Springtime planting box.

I present to you a Mod Podged box of dirt! I'm kidding, sort of. Angela from Secrets of a Super Mommy created this planting box as a way to display real grass for Easter, and I wanted to share because this could translate as a cool project for any spring plantings. A visit to Angela and you'll see that she recycled a box, lined it perfectly, made it pretty AND got her kids involved in the process. She's truly earned the title super mommy - learn more about the project right here.

PS - If you are going to leave this box outside and want to seal it from the rain, use Outdoor Mod Podge.

Yeah Spring! sign for you to personalize.

Spring is such a great season that I had to pay homeage - and you know how I express myself. With interpretive dance? No. With Mod Podge! You definitely need to celebrate something with Mod Podge too, so let me show you how I made this sign and then you can personalize it. I encourage you to, whatever you do, add lollipop flowers. They are so cute and SO fun to make. So let's do this thing.

Cupcake stand tutorial.

The problem with this cupcake stand by Stephanie at Sweet Creations is that I'm almost hungry enough not to see the cupcake stand in lieu of the delicious cupcakes on it.

I said almost.

When I first happened upon this awesome project, I saw the polka dots out of the corner of my eye and knew I had to post for you. Stephanie provides a full tutorial with templates on her blog, and adheres the cute polka dotty scrapbook paper (for example) with Mod Podge. I want to make one now, and I think you should too. Go here for more information.

Bird table, cute as a button.

I'm giving you a sneak peek of the bird on a wire activity table done by Meredith at The Crafty Canine. This is just a small part of cuteness, the only thing quite possibly cuter being her daughter who you will see sitting at the table in her blog entry. There are birds, owls and wires, and it's so fun that you should just go see the whole table for yourself over here. Notice that she got the table for 20 bucks. I just love budget furniture.

Project of the Week #90 - Toy patio tutorial.

Have you ever seen anything this cute? This toy patio from Charlene at eWillow just tickles me. There is something about making normal things smaller that makes them all of the sudden irresistible! You know, it looks like a more advanced Mod Podge craft, but after reading through Charlene's tutorial you'll see that it isn't as difficult as you would think. Visit here for the tutorial, and don't forget to use papers from your stash. Your kids are going to love you for making this!

My embarrassing workspace and the giveaway.

I hesitate to show you this, but then again - why not? This is where the magic happens, my friends!

Welcome to my one bedroom apartment in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia - the apartment I've aptly named "Mod Podge Command Central." The reason for the name is because the apartment has been completely taken over by my Mod Podging (and other crafting) activities. Let me take you around:
-There are three dogs - Nellie, the black pug, is on the floor on the left. Roxie, fawn pug, sits on the couch. Walker, black pom, always sits on the top of the couch.
-It's hardly discernible, but that is a coffee table in the center of the photo. That is my crafting surface. If the coffee table could talk, I'm sure it would cry out to be saved from the load of supplies, paint, Mod Podge and everything else that lays on top of it.
-Bottom shelf of the coffee holds crafting books and bins of yarn.
-Sizzix Big Shot on the floor. Love this thing. Possibly enough to call it a roommate.
-Moving to the right slightly, you'll see the plastic orange bin that holds stamping stuff (from my recent foray into the world of stamping).
-Black camera bag to the right of the table. Notice the dog chewies strew around it.
-White-blockish-thing on the table is my Mac - always open, always on.

Whew! I feel like I've purged. Now time for the giveaway.

1. Comment on THIS blog entry. Is there anything you would be embarrassed to show other people? Either tell what it is or just say "yes" or "no" if it's too embarrassing.
2. Only one entry per person.
3. Contest will close this Wednesday, April 28th at midnight (EST).
4. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

Last week's winner was Jessica.

Flickr group roundup, greatly overdue.

I love you, my dear readers! You come up with such great projects, which you kindly contribute to the Mod Podge Rocks! Flickr pool. Today I picked some of my recent favorites, and I know you all are going to like them - so visit their Flickr pages/blogs and give these crafty folks some love.

Puppy dog wall art by Melony Whimsy Daisy!

