Mod Podge File Cabinet Make-Over

Since buying our home we've been talking about remodeling our office for the past year (well maybe more so me than Jon). We officially started working on it this month (although we will both admit that we really haven't completed too much). Since we've been in office/craft remodel mode I've been looking at all sorts of ideas. One place I frequently look for ideas is the  Mod Podge Rocks blog. They always have great ideas and I love using modge podge, so what more could a girl ask for! As I scrolled down there blog the other month I noticed they did a file cabinet revamp, and I instantly knew this may be something I wanted to pursue. I finally convinced Jon to spray paint the ugly brown/grey file cabinet, and after doing a few coats of paint it was still blotchy. Since the front of the cabinet will only be exposed I knew this would be a great fix, and another opportunity to use my color inspiration piece for the office (aka craft room).  DISCLAIMER: Please excuse the mess in the background of almost all the pictures. This room is a work in progress and deemed "construction site" until complete. 


Materials Needed:
-File Cabinet
-Matte Mod Podge
-3 sheets of 12x12 scrapbook paper
-Paper cutter 
-1 sponge brush
-1 credit card to smooth paper
-2 scraps of wood to hold drawers open

Before: 

This is the some-what before picture. It really was an ugly off tan color, and then Jon spray painted it white. Note to self and others: if your planning to spray paint just go ahead and remove the handles. Don't tape them up! (Inspiration paper on top--ready to be applied).

During:

First, remove the handles. Then, place a piece of wood in between the drawer and the cabinet to hold it from closing. Once this is complete lay the file cabinet on its back. Place two of the 12x12 scrapbook papers on each of the drawers, and then figure out where you will need to make cuts to fill in the rest of the drawer. 

After the paper has been measured, remove it from the file cabinet, and apply a generous coat on to one of the cabinet drawers. Take the 12x12 scrapbook paper and line it up on the glued area. Add the small strip and make sure that it's both sheets of paper are even. Gently rub a credit card over the paper making sure that all bubbles have been smoothed out AND that the paper has not shifted. You'll notice that glue might start to come off the sides. This is fine; however, make sure that the glue does not drip down into the cabinet. With your fingers take the excess glue and "seal" the edges of the paper--lightly tracing around the front of the cabinet and on the seam of the extra strip of paper applied. Once all the glue has been cleaned up place a heavy book on top and start working on the next cabinet drawer *repeat the same steps above*. I did not apply modge podge on the top of the paper if you do this depending on the type of paper it might bubble and curl up. Since my paper was $2 a sheet and had texture I wanted to leave it in tact. Let the cabinet dry, then carefully put the cabinet handles back on. 

After:

Voila! It's complete. Handles put back on and ready to be used to store files! If you make this--I'd love to  see a picture or link to your blog. It's always cool to see other fresh creative ideas!

Giveaway Alert!

*Picture by Naria Mum

Not only did I just stumble across this awesome blog, but they are also doing a Nicey Jane fabric giveaway of 6 fat quarters! Make sure you stop by Naria Mum  to find the variety of ways you can enter into this contest!!! 

Here is a little more info from Naria's blog: 

#Win six Nicey Jane fat quarters from @narniamum and @lolapinkfabrics #giveaway http://bit.ly/cx5qCG  This giveaway is open internationally, so please everyone feel free to enter! I will leave this post open to comments until 10 p.m. PST on Tuesday, 8/31. Good luck!

Thrift Store Finds...

I like going to the thrift store every now and then to browse and see if there is anything worth value. Not only is the money going back to the store and helping the community, but it's good for the environment since you are not buying new goods that needed to be produced! 


Most of the time I visit with something in mind. Since it's the end of August I start thinking a bout Halloween and in the months/week's leading to my favorite holiday I like to frequent the stores to see what inexpensive stuff I can turn into cool Halloween decorations (and also what cool Halloween decorations I can find for cheap). On my most recent visit I found a very cool candelabra for $1.99. Although it's missing the other two frosted glass pieces I plan to take the lone glass piece off. You can't tell from the picture but it's a rusty brown. I'm definitely going to spray paint it black, and was even thinking about using some paper-mâché to really beef it up... I also have these really cool purple candle sticks that are going to sit in this. I can't wait for Halloween! 


