BOO Halloween letters.

I just love Trish and Bonnie - they are so creative! I saw these Halloween "BOO" letters and was tickled. I love the chevron paper, but it was the boingy bats on the springs that really thrilled me and made me look twice. Those bats? They glow, thanks to Glow-in-the-Dark Mod Podge. This fancy display is actually quite easy to make. You just need to follow the tutorial at the link below.

Stackable BOO Halloween letters at Uncommon Designs

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"Boo" fabric pumpkins.

Not everybody likes scary home decor for Halloween - in fact a lot of people like simple and pretty. And that is the category that these pumpkins fit into for me. All Crystal did was head to the dollar store and buy some inexpensive foam pumpkins, then she added fabric (with Mod Podge), letters and bows. These would be perfect for a tablescape or your mantle, and I daresay that the older children can even help with these! If you're game, head over to Crystal's blog to see how they were done.

Mod Podge fabric pumpkins at A Pumpkin and a Princess

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Refurbish a table with stickers.

There is a misconception that re-doing a piece of furniture has to be difficult. There are some very simple ways to update pieces, like this table re-done with stickers and coated in Mod Podge Outdoor. All you need to do is sand your surface, spray paint it and then add some fun (large) nature stickers with Mod Podge to get the same effect. Just pick your favorite color, stickers and go for it!

DIY refurbished side table at All*You

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Fun potted plants for fall.

This post brought to you by Scotts Miracle-Gro. All opinions are 100% mine.

I just moved into a new loft in mid-August, and I'm excited because I have a balcony. It's kind of wide and long, and it's perfect for a few chairs, a table and then some potted plants. Looks like it's time for some Fall gardening, wouldn't you say? I wanted to do a small container garden, but I can't just throw containers out there - that would be so wrong. So I Mod Podged some.

Gather These Supplies

Pots - any kind, clay works as well
Mod Podge Outdoor
Scrap paper
Scissors or way to cut paper into shapes (I used my Sizzix Big Shot)
Buttons or other embellishments
Glue
Paintbrush

I ran the scrap paper through my Sizzix Big Shot. You can do the same thing, but you can also just cut shapes with your scissors if you don't have a fancy machine.

Place some Mod Podge down onto the pot and add your shapes on top. Smooth them out and let them dry for 15 minutes.

Give the entire pot a few coats of Mod Podge to seal.

I couldn't really stop there, so I used some buttons around the edge as accents. Just use craft glue.

Here are my pots all finished! Now, what to plant in them?

Miracle-Gro actually has the solution for fall planting woes. A lot of people, including myself, have no idea that there are plenty of beautiful plants to use in the fall. Find beauty in the Fall with their plant finder, which you can use by region (depending on where you are in the country). Looks like for my neck of the woods, vegetable flowers are the way to go. Who knew? I'll be using Miracle-Gro Potting Mix for my fall plants. It feeds the plants for up to six months, which I need, because my thumb is green but with a bit of brown (is that hazel?).

Visit the Miracle-Gro Facebook page to chat with fellow gardeners about your fall plantings and to share stories.

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Outdoor drink holder.

As you enjoy the last days of summer and also possibly some outdoor sports games, you might be interested in this drink holder made by Megan of The Homes I Have Made for Positively Splendid. I love the pretty fabric that she chose, and it's much better than a Miller Lite beer coozie for holding your drink. Don't you think? Visit Amy's blog to get the full tutorial.

Outdoor drink holder tutorial at Postively Splendid

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Mod Podge mailbox makeover.

My favorite word of all time is "hello." I like the way it looks and how happy it is. I like how people make it sound funny sometimes with the way they say it. Am I weird? Yes. It's just such a great sentiment. You need it on a mailbox too, so visit Katie for the tutorial. And if you are wondering if Mod Podge works outdoors, the answer is yes - there is an Outdoor formula just for this purpose.

Mailbox makeover at Creatively Living

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Solar Mod Podge lights.

A few years ago Pam taught you how to add food coloring to Mod Podge to make beautiful lanterns. Well, Amanda took it a step further and added solar power to her mason jars. A few years ago I bought little solar powered lights from Target and had NO idea what to do with them - now I know! These lanterns are awesome, inexpensive and also a great use of Outdoor Mod Podge. Visit Amanda to see how they were made. And beginning Mod Podgers take note: you won't believe how easy it is.

Solar + Mod Podge = amazing at The Hand Me Down House

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Outdoor chair gets a brilliant makeover.

It's not often that I get to see projects I feature in real life. But I recently visited Vivienne from The V Spot and got to see her outdoor chair revamp. It looks as good in real life as it does in the pictures! It might have something to do with the fact that she picked great colors (love the modern fabric). I'm proud to say that a year after her post it's holding up fantastically. Win all the way around! Visit Viv to see how she did it.