A super cool lamp made of sisal.

You are probably wondering what this is, so I'll give you a hint. If you put a light into it, it's a pendant lamp. Okay, so I've never been good at guessing games. Anyhoo, Leah from All Gussied Up made it with sisal twine, and the finished result is very simple and beautiful. You're going to love the finished result, and you are also going to love the very reasonable price. Go here to see more photos and find out how Leah made her fabulous lamp.

My continuing pursuit of nice wall art.

Hey there! As you know, I've been working on doing some fun wall art for Mod Podge Command Central - inexpensive but cute. I dug through my fabric scraps the other day and found some Denyse Schmidt County Fair fabric (Pond). It turned out there was just enough to cover a 12" x 16" canvas, so the wheels started turning. I then looked through my surface bin, and found this wood cutout. Don't remember when or where I got this particular one, but I've seen them at several craft stores, especially seasonally.

Fabric candy dish.

Oh my goodness - this fabric bowl I found on Moda Bake Shop is so fun. I love it when fabric people get their hands on Mod Podge, because they always do such wonderful projects. The great thing about this bowl is that the shell IS the fabric; meaning, there is no other surface you need. Check out the tutorial here and you'll understand. I'm also quite sure you'll be mass producing these from fabric scraps after you see how easy one is to make.

Really cool monochromatic dresser.

Miss Mustard Seed did this project for the So You Think You Can Decorate competition week four: all entries had to be white. You know what I think? I really like monochromatic projects! MMS got the antique sheet music from her grandparents' attic, and the dresser from an antiques auction for $6. My thought is that I really need to go to more auctions, so I too can buy a dresser and do something in shades of blue. Bright blue.

To see more of Miss Mustard Seed including this dresser, go here. She's a pro at refurbishing, especially with Mod Podge.

Vintage bottles by Mitzi.

I'd like to welcome Mitzi from Mitzi's Collectibles to Mod Podge Rocks! as a guest blogger. Do you remember her Anthropologie inspired mirror? How about her vintage hatbox makeover? You do know Mitzi is great with Mod Podge, so I'll let her take it away with another fabulous project idea.


Hello, Mitzi Curi here from Mitzi's Collectibles, your guest blogger today. I'm an antique dealer and crafter who loves to use vintage materials to create new treasures, "upcycling" antiques so that they can be appreciated within our modern lifestyle. Today I'm going to rock some bottles and jars with Mod Podge!

Now that spring is upon us, it's inevitable that we will come across some old bottles and jars during our spring cleaning. Perhaps you have some old bottles in your house, garage, or basement. You are guaranteed to find plenty of reasonably priced bottles and jars at garage sales, estate sales and flea markets. It shouldn't take long to collect a variety of glass beauties in interesting shapes and colors, like the grouping I have below:

Once you have your collection of bottles and jars, you will need the following materials to complete your project: Mod Podge (I use the Matte version); a foam brush; a brayer; some Distress Ink, and some copies of old labels. I happen to have an extensive collection of paper ephemera, including old labels, but for this project I selected several from The Graphics Fairy, a blog that provides a new graphic image every day for readers to download and use in their art. I just clicked on "Advertising" and "Labels" categories in the sidebar and found several great examples for this project.

To ensure that your graphic images won't smear when they get the Mod Podge treatment, they must be copied with a color laser printer, or, if an ink jet printer is used, sprayed with a fixative that you can buy at any craft or art supply store.

Before Mod Podging, I aged the printed labels with some Tim Holtz Distress Ink in "linen," especially around the edges. This way, you won't see bright white edges around your labels and thus your finished project will look more authentic.

To affix your labels, use the foam brush to thoroughly but thinly coat the back of the paper label with Mod Podge. Position the label on your bottle and smooth out from the center to the edges with your fingers or a brayer (I always end up using both). Next, put a thin coat of Mod Podge over the image. Take a wet paper towel and clean up the glass around the image. This extra Mod Podge can also be removed when dry by using a razor blade or X-Acto knife.

I tried to select items to put in my jars that would compliment them. I chose peacock feathers for the large apothecary jar, coffee beans for the jar with the coffee label, and spools of thread for two of my other jars. I added a little ribbon here and there for extra embellishment.