Tissue paper: .33 (What a steal & brand new--colored paper retails for $2 at Target)
Red Belt: .99 (This would have easily been $10-20 in the store)
Red serving tray: $3.99
Candelabra: $1.99


After taxes my total bill came out to be $7.84! I think I was going for a red and black theme that day... I love the thrift store! 

Onesie Dress

I found this awesome tutorial a while back on Blue Cricket Design's blog. BCD featured Running with Scissors which did such a faboulous job on the tutorial that I didn't feel there is a real need for me to recreate her tutorial! (Run over to both blogs and check out how easy this onesie dress is to make.)


Even though I'm not doing a tutorial I will give some tips and ways that I've modified her tutorial... for a beginner sewer add an extra inch to everything. I've also been using onesies size 3-6 months... not 6-9 months like her.  You also don't need to stretch the onesie a lot when your sewing on the skirt... this was my first time mistake... after that I didn't do that again! Stretch only a little bit... after your first one you'll see exactly what I mean!


I skipped the actual freezer paper stencil part because I used my  cricut and cut fabric and ironed it on to the onesie. See my tutorial on how to do this here. Other than the actual cutting fabric on the cricut I followed the rest of RWS steps. The best part is that you can make so many different variations of this dress. I've only made two variations so far, and am currently finishing up on my third "miracle" onesie dress. For those of you who  might be wondering which cartridge I got the cut-outs from it was the home decor cricut solutions cartridge


I do not have children, but I have tons of friends that are having babies right now. Since giving this dress it has become all the rage amongst my friends. Not only is it the most adorable dress ever, but it's home made! You can't get a better gift than that (well maybe getting the winning lotto ticket)!


Below is a perfect example of an expectant mother (and good friend of mine) to be opening up her new home-made onesie dress, and beyond happy with it! 

 

 


*Stay tuned in a few month's I'll be posting pictures of some of the cute babies modeling my onesie dresses!


Linked to: CraftGawker 







   

 

R+M Maternity Photo Shoot

I had the privilege to photograph one of my really good friends, Rebekah and her husband, Michael. She wanted to have some photo's of her being pregnant, but didn't want to spend the extra money on a photographer. So I volunteered to take some photo's of them. This was my first photo shoot and I'm sure it won't be my last. Rebekah and Michael now have some awesome photo's, and I gained tons of experience while photographing them for an hour during the middle of the day (I know for next time to not photograph during the middle of the day)!

I had so many pictures I wanted to touch up, and wanted to turn the photo's around in less than a week. I used a very easy to use and free site called; Picasa. If your new to photo editing or want a "quick fix" I highly recommend this site. I also use Adobe Photoshop CS2 when I'm not using Picasa. I like picasa mainly because you can store loads of pictures and create albums allowing you to access them any where at any given time.

Here are a few pictures from R+M's photo shoot last month!

*my favorite from the day*

*I love the "1970's" look this picture has. One of the cool features of Picasa. 

cinema view of the soon to be birthed; Carly! 

I'm happy to announce that Rebekah delivered a healthy baby girl on Sunday, August 16th! I can't wait to meet baby Carly and take more photo's for her parents!!

Featured on: Craftgawker

Tutorial: Cutting Heat-N-Bond Adhered Fabric with the Cricut

I am a fairly "new" owner of a cricut. I've had mine for less than a year and have already done so much with it! From cutting paper to vinyl, and now fabric! I'll walk you through some steps on how to cut fabric with your cricut using an iron-on adhesive.

1. First practice on paper to make sure that you achieve the size(s) you want before wasting your iron-on adhesive/fabric. You will also want a brand new or very sharp blade, and a brand new mat. I've recently dedicated one of my mat's and blades to cutting fabric only. That way I don't have to go out and buy new materials each time. 

