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DIY Instagram Coasters

Dec 9, 2011 In Crafting, Daily Ramblings, How-To

In honor of the one and only Instagram, I thought I’d shoot this how-to via Instagram! (You can totally follow me on twitter here.)

I like to create memory art after we travel. Example A: Italy Memory Art. Our recent trip to Seattle coincided with me getting my hands on an iphone, which means I was able to document our vacation with vintage-looking square-shaped photos. Awesome. I immediately knew that I wanted to make coasters out of them! We’ve been needing some new coasters anyway.

Materials

  • 4×4″ Square Tiles ($0.16 each at the Home Depot)
  • 4″ Printed Instagram Photos
  • Mod Podge (Michael’s)
  • Paint Brush or Foam Brush (Michael’s)
  • Felt Sheets (Michael’s)
  • Acrylic Sealer (Michael’s)

Before we get started, there are three ways to print your Instagram photos. You could order them online from some fancy (a.k.a. expensive) specialty Instagram printing company. You could print them from your computer onto photo paper (not copy paper, as this will not hold up to the Mod Podge). Or, if you don’t have a nice printer with photo paper, you can print them from your favorite photo shop. This final option takes a little editing before you can send them off. I had to add a thick white border on Picnik (my favorite online photo editing software), then crop to a 4×6 so that the 4″ square Instagram photo could easily but cut to size after printing. Here is a quick screen shot of the editing process:

Ok, let’s get started!

1. Lay the tiles out on some newspaper and cover them in a light coat of Mod Podge.

2. Place pictures on the tiles. Let sit for about an hour.

3. Paint over the surface of the picture and tile edges with Mod Podge. Let dry and repeat this process at least 2 more times. As you can see, mine is streaky and imperfect because I used an old paint brush with issues, but I like it that way. If you want yours nice and smooth with minimal imperfections, you should use a brand new foam brush.

4. Apply an acrylic sealer to the finished surface. This step is crucial, as it makes the surface waterproof. If you skip this step, the Mod Podge will turn back into glue as soon as anything wet touches it.

5. Apply a coat of Mod Podge to the bottom of the coaster, then attach a square piece of felt. Let dry.

6. Apply MANY coats of acrylic sealer. When you think you have enough, test out one coaster for a little while. If you see any water marks, dry it off and keep applying that sealer. It’ll work eventually!

That’s it! Enjoy you’re new Instagram coasters!!!

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DIY Chevron Stripes

Oct 21, 2011 In Crafting, Daily Ramblings, Decorating, How-To

After recently redecorating our living room and bedroom, I see that we need some splashes of bright colors and patterns to balance out the comfy and plain. This chevron painting is the first splash, and I hope to collect some colorful pillows and a throw for the bed in the future. A little bit at a time. I may even get a wild hair up my ass and paint those bedside tables teal. For some reason I see that happening. Crazy?

I’m going to walk you through this incredibly simple process. Here’s what you need:

  • Something to paint on (I used a piece of framed art that I couldn’t stand anymore. Just flipped the plywood over and painted the back.)
  • Yard stick
  • Pencil/chalk
  • Base paint color
  • Stripe paint color
  • Paint brush
  • Painter’s/masking tape

1. Paint the base color. I had to paint multiple layers of white since it wasn’t a primed piece of wood. Let dry completely.

2. Measure and mark where your stripes will be using this how-to guide via Apartment Therapy. This is not the kind of project that you can just paint freehand. You need to measure. Trust me. My lines are two inches apart, but I wish I had made the zig-zags a bit further apart. They are almost plain stripes. Oh well, I still love it.

3. Connect the dots with masking tape or painter’s tape. You need to be super precise here as well. Don’t worry, the fun part is next.

4. Paint! Now that the tape is down, this is super simple and fun.

5. Pull the tape off immediately after you paint your stripes. If the paint is not too thick, this won’t be a problem for you. I prefer to pull the tape off before it has a chance to dry because I’ve seen the tape pull off freshly dried paint before.

And you’re done! Super easy stuff, friends! But seriously should I paint those bedside tables teal or what? I’m asking you too, Hubs.

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Guest Post: Easy as 1, 2…a, 1, 2, 3, 4

Oct 1, 2010 In Daily Ramblings, How-To

I’ve asked a few of my bestest blog friends to write guest posts for me while I’m enjoying our anniversary vacation in sunny Austin, Texas.  I know you will love them as much as I do.  This post is from Billie (the talented one) over at Cello Its Me.  Enjoy!

P.S. Billie is my real-life bestie.  As a matter of fact, while I’m away having fun, she and her hubs are house and dog sitting for us.  We love them.  Like whoa.

—–

Most of us would love to be able to play some type of musical instrument, wish we would have kept up with our childhood music lessons, or would even like to become the next big rockstar!

Some of us have even made fun of the marching band…

But deep down you want to learn a musical instrument too.

