge. I select one of you Mod Podgers to take the floor and tell us about your life - who are you besides a crafter? This month, meet Doreen. She is a blast!

Hello! Want to meet me for a cup of coffee? Great! Now that I have my latte, and you are relaxing with your favorite beverage, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Doreen, and I'm from Altered Artworks. For those of you who may remember the original Mickey Mouse Show, I am actually named after one of the Mouseketeers.

I grew up in San Francisco, where it was almost always foggy and cold. The photo below was taken in the middle of July!

“Take a jacket” was never an issue when we left the house. Of course, the jacket was usually handmade by my Mom. A vintage Singer sewing machine was tucked away in a little alcove in our kitchen, underneath a large window that let the light shine through. It is one of those early Singer machines with the treadle. My parents actually brought it over to the U.S. when they moved here from England a few years before I was born.

I learned to sew at an early age. Back in the 1960’s, it was difficult to find clothes for tall girls. While most of my friends were busy hemming their jeans, I tried unsuccessfully to stretch mine! I decided it was much easier to sew tailor-made outfits that not only looked great and fit well, but were less expensive. My first sewing machine was a bright red Singer model that was perfect for making doll clothes.

In addition to sewing, I loved arts & crafts. I frequently checked out crafting books from the library and replicated many of the projects. And I anxiously anticipated my Mom’s monthly McCall’s Magazine to get my hands on its popular paper doll, Betsy McCall. Luckily, this wasn’t difficult as I have two brothers, neither of whom was interested in her – one of the perks of being the only girl. My first memory of Mod Podge was when I was seven. I used it to preserve my completed jigsaw puzzle to frame and display it on the wall. At that time, I thought Mod Podge was amazing, and I became an instant fan.

Fast-forward two decades: After earning my B.A. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing, I enjoyed a 12-year career in the advertising industry. During this time, I moved from Northern California to Los Angeles. What was I thinking? Well, living in the warmth of the sun now for over 25 years, it’s hard to imagine the foggy days I left behind! I decided to trade the hectic advertising life to become a fulltime Mom to two wonderful daughters, Elysa and Kaylee. Elysa is our serious, focused daughter while Kaylee keeps us laughing and is great at balancing work and play.

My husband, Ron, is very supportive of my passion for creativity. He has his own activities -- anything that keeps him in motion. He runs marathons (that’s 26.2 miles!), participates in triathlons, and enjoys mountain biking, surfing and skiing. He always thanks me for “letting” him go away with his buddies on his ski weekends. I thank him for NOT making me go with him! My outdoor recreation includes tennis, which I play at least twice a week. I like to exercise with both feet on the ground.

1993-------------------------------------------------2010
I’m not sure how we quickly went from this to that!
You could say my second “degree” is in Volunteering. In addition to being PTA President, Girl Scout Leader, Book Fair Chair, and Arts Program Coordinator, I was always the Mom making potato latkes with the class and creating costumes for the school plays. (A dozen poodle skirts? No problem!) I loved creating my daughters’ birthday party invitations, and prided myself on having the most creative party favors this side of Martha. (One of my favorite ventures was Kaylee’s 2nd Birthday “Hundred Acre Woods” party at a local park, complete with Winnie-the-Pooh cupcakes!) I find it sad that party invitations are now impersonal evites, quick Facebook events and Twitter tweets.

Several years ago, I started an in-home business called "Coffee, Tea or Me Pots." I cut out intricate designs from gift wrap, and mod-podged them onto painted terra cotta pots. It was fun searching for perfect little items to fit different themes, creating great ready-to-go-gifts, complete with cellophane wrap and coordinating tags.

However, my latest creative passion is Altered Art – transforming everyday items into beautiful and useful works of art. This has become a wonderful hobby – I love the before-and-after makeovers. A few of my favorite projects include:

An altered window shutter

Altered bulletin board

Altered spiral journal

Embellished canvas photo frame

Ribbon is one of my favorite embellishments, and I am a self-proclaimed ribbon queen. Now, thanks to Melissa’s incredible Ribbon Ring, my vast ribbon collection is well organized and easily accessible. I also love combining stamped images in my artwork. And I never wander off too far without my classic Dymo label maker.

In addition to altered art, I am obsessed with coffee – whether it’s my morning cup of pure King’s Road French Roast coffee, Peet’s lattes or Porto’s cappuccinos, I absolutely LOVE my caffeine. When I’m on vacation, I seek out local coffee houses. I save the coffee sleeves, and re-use them in my altered art. I also collect charming coffee-theme accessories. Here are two photos of a recent altered art project inspired from my love of coffee. It’s my Coffee Cash Stash!

My friends say I have more “art stuff” than the neighborhood craft store! (I tend to agree.) I have a cozy (a.k.a. small) craft room off the kitchen, where I keep all my goodies! Speaking of makeovers, check out the before- and-after photos of my craft room, which I recently remodeled.

Before: My Unorganized Craft Supplies

After: An Organized Place where Creativity Thrives

I love sharing my enthusiasm with others, so I host workshops, inviting people to create their own altered art. It is rewarding to see how they create their own masterpieces, rather than sell them mine. They choose their own project, designer paper, embellishments and color combinations to create their own distinctive style. These workshops have turned into “Creative Therapy” sessions -- a time and place where we share good food, good conversation, and always great crafts. They are better than a “Take me away, Calgon” moment!

Last summer, with encouragement and technical help from my daughter, Elysa, I started a blog featuring my latest and greatest projects. If you can’t beat this new-age technology, you might as well join it! I love keeping this online journal of my creative efforts, and hope that others find a little inspiration to spark their own creative muse! Here is a link to my blog: http://altered-artworks.blogspot.com/. I welcome your comments and hope you will become a follower. (From there, you can hop on over to Elysa’s blog, where she mixes her creative talent of designing beautiful handbags with her flair for creative cupcakery.)

Well, I don’t know about you, but my coffee cup is empty. Glad you could spend time with me today. Next time, I look forward to hearing all about you.

Thank you, Amy, for showcasing my artful life. Mod Podge Rocks!