I hope you can give this project a try this spring. You'll be recycling some bottles and appreciating beautiful vintage graphics at the same time, all thanks to Mod Podge!

Something about me and the giveaway.

You are going to laugh, but I have a degree in Forestry. Yep - from the University of Washington in Seattle. I was born in the 'burbs of Seattle, and ended up moving around because my dad worked for UPS. I went to high school in Louisville, KY, and then started college at University of Louisville. I had always wanted to go back to the place that I considered home, so when I finally could do it by myself, I did.

When I first started college I double majored in Art and Biology. I was interested in both, and wasn't sure where my career was going to go . . . then at some point made a decision that I should drop art and just go for biology. My thought was that I could make money in science and just do art in my free time. After one year at the University of Louisville I made the big move to Seattle and then decided to do Forestry because it would be less boring than regular Biology. Four years later, I was done, not knowing what I was going to do.

So that this blog entry doesn't become so boring you want to drill your eyes out, let me sum up what happened next:
-I worked at the University of Washington because I didn't know what else to do and couldn't find a job in forestry
-I thought about going back to school for my master's/PhD in Biology and backed out
-I moved to Georgia to be closer to my parents, got a real science job
-I applied to Georgia Tech for an MS in Environmental Engineering and backed out
-I switched from science to market research
-I switched from market research to marketing
-I got my MBA in Marketing from the University of Georgia

Now I'm working in Marketing, writing this blog and finally happy with how creative I get to be in my life. Isn't that series of events kind of crazy? Sometimes it takes a long time to get where are going; to where you finally belong.

So, after that long story, here's the giveaway.

1. Comment on THIS blog entry. I'm so curious if there's anything in your life that you never expected! It can be something small to something big.
2. Only one entry per person.
3. Contest will close this Wednesday, April 21st at midnight (EST).
4. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

Last week's winner was Kristen.

Coasters, a quick weekend project.

Hmmm, you are thinking . . . what should I be Mod Podging this weekend? If you are a beginner or just want a quickie (so to speak), coasters are a great option. Visit each of these ladies for their steps and tutorials - I promise you'll get instant gratification, as only Mod Podge and chocolate can provide.

PS - I highly recommend using an outdoor sealer on finished coasters to make them truly waterproof.

Round map coasters by Casa Sugar

Wood block coasters from Becky Higgins

Lettered and Numbered coasters from It's So Very Cheri

Coaster becomes a notepad by Flickr user AZ Whipple

DIY tile coasters from Living with Lindsay

Bunty tile coasters from The Crow Road

Napkin coasters by Good Mourning Glory

Button art on the cheap.

I love kitschy little home decor items/wall hangings, because a little color goes a long way to spice up a room. ESPECIALLY when you live in an apartment (hello Mod Podge Command Central) and you can't paint the walls. I have a love affair with buttons; I would marry them if I could. I decided to spice up a boring wall in my room with this cute little piece, incorporating my very favorite buttons and, of course, Mod Podge. Here's how to make it.

Deck of cards vintage wall decor.

Cathe from Just Something I Made is one of my favorite people in blogland. She has been supporting this lil' ol' blog from the very beginning and even did the very fabulous graphics for it. Isn't she wonderful?

Cathe is also wonderful with Mod Podge, and regularly does projects that blow me away. This card box wall art project is no exception. After she blew up some card box scans and printed them out, she distressed her way to fun perfection. You must go see the entire process right here. Thanks Cathe - we (I) love you!

http://justsomethingimade.blogspot.com/2010/02/deck-of-cards-vintage-wall-decor-free.html

The little touches - like lining dresser drawers.

I love little touches, like painting the inside of a white box with a fun color. I like my own touches to tend toward surprising and unexpected, like a hot pink paint underneath or a hidden pattern. Sherry from Young House Love also loves them, as you will see from her nursery dresser makeover. Sherry lined dresser drawers with the pretty papers above using Mod Podge - and you should see the dresser. I love it. Go here to see her tutorial and finished project, but be warned that you'll end up wanting to Mod Podge every single drawer in your life.

