children's artwork ornaments...

Here is a super easy way to turn your kiddo's artwork into a Christmas ornament that you can treasure for years to come!

First, I picked up some balsa wood ornament shapes from Hobby Lobby. Then, I had my toddler sponge paint on some sturdy paper.

(Since I knew I wanted to use it for an ornament, I gave him paints in Christmas-y colors. However, you could easily use any random artwork your child has already done.)

Next, I painted my wood ornaments...

...and cut circles out of my little guy's painting.

Finally, I mod podged the paper circles to my ornaments. I brushed the podge on the back of the paper & the surface of the ornament, pressed the paper until it held, then podged over the entire surface to seal it all down.

Let it dry and then you are good to go!

This project is SO fast. We made one for our tree and one for each set of grandparents, but you could easily crank out a bunch of these to give to lots of family members. It makes for a great little holiday keepsake.

Merry Christmas!

DIY photo keychain...

Sometimes it's hard to come up with gifts for people who have everything they could want or need, so this Mother's Day I gave the grandmas a little version of their grandson...a cute photo keychain.  (Don't worry - I made one for myself, too!)  This would be a fun, simple gift that you can easily customize for anyone.

You'll need:

a small wooden shape

a drill

craft paint

scrapbook paper

xacto knife

a photo (small enough to fit on your shape)

mod podge & mod podge dimensional magic

jump ring, chain, and split ring

Start by drilling a small hole at the top of your shape and painting the edges the color of your choice.  (My shape is 1 1/4" x 1" rectangle, but you could use any shape--circle, star, heart--whatever.)

Next, cut a little piece of scrapbook paper slightly larger than your shape.  This will serve as the back of your keychain.  (You could also put names, dates, etc. on the back if you want.)  Spread a thin layer of mod podge on the wood surface and on the back of the paper.  Smooth paper in place and let dry.

Turn wood shape over and trim off excess paper...

then spread another thin coat of mod podge on top and allow to dry.  Use a pin or toothpick to poke out the hole you drilled.

Now finish off the back with a coat of dimensional magic and let it set up according to package directions.  (If you've never worked with it before see this past tutorial of mine for some tips!)  This will create a shiny finished look.

Once the back is dry, you can just repeat the process for the photo on the front.  I just printed mine on photo paper on my home printer so I could get it exactly the size I wanted.

Mod podge it on and trim it up...

Add another coat of podge, poke your hole... 

...and do a layer of dimensional magic.

When it's dry, add your jump ring, chain, and a split ring (all found in the craft store jewelry making section) and that's a wrap!

You could use any kind of image--a favorite vacation pic, your kiddos or grandkids or significant other, pets, a little collage.  Endless possibilites.

mod podged dinosaur wall decor...

I'm excited to finally have a post to share...

Baby will be here in 6 weeks, so I've got to get this nursery done!

I mentioned previously that I have a ton of half-finished projects in the works.  That is still true.  But I've had a lovely baby shower, a not-so-lovely stomach virus that landed me in the hospital for IV fluids, and a weekend trip away for a Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert to keep me busy.  So I'm happy to finally have this cute dinosaur wall decor project completed and on display.

I was originally contemplating making a mobile, but this image on Pinterest caught my eye.

I think those little elephants are just cut out of paper, but I already had some balsa wood brontosaurus shapes on hand.   I thought they would be perfect for a more permanent wall hanging.

For this project, you'll need:

balsa wood shapes of your choice

craft paint & brushes

scrapbook papers

xacto knife

mod podge

nail file or sandpaper

yarn, twine, or ribbon

tape or glue

Start by sanding the edges of your little wood shapes, if necessary.  I like to use a nail file...it's easier to hold and maneuver in tight spots.

Next, place one of your shapes on a piece of scrapbook paper...

...and cut around your shape.

Repeat until you have all your papers cut out and ready to go.

I wanted the edges of my wood shapes to be painted a contrasting color, so I went ahead and painted the whole shape.  It's easier than just trying to do the edge.  

(If you'd like to leave your wood natural, that works, too.)

Next, apply a coat of mod podge to the surface of your wood shape AND to the back of your paper cutouts.  Position the paper on top of each shape, smooth in place, and allow to dry.

Once dry, you can burnish any roughly cut edges of the paper with your nail file.  Then top with a coat of mod podge and allow to dry.

