crafting Archives - Page 10 of 10

First tutorial of 2011! These napkin rings have been on my to-do list for over 6 months but I was a little busy with Christmas so I am finally getting around to them. Poor Finn is loosing a craft room toy. They have been cut and on my shelf forever and he loves to play with them. Maybe I will make him some more?

Supplies:
– one 2′ x 1 1/2″ section of PVC pipe (cut into 2″ sections)
– an old magazine
– Mod Podge and brush

Directions:

1. Cut your PVC pipe into 2″ sections. My PVC pipe was 1 1/2″ in diameter. My husband controls the power tools over here so mine magically showed up in my craft room, cut perfectly! I asked him to cut 10 for me.

2. I wanted my napkin rings to look “foodish” so I used a Martha Stewart Whole Living magazine, they have really clean, pretty pictures. You can use whatever magazine or paper you like; newspaper, a book, fashion mag, an old map, scrapbook paper… get creative.

3. Go through and rip about 10-12 pages that are interesting to you. I looked for bright colors, cool bold words, and recipes.

4. Cut them into 2″ x 7″ strips. Cut them from the middle of the paper so you get interesting parts of the pictures. Pick out your favorite strips and set them aside.

5. Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge (I’m using matte finish) to a napkin ring. Carefully place the strip of magazine into the ring. Gently smooth out the paper as you go. There will be a little excess paper just add a little Mod Podge underneath so it sticks. Do this to all the rings.

6. Once all 10 strips and rings have become one, we are going to apply the 1st topcoat of Mod Podge. There will be some air bubbles so just smooth them out with your fingers first. This layer should also be thin. Wait about 15-30 minutes for this coat to dry.

7. Apply your second coat of Mod Podge, a little thicker this time but not too thick. Let this coat dry for several hours. If you live in Houston like me, you should probably just wait overnight because it is January and a muggy 80 degrees :(

8. This step is optional: I am going to add a little pop to my napkin rings with a sequin ribbon. You can embellish with any ribbon or buttons or whatever you have. I cut my ribbon into 7″ sections. Glue them on with Elmer’s Glue and wait a few more hours to dry.

These babies will really add some pop to your table! If you are like me this makes you want to host a dinner party now. Happy Hosting!

Also, Don’t forget to enter the Taylor Made giveaway this week, you can read all about it HERE

This is a really simple project and I have them all over the house. Basically all you have to do is find scrapbook paper that matches the room, use the existing light-switch cover and Mod-Podge away!

Light-switch Covers

Here is your super boring light-switch cover before:

Cut your scrapbook paper a little larger than the cover.

Bring out your ole trusty friend Mod Podge and cover the front of the light-switch with it. (I like to use the cheapy sponge brushes with Mod Podge because it will ruin a nice brush)

Place the paper on top of the light switch. Fold the sides toward the back.

Snip the corners to make it easier to glue and less bunchy.

Glue (with a glue gun) all the way around the back edge of the light switch cover. Go side by side and immediately press the paper down before it has time to dry.