Mod Podged stamp initial.

Typography, personalizing, letter art - I love it all. I'm actually blessed with "AA" as my initials, which means that I should always get to go first. Okay, maybe not, but I do like my initials and I like to put them on crafty projects. This initial was done by Lei at My Many Colored Days, and the bright colors sucked me right in. It looks like a big, decorated stamp, and I love it. Lei even recycled some cardboard to make her finished initial. She's just that good! Visit here to see the process, and consider this to be a great home decoration or gift item to stick into your mental Mod Podge file.

Decoupaging glass jars and bottles.

So many of you have die cutting machines - and I've recently joined your ranks with the Sizzix Big Shot. Let me tell you, it's a very fun club. Another member of this club, Amy from Amy Cornwell Designs, owns a Cricut and actually uses it for decoupage projects. Today I bring you her jars and bottles, which are so easy to make you won't believe it. See her tutorial here. If you don't have a die cutting machine, don't fear. Regular punches and scalloped scissors are great for achieving similar results.

A special pug and the weekly giveaway.

Happy Sunday! Meet Nellie - she's my 11 year old pug. I want to tell you a little bit about her because she's a very special piggie. I got her at when she was 5 from a rescue group. She had been an outdoor dog, living on a farm and not fed. Nellie was completely emaciated when she came to me, covered in fleas with terrible ear mites. Since that time she's come a long way, but she still has residual health problems; mainly hip dysplasia and some breathing issues. The good news is that she's snuggled and loved every day . . . and she gives even more than that in return. Nellie also supports my pretty severe Mod Podge addiction - she is the perfect dog! Here are a few more pictures:

Nellie's first Easter in 2004

A luau/barbeque celebration - she loves summer!

This photo won her a spot in a local rescue calendar contest. Ha!

I hope you enjoyed meeting Nellie. I want you to tell me about someone/someanimal special in your life now. Here's the giveaway!

1. Comment on THIS blog entry. Please answer the question I mentioned above. Give me the name and a short description of a special person or animal in your life!
2. Only one entry per person.
3. Contest will close this Wednesday, April 14th at midnight (EST).
4. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

Last week's giveaway winner was Eileen at Redheaded Diva.

The winner of the Kirsten Power's giveaway was Jenna and Chris.

And just because I didn't have anywhere else that it made sense to tell you, the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic winners are Crystal, Marla, Heather, Felicia and Angie.

DIY picture plaques.

Very few people know about or use Brushstroke Mod Podge, so let me give you some information: it's designed to show brushstrokes. Ha ha! Seriously, it is designed to put on top of photos, paintings, etc. to seal them and to give a textured finish. Exactly like the technique Heidi from The Craft Monkey used when she created her beach portraits above. Heidi actually revamped some old plaques she had and turned them into personalized art to fit her new decorating style. You should definitely go visit her right here to see how she did it.

Chick on a stick and petal frame.

Meet Holly from 504 Main - mom, wedding planner and Mod Podger. Really, really good Mod Podger. Holly notes in one of her posts that she has a "love affair" with the hardware store. If you browse her blog, you'll see all of the wonderful things she does with her finds. The vintage wood petal frame and wood chick on a stick are just two examples. Holly finishes a lot of her projects with Mod Podge, so that means we love her. Go visit her petal frame tutorial here and her chick tutorial here - then get your buns to the hardware store this weekend and see what Mod Podge project you can come up with.

Introducing Kristen Powers art.

I'm so happy to be writing to you today! That sounds very game show host-y, but I can't help it - I'm excited. I've started working with the very fabulous Kristen Powers, and it's definitely worth getting excited about. Kristen just recently started a new blog and design venture, and she asked me to be a part of it, designing using my "mad Mod Podge skillz." How could I say no?