I started my childhood music lessons on piano, then in sixth grade when I was able to be a part of band I chose flute, went to college playing flute, and four years after college started playing cello.  Yes, I had an advantage when learning cello…I already knew how to read music.  I’ve listed four steps to learning a musical instrument.  You probably won’t find these in any ‘how to’ books, these are just steps that have helped me…twice.

1.  Motivation – Learning a new instrument takes a lot of motivation, it’s not something that you will be good at overnight…trust me, I know.  You will need to get in a pretty good amount of practice time to be successful with it.  Working practice time in to our busy, busy schedule, takes motivation.  So make sure you can squeeze in at least 30-45 minutes a day for practice.

2.  Choose an instrument – Now that you know you have time to practice, practice will come easier with an instrument you really like!  If you already know how to play one instrument and want to learn another, choose one completely different from what you already know.  Everyone loves a challenge, right?  If you are just starting out, choose one that you’ve always wished you could play.  I would suggest when searching for an instrument, find a real nice used one (don’t get a piece of junk instrument; it won’t play right, you won’t like it, and you will be more inclined to quit) or rent one.

3.  Take lessons – One thing I’ve learning in helping me progress, is taking weekly lessons.  Your instructor will give you pieces to work on, pieces to attempt for the next week, and he/she will always want to see progress.  Also, if you are able to see and hear progress, you will be very encouraged to stick with it.

4.  Join an ensemble or band – Music is a team sport!!  There is so much you can learn from your peers.  Don’t be shy; you already have something in common.  It’s always good to be able to play musically with others and following a conductor is a big part of musicianship.

And there you have it!  Find time, get motivated, and fulfill your childhood dream!

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Pant Clips: The solution to your jeans/boots problem.

Sep 27, 2010 In Crafting, Daily Ramblings, How-To

Thanks to an almost year-old post from Adored Austin (which I saw when it was new but completely forgot about), I was schooled on the awesomeness of pant clips.

What are pant clips, you ask?  Well, they are little suspenders for your jeans.  They keep even the skinniest of jeans from bunching up around your knees when you wear boots.  Lovely, right?  RIGHT!

*Photo courtesy of Bits and Bobbins and Lucky Magazine.

I’ve searched for them and even found a pair for $2.50 online, but the shipping was $10 for some reason, so I just decided to make my own.  I used an awesome photo tutorial from Bits and Bobbins.

I can’t wait to try these out!

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How to pack like a freakin’ pro.

May 31, 2010 In Daily Ramblings, How-To

I promised you this, didn’t I?  There’s another “how-to” I would like to give to you, involving wavy hair and up-do’s, but I have a humongous wedding cake order to do at home this week, so I don’t really see that happening yet.  Maybe next Monday?  Yeah, that would be lovely.

This post is about saving you money.  It costs a good bit to check bags nowadays.  But its also about convenience.  Its a helluvalot easier to carry around just two small carry-ons than a massive suitcase, especially if you have a lot of plane rides in one trip and/or train rides.  I cannot tell you how much easier it was to travel to three cities in Italy having only a small suitcase and a purse.  I can’t imagine getting on and off those trains lugging something heavy and gigantic behind me.  Geez!  Not to mention the fact that I don’t trust checked luggage to get where I will eventually end up.  Its just too risky.

So I have a before picture and an after picture, but I don’t have a during picture.  Its cool, because packing for a week in your allowed carry-on luggage is quite simple really.  You just need to remember a few basic things:

1) You may take TWO carry-ons.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Two.  One is the small piece of rectangular luggage that can fit in the overhead compartment, and the other is a small bag, such as a purse, or laptop bag, or small duffelbag.  I actually put my purse into a dufflebag so really I’ve got three bags but they don’t know and the joke’s on THEM!  Ha!

2) If you are not checking bags, you have to be very precise about the liquids you carry onto the plane.  All liquids must be in 3oz bottles or smaller and must all fit into a quart-size ziploc bag.  This is actually not as difficult as it sounds.  Trust me, it costs less to buy little travel size bottles than to check your luggage (right, Booyah?!?!?!).

3) This final thing is the key.  This is how you will pack all of your shiz into two small bags: ROLL YOUR CLOTHES!  Seriously.  Roll them up real good and tight, even your underwear.  You think I’m playing, but I’m dead serious.

So here is the before picture, showing all of the stuff that I had to cram into two bags (notice that the suitcase is already full just from my folded pajamas):

And here is the after shot of both mine and The Hubs’ luggage:

I realize that we are overflowing a bit, but it was totes worth not checking our bags.  And because I bought lots of souvenirs in Philly, we actually ended up mailing some things back home so that we could close our suitcases, but still….worth it.  And a special thanks to my bestie, Billie, for loaning me her adorable luggage, yet again.

P.S. Happy Memorial Day!!!

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