Turning the dog's chew toy into a chair at The V Spot

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Easy garden markers.

These little garden markers are so cool - and the process looks like someone could have made them on the set of "Survivor." With the little rope and the sticks and stuff? Totally. The Mod Podge part is the little bauble at the top, and if you use Outdoor Mod Podge, you'll be good to go for the rest of eternity. Or at least until you get voted off of the island.

Garden markers at Free Range Chick

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Mod Podged gnome birdhouse.

So . . . who here likes garden gnomes? Raise your hand!! Me mee meee! Am I the only one raising my hand? Gnomes are so fun and remind me of spring - as do birdhouses. So to celebrate, I created a birdhouse for some of my family members with spring colors and a happy gnome. You'll need a birdhouse to start, and the rest is fun.

Gather These Supplies

Wood birdhouse
FolkArt Outdoor acrylic paint - Burnt Umber, Fresh Foliage, Pure Orange
Mod Podge Outdoor
Martha Stewart Woodland Critters paper
Martha Stewart Gnome and Woodland stickers
Martha Stewart Log Alphabet stickers
Cardstock - yellow, brown, orange
Craft knife
Ruler
Paintbrush

Paint your birdhouse with the FolkArt colors. I used Fresh Foliage for the sides, Burnt Umber for the roof and Pure Orange for the perch. This Outdoor paint is self-sealing and really durable, so you are good to put it outside. (PS - I just did the edges of the sides where I would be covering with paper).

While waiting for that to dry, I cut the papers to fit my birdhouse. I used one design around three sides, and another (woodgrain) design on the roof. It takes a minute, but it's really about measuring and cutting carefully to get the exact fit - so it's not hard, just time consuming.

At this time I also used my Sizzix Big Shot to cut the mushroom shapes. You don't have to do that though - you can draw and cut by hand just as easily.

Paint a medium layer of Outdoor Mod Podge on one side of the birdhouse.

Adhere the (nicely) trimmed paper and smooth thoroughly. Let it dry for 15 - 20 minutes and repeat on all sides.

Once dry, paint a coat of Outdoor Mod Podge over the whole birdhouse. Let dry and repeat.

I attached all of the embellishments with craft glue, then gave the entire birdhouse a third coat of Outdoor Mod Podge (including over the embellishments).

To finish and make sure it's extra durable, add an Enamel outdoor sealer (this is optional). Now you can enjoy your happy gnome birdhouse.

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Yay for Mod Podging a bicycle.

I get this question more than you would think, actually. And the answer is yes - you can Mod Podge a bicycle! Next time you are at the thrift store and see a bike that needs a overhaul, don't pass over it. All you need is fabric and Mod Podge . . . scissors . . . and patience. But anyone can do it, I promise!

Mod Podge bike at Squidoo

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Mother's Day bud vase from a PVC pipe.

Everybody has a mom, even Man Podger David. No, he wasn't brought down on a crafty alien spaceship, though sometimes his projects are out of this world! That was a horrible joke, by the way. David's gift vases for Mother's Day are made out of PVC pipe, so even though my joke was bad, it was completely true. Here's how he did it.

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I’m getting a lot of requests for Mother’s Day themed items at my Etsy store. So I had Mother’s Day on the brain when I visited Home Depot recently. I found myself, as I often do, in front of all the PVC piping thinking “there must be something I can make out of this!” There are so many great shapes and sizes and it’s all so affordable, but I’ve never been able to come up with anything. And it suddenly dawned on me that I could use the various pipes to make vases. And then I thought, why not wrap the pipes in old photos and make a fun, nostalgic centerpiece for a Mom’s Day celebration? For a total cost was about $12.

Supplies

PVC Pipes of various widths
PVC Caps to fit the pipes
PVC Pipe Cement
Outdoor Mod Podge
Wooden Base (mine is from Michaels)
Glue (I used E-6000)
Laser copies of old photos
Foam Brush (not pictured)
Forstner Bit and drill (optional)

1) I cut the PVC pipes into various lengths – just eyeballing what I thought was good. I used a miter saw, but any saw will cut through the plastic.

2) Next up (following the manufacturer’s instructions) I used the PVC cement to glue the caps to the pipes and set them aside to dry.

3) I then gathered and scanned some old family photos. I resized each photo to fit a specific pipe – I needed it to be tall enough and wide enough to wrap around its designated pipe. I also played a little bit with the tint of each picture to provide some contrast.

4) I printed the photos out onto plain paper using a laser printer. The laser is key – I knew I was going to soak the images in water and inkjet ink will run. Kinkos or Staples can make a laser copy for you if you need.