2. Make sure that the chosen fabric to cut is pre-washed and DO NOT use fabric softener. After you have washed your fabric, adhere Heat-n-Bond ultrahold to your fabric. Pre-heat iron to medium heat, NO steam. Cut your fabric and heat-n-bond to fit the size of your cricut mat. Make sure that you give a little extra room on your material to compensate for when you iron on the heat-n-bond. You do not want to get the heat-n-bond on your ironing board!  Place adhesive on back of material to be bonded (paper liner should face up). Place and hold iron on the paper liner for 2 seconds. Repeat until entire surface is bonded. Allow to cool. *You can purchase Heat-n-Bond in the fabric store, or they also sell it in the crafting section at Wal*mart (typically 1 yard for $3). Heat-n-Bond comes in a variety of strengths. I prefer the ultrahold since you know you'll be washing this and will want it to withhold heavy duty usage!

3. Peel the paper backing off the fabric and adhere it to the mat (adhesive side down). If you leave the white liner on the fabric and then adhere it onto your mat it will end up getting messed up when you start cutting (i.e., bunching; not all of the cut will come through). Make sure that the fabric is smooth and is adhered well to the mat.

4. Set your cricut blade on 5, the speed on the lowest and the pressure to max. This will ensure that the cricut will not go too fast and pull the fabric off the mat. Load your mat into the cricut and begin to cut. Once your done cutting... carefully remove your heat-n-bond fabric from the mat with a cricut spatula.

5. Place the material, adhesive side down, on top of your project. Press and hold iron for 8 seconds on each section until the entire piece is bonded. *Make sure that you leave the iron in one place for a few seconds to ensure the cut-out hasn't moved. 

*Make sure to always read the heat-n-bond directions since times may vary depending on what type of fabric is being used. All directions given above are for cotton materials. 

Here is one other example of a t-shirt I transformed by cutting out fabric adhered to heat-n-bond with my cricut, and adding spunk to a shirt that was full of hole's and in the goodwill pile! 

Have fun playing with cutting heat-n-bond adhered fabric on the cricut!

Linked to: Craftgawker, Blue Cricket Designs, Oops, I craft my pants

Welcome!

After tons of badgering from all of our family and friends we've finally decided to start a part-time craft/home renovation blog! Don't expect daily blog posts like you get at Katie's Cucina, but do expect ton's of tutorials and creative ideas on ways to spruce up your home, save money, and make cool things! For those of you reading who do not know Jon and I in real life here is some background info about us! 

Katie: As most of you know Katie loves to cook, but when she's not cooking she's crafting! She's always had a love for crafts and in most recent years has had more time on her hands to free her creativity! In 2007/2008 while planning her wedding her crafty side was fully unleashed. After designing invitations, center pieces, memory candles, and more she knew after the wedding was done she would still want to work on crafty projects. After buying a home last year she started focusing more of her energy to home decor projects, and way's to inexpensively decorate her home. Many people have heard her say "I've got West Elm taste on a Wal*mart budget", and she stays true to that motto; constantly searching high and low to find the best deals and ways to make it not only inexpensive but better!

Jon: Amazing handy man really sums him  up! If it's broken he'll fix it--even if he has no clue how to use it! From generator motors to wooden benches he's the guy for you. Since buying a home in 2009 he has become self absorbed in home renovation projects, and has picked up yet another hobby... wood working. He borrowed a friends lathe and started spinning wood and acrylic pens, and aspires to start selling them online some day soon. He's also spun a wine stopper and hopes to start spinning bowls, pepper mills, and anything else the mind can think of! Jon also recently built a custom toy chest for his only nephew (stay tuned for a post)! He's intrigued by challenging projects and is a perfectionist too boot! 

Thanks for reading about us. Make sure you subscribe to our new blog, and stay tuned on the projects we will share with the world!