Card Catalog Makeover Tutorial: A Love Story

This is the card catalog from my school.

The elementary school I teach at.

Built in 1950.

I have drooled over this piece of

 solid wooden goodness

ever since I first laid eyes on it.

8 years ago.

I brought my class in the library.

 As they swarmed around the computers

this lovely little dish sat alone on the wall.

alone. unoticed.  untouched.

So when it was time to renovate the library I knew it was my time to pounce.

I walked in the library one day and literally saw it on the {take} table.

I checked with the librarian and ran to get the custodian to hide it for me

{I didn't want to take any chances.}

And then skipped around all day with a card catalog song in my heart.

One problem: my studio was packed to the max with stuff, stuff, stuff.

As was my garage and the rest of my house.

I knew I could not keep both her and my husband

unless I already had a cleared out space for her

and I could show that she could actually save space.

So I had to purge & clean my studio

And almost a year later, here she sits in my studio.

True love.

Card Catalog Makeover Tutorial

First, I took the big metal rods out

and covered  the front of the drawers

with text from an old book

and, of course Mod Podge.

I filled the little name plate part

with a piece of card stock.

When all of the drawers were out

I painted the whole thing with black acrylic paint.

I added a little white paint with a paper towel

and mushed it around to make it more interesting.

Then I added a trim of text with Mod Podge

and a little collage of paper to add color to the side.

And I filled it with supplies.

And Vwah-lah! She's done.
This same collagey make over can be done with
just about any piece of furniture.

I used the same process for my recipe box tutorial.

Pretty soon anything that doesn't move will have a

 layer of paint, Mod Podge & paper...

Linking up with



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Easy Trick or Treat Bag

This is the easiest little trick-or-treat bag to make.

It's a simple sewing project for kids.

My kindergarteners made them at our Halloween celebration. 

They were a huge hit.  

You will need:

A black canvas bag

($1.00 at Michael's)

A hole punch

Card stock

orange ribbon

green ribbon

scotch tape

white crayon orpiece of chalk

White paint pen or gel pen

Step 1:

Draw your shape on the card stock

(pumpkin, ghost, bat, whatever)

and punch holes along your outline.

Step 2:

Place the card stock, with the holes punched out, 

on top of the bag.

With a white crayon, orpiece of chalk,

draw a line over the holes so that it

leaves a mark on the bag. 

Step 3: 

Punch holes in your bag along the marked outline. 

*