5) I dropped the image in some water and, while it soaked, I coated the outside of the PVC pipe with Outdoor Mod Podge. I then removed the image from the water and gently ran my fingers down it to remove excess water and then applied it to the pipe using my fingers to smooth out bubbles etc. I added a little more Mod Podge to seal where the ends of the paper overlapped. I did that for each pipe and then set them aside to dry.

6) This next step is totally optional. I used two Forstner bits to drill holes in the wood base. If you don t have a drill press you can skip this.

7) I gave the photo-tubes a sealing coat of Outdoor Mod Podge and, when that was dry trimmed away any excess paper from the tops and bottoms.

8) Next I glued the tubes to the base using E-6000. (NOTE: If you didn’t drill the holes in step 6 then just glue the pipes directly to the base. I checked and it will work – my suggestion is that you cluster the pipes closer together so they touch each other to provide a little extra stability.) After everything has had time to fully dry (24 hours) fill the pipes with water and insert your flowers.

3 Some further thoughts 1) I think next time I will paint the tops of the PVC pipes for a more finished look. 2) It occurred to me that this could become a very adaptable thing. If you used a thicker base and drilled deeper holes you could skip gluing the tubes in place and just let the base hold them. Then you could then decorate other tubes with colorful graphics or fabric or what have you and, when you wanted to, swap out the tubes to suit your mood.

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Some colorful bird feeders.

Okay, I know it's a little late to be posting summer projects, but these were so cute I had to feature them somehow. At her blog, Candice features these painted and decoupaged cartons (you can use old milk cartons) that were turned into crafty birdhouses by her children. I love the colors, I love the papers, and I think you should keep these on your project list for whenever the birds are feeing again. Visit Candice's fun post here.

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DIY comic book geek coasters.

You may be like me and have a brother who loves comic books - in which case, geeky coasters are the perfect gift for said brother.  And trust me, I'm not throwing stones.  I'm a Star Wars fanatic.  I even have a t-shirt (I wear it) that says "Be Nice to Nerds."  Haha!

I'm quite pleased with Man Podger David's project because I know a lot of you are looking for gifts and project ideas for the men in your life.  David is great with coasters, so you'll want to pay attention (especially if you're a beginner); and he used an unusual surface for the base.  Here's the tutorial straight from David.

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If you’ve visited my Etsy store you know I’m the coaster guy.   I have coasters of every style under the sun but they only come in one shape: square.   So, I’m always looking for new possibilities and I was so happy when in the electrical/lighting section of Home Depot I came across these metal blanks that are made to cover up unused outlets ($1.40 each). 

You can buy round wood or chip-board blanks for coasters but for me they are just too lightweight (nothing is more annoying than a coaster that ALWAYS sticks to your glass).   However, these are perfect – less clunky than making a coaster out of a tile but still heavy and versatile.

For this project you will need:

I wanted a white coaster, so after a light sanding with some 220 grit sandpaper (just to rough up the surface and give the paint something to stick to) I used some Antique White spray paint and allowed it to dry thoroughly.

I love old comic books and decided to use some graphics from a book I found on the Remainder Table a while ago. Sometimes I find it hard to visualize what a section will look like when it’s cut out so I used my Fiskars Circle guide to get a sense of where on the page I wanted to cut.

There are two screw holes in the blank and your paper will need to cover them. I chose to leave a little edge showing, but it would also work to cover the entire surface with paper.  If you choose this route, just cut a circle a little larger than the blank and after applying it and allowing it to dry you’d cut away the excess paper with a craft knife. After deciding and cutting out the images it’s time to Mod Podge. 

I like to dampen my images before attaching them as it reduces the bubbles and wrinkles that plagued me in my early Mod Podge attempts. NOTE: This method will NOT work with images printed on an ink jet printer as the ink will run – you should always test a little section of the paper to make sure it will hold up. I fill a container with water and drop the image in to soak a little while I prepare the surface.

When I pull the image out of the bath I run my fingers along either side of it to remove any excess water. After that I lay it on the surface and gently smooth it out, pushing out any air that gets trapped or any excess Mod Podge (having a paper towel handy is helpful) and allow it to dry. After about 20 minutes, I top coated the coasters with a layer of Mod Podge and allowed it to dry, then sanded it with my 220 grit sandpaper and gave it another coat. 

I glued the gaskets that come with the blanks onto the backside for my padding using E-6000 glue – you could also use cork or felt if you’d prefer. 

And you now have finished coasters to gift.  Or keep for yourself.

Thank you David - these are awesome.  My brother's birthday is coming up and I'm going to make these.  No one tell him!

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