Now all you have to do is adhere the shapes to your yarn or ribbon and hang them up!

They add a fun pop of color and pattern to the room.

Mine are going to be a part of a little gallery wall/picture grouping that I'm looking forward to showing you later!

mod podge ornaments with free printable...

It's always nice to have some cute ornaments to give as neighbor gifts or add a little something special to gift wrap.  If they are handmade--even better.  With a few simple supplies, you can make a whole bunch of these fun mod podge ornaments in no time.

I made a free printable to share with you all, so the hard part is already done!  It includes 8 different ornament designs.  Just print on regular ol' paper or cardstock and you're good to go.

Download the pdf file HERE.

Here are the supplies you will need:

the free ornament printable
wood circles larger than 2.5" (mine are just a smidge under 2.75")
scissors
craft paint & brushes
mod podge
mod podge dimensional magic (optional)
ribbon
craft glue

Start by cutting out the ornament designs.
I'll be using these 4 for this tutorial...

Next paint your wood circles the colors of your choice.  I painted around the edges, but I should've just painted the whole thing.  You can kinda see the paint line through the ones with white backgrounds.  It's not a big deal, but it would've been easy to just paint the entire surface.  Silly me.

(And you can paint the backs or leave them raw if you're lazy like I might be.  But there is no photo evidence, so you'll never know...)

Once your paint is dry, it's time to podge!  Spread your decoupage glue all over the surface of your circle, carefully position your paper ornament design, then seal the whole thing with mod podge and allow to dry.

If you want, you can call it good at this point.

I, however, decided to take my little ornaments one step further with some mod podge dimensional magic.  If you follow my blog, you know that I've used it multiple times before to make jewelry--the sparrow pendant, my color wheel necklace, and the lace overlay pendant.  It creates a lovely glossy finish that's a bit more impressive...and it turned out fabulous on these ornaments.

Start by pouring a generous pool onto the surface of your ornament.

Then use a toothpick to work out any little air bubbles and spread it out to the edges.

The package says to let it dry 3 hours, but I always leave it overnight so I know its set.

Once they are dry, glue some ribbon loops to the back to finish.
(Or you can drill holes if you'd prefer to go that route.)

Now you can use them as gift tags or add them to some treats to take to your neighbors...

Or keep them for your own tree.

You can always make more. :)

***
Want to design your own ornament printable?
I used the MyMemories Suite 3 scrapbooking software.
It's rather inexpensive for design software and so easy to use.
Get $10 off the software using coupon code:
STMMMS86047
  (Plus you'll get a $10 coupon for the kit store after purchase!)

DIY decoupage pendant...

With some basic supplies and a little mod podge dimensional magic, it's so easy to make your own jewelry!

To make your own decoupage pendant, you will need:

a 1.5 inch wood oval

drill with 1/16 bit

craft paint & paintbrush

a couple of toothpicks

small paper shape

mod podge

mod podge dimensional magic

jump ring 9mm or larger

ribbon for bow

chain or ribbon for stringing

Start by drilling a hole with your 1/16 bit towards the top of your wood oval.  Take care to make sure your drill is level so the hole will be straight.

Next, paint your pendant the color of your choice.  Since my paper shape is a sparrow, I went with a nice sky blue/aqua hue with some pearlizing medium mixed in.  Make sure the hole you drilled doesn't get clogged with paint.  (I stuck a toothpick in there to remove any excess.)

Once your paint is dry, you can attach your little paper shape.  I cut my little sparrow with my cricut (heritage cartridge - 1/2"), but you could certainly use any shape or letter, cut by hand or machine.  Apply a coat of mod podge to the surface of your pendant and the back of your paper shape, then place where desired.  Then coat entire pendant with mod podge and allow to dry.

Tip: I stuck a toothpick in the hole to help hold the pendant still as I brushed on my podge.

Once it's completely dry, it's time for some dimensional magic.  I apply it more towards the middle, then use a toothpick to scoot it to the edges and around the hole in the top.  Once again, be careful not to clog your little hole!

After allowing 24 hours drying time, put your pendant on a jump ring, tie on a little sunshine-y bow, and string it on a chain or ribbon.

 

This one turned out so perfectly springy, but the possibilities really are endless.  You could make any kind of design to go with any outfit!

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