Monthly Archives: March 2016

I recently stumbled upon an old favorite in the dollar section at Target: Modge Podge! Small bottles of Modge Podge for $1 each? I'll take 8, thank you! Growing up, my mom was always crafting around the house and was always on the look-out for child-suitable crafts for my sister and I to "help" her with. One of our favorites was decoupage- the glue is harmless, easy to clean, and you end up with a (potentially) beautiful piece of artwork! We even had a decoupage birthday once, where all of our friends came over to cover picture frames with various pieces of paper.  Once I got into the upper grades of middle school, though, all time for creativity was lost to homework, band practice, and sleeping.

I was reminded of my love for creating something with my hands a couple years ago on a trip with extended family. One night, my aunt brought out a bunch of little cardboard boxes, scraps of paper, paint brushes, and Modge Podge. Three generations of women proceeded to sit around a table, crafting, chatting, and enjoying vacation. The love had survived, and grown!

Little box of Modge Podge magic.

I am finally at a place both mentally and financially where I have been able to really explore my creative side again, and I am looking forward to sharing it with the world! Pinterest, Etsy, and other specialty blogs have shown me that you can decoupage most any solid surface. I'm going to be testing out this theory this year. I've been accumulating tissue paper, construction paper, napkins, and decorative scrapbooking paper and will be gluing it (hopefully in an artistic fashion!) to whatever I can get my hands on.

My first experiment was a Valentine's gift for Hacker Boyfriend. It's a mixed media collage on a 5"x7" canvas. I used tissue paper, scrapbooking paper, white card stock, and Modge Podge. I think it turned out well! I know Hacker Boyfriend loves it. He hung it up in his apartment near his front door- I suspect so that he sees it on his way in and out every day.

Mid-project progress.

Here's where I try not to get glue on my camera while taking photos 🙂

The finished product! I also added sweet sayings written on white card stock along the sides of the canvas.

My second experiment was a bit of a whim this past weekend. I was having trouble calming my mind, so I decided to try an art project. I'm so glad I did.  I picked up an old book at a scrap sale a few weeks ago with the intention of using the pages for a Modge Podge project. I also picked up an old picture frame that had seen better days.

The beginning of the project. Not pictured- scissors for cutting shapes out of the book pages.

You really don't need a lot of space for these smaller types of projects-- I was using the narrow end of a coffee table to work while watching a movie.

I covered the frame in book pages... now what?!

At this stage, I felt as though it was missing something. Some sort of embellishment. I tried cutting out small pictures of birds and posing them along the edges, but I just wasn't feeling it. Then it came to me. This frame needed some BUTTONS!! Went off to The Scrap Exchange the next day to pick up some decorative buttons (and some more arts and crafts supplies). Came home, fired up my glue gun, and finished my masterpiece:

BUTTONS FOR THE WIN!!

I'm very pleased with the outcome and am looking forward to finding the perfect picture to go in the frame.

Looking forward to more Modge Podge in my future!