Kristen has an Etsy shop and designs some of the most fabulous digital AND clear stamps you'll ever see. What this means is that you'll be seeing regular posts from me using Kristen's product, like the card above. I'll be incorporating Mod Podge, as you would expect. The feature items on this card are Kristen's flowers clear stamp set as well as the *new* (and in stores soon) Mod Podge Dimensional Magic that I recently told you about:

So here's the ska-doodle. I'm going to give away FIVE Mod Podge starter packs today celebrating Kristen and her new blog! Here's the starter pack to refresh your memory:

1. Comment on THIS blog entry. Visit Kristen's Etsy shop and tell me your favorite item!
2. Only one entry per person.
3. Contest will close this Saturday, April 10th at midnight (EST).
4. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

Yay! Welcome, Kristen, to the Mod Podge Rocks! family. Oh, and if you want to know what else I used on the card, here's the list of supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzil Basics
Ribbon: Offray Striped
Clear Stamps: Kristen Powers Flower Clear (flower) and American Crafts Rue Font (letters)
Ink: W R Memory Keepers
Punch: Fiskars Corner Rounder - "Around the Bend"
Die Cutter: Sizzix Big Shot, Nestabilities Flower Dies (2 sizes)
Accents: Rhinestones (Michaels) Pop Dots and Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
Adhesive: Glue Dots

Portable spice holder accomplishes many things.

Nobody likes hoofing things around in plastic baggies, do they? Baggies break. And then, sometimes, baggies don't close all the way and stuff dumps out. User error on my part? Perhaps. But we're going to go with the thought that plastic baggies have their limitations and are not foolproof.

Sara from The Handy Hausfrau decided to forgo plastic baggies for her spices on trips to her ski condo in favor of this revamped medication container. With a few cute little images, she made something practical into something fun! It also accomplishes storage, making something boring more attractive and then being environmentally friendly. Do it for spices for your trips, or even for regular pill carriers. Go here to see Sara's tutorial.

Family name plaque with an interesting background.

Take a peek at this family name plaque by Kylee at Mommie Guide - the background looks like patterned paper, doesn't it? It's not! It's actually an interesting treatment done with construction paper and Mod Podge. I really wanted you, the Mod Podge public, to see this and to consider it for canvases and other artistic projects. Visit Kylee here to see the tutorial and to tell her how you might use her idea.

Vintage hatbox makeover.

I've posted a project from Mitzi at Mitzi's Collectibles before - do you remember her Anthropologie inspired mirror? Well Mitzi is back, and this time with some very pretty hatboxes. I'm not a very "pretty" idea girl, meaning that I don't think of making these types of projects. That is why Mitzi's boxes are so inspiring to me, because it takes me somewhere creatively that I wouldn't normally go. And that is fun. Mitzi actually did this post as a guest blog entry for Lucky Star Lane, so go visit the entry right here and tell her what you think.

Sunday giveaway now including Skin MD Natural.

First of all, Happy Easter! I hope you have a wonderful day. Don't eat too many Peeps.
As someone who washes Mod Podge off of her hands frequently (and consequently gets dry hands), I was recently asked by Skin MD Natural to sample their lotion. If I sample anything and like it, it's very important to me that I'm able to give away a sample to my readers as well. My philosophy is that if I get something free, then you should too! It turns out that I received the lotion and it's absolutely AMAZING - much better than I expected. So in along with the starter pack I'm giving away today, one reader will receive a sample pack of Skin MD Natural lotion. Please refer to the rules below:

1. Comment on THIS blog entry. This week you have to go to the Skin MD Natural website and tell me one thing you like about the company/products. Me personally? Their stuff isn't tested on animals, yay!
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.

Last week's winner was Girlfriend.

DIY child's growth chart and the Craft Map.

Blue and green are my favorite colors, especially in brights. When I saw this growth chart by Erin at The Phillips Fam, I had to share. She not only used bright blue and green to create a fun background, but she added some fab scrapbook papers and wood pieces to dress it up. The result is a growth chart that looks expensive, but that's the great part - it wasn't! Go here to see it completely finished with a tutorial.

One more thing - I want to tell you about the Craft Map:

It's a site that locates craft bloggers, which is awesome because lately I've been interested in having a craft get-together in the Atlanta area. Also, I'm the featured craft blogger for April! Go here to see my article and also to put your blog on the map.