February 10, 2013

DIY - Toy Storage Bench

My Daughter's Birthday Is In November & She Gets A Lot Of Toys...Just In Time For Christmas!  Needless To Say, It Was Time To Organize Them & What Better Way Than To Also Provide Some Seating?!
 
 
 
To Start, We Figured Out About Where We Wanted It & The Dimensions According To Where It Was Going To Go & How Spaced Out I Wanted Each Cube.  Since I Wanted Them Spaced Out Far, We Only Had Room For 3 Cubes, Which Was Perfect.
(The Beauty Of Being Married To A Number's Guy Is That This Bench Was Planned With Exact Measurements!!)

 
After It Was Nailed Together, We Filled In The Holes & Cracks


 
Then We Painted It.  I Went With White Since The Rest Of The Furniture In My Daughter's Room Is White.  I Used Behr Interior/Exterior Semi-Gloss Pure White From Home Depot.

 
Since We Were Going To Add Cushions On Top, We Thought It Would Be A Good Idea To Add A Strip Along The Three Sides Of The Top.

 
And My Handy Husband Made It Decorative By Setting It In About An Inch & Adding The Slant At Each End!  He's Brilliant!

 
 
Next, I Had To Organize Her Toys, Put Old Ones Away & Bring Out New Ones & It Was Complete!
The Only Item We Bought, Aside From The Wood & Paint, Was The Green Body Pillow Which I Found At IKEA For $12.99.

 
It's A Great Piece In Her Room Now & It's One That Reminds Me She Is Growing Up!
 

February 3, 2013

DIY - Photo Coasters

My Dear Friend Jen Just Got Married A Few Months Back & The First Time We Visited Her Home, My Daughter Ruined Her Cork Coasters! So, Of Course, I Wanted To Replace Them...This Time, Making Them Personal To Her.
 
 
Jen & Her New Husband, David, Had A Photo Booth At Her Wedding & I Was Able To Use The Pictures From That For These Coasters.  They Turned Out Amazing!
 
 
Here Are The Items I Needed.....
1. Photos Printed To Size On Card Stock
2. Coasters (Old Ones Or New Ones - I Grabbed These At A Garage Sale - FREE!!!)
3. Scrap Booking Paper Cutter
4. Scissors
5. Rotary Cutter
6. Cutting Mat
7. Mod Podge
8. Sponge Brush
9. Clear Acrylic Spray Paint (not in photo) 
 
 
 
First, I Trimmed Up The Photos Using My Scrap Booking Paper Cutter

 
 
Then I Applied A Coat Of Mod Podge On The Coasters & Laid The Photos On Top 

 
 
I Had To Lay Them Upside Down To Dry So They Would Stick Better
 
 
 
After They Dried, I Took My Rotary Cutter & Trimmed Up The Edges

 
 
 When They Were All Trimmed Up, I Took Them Outside To Lightly Sand The Edges Of Each Coaster. This Adds A Little Texture To Them

 
 
Next, I Applied 3 Coats Of Mod Podge, Letting Them Completely Dry Between Each Coat

 
 
After Each Coaster Was Completely Dry, I Took Them Back Outside & Sprayed A Coat Of Clear Acrylic Spray Paint On Them & Let Them Dry For At Least An Hour.  The Acrylic Seals In Everything & Allows Them To Be Usable As Coasters! Very Important!

 
 
When They Dried, I Packaged Them Up With A Little Bow.

 
 
This Is Such An Easy & Inexpensive Project & A Great Way To Give A Personalized Gift!
I'd Like To Say I Created This Myself, But When I Got Stuck With What To Put On Top Of The Mod Pogde Coats, I Saw ALL OVER Pinterest This Idea. Although, I Didn't Create It Initially, I Created These For My Friend! Try It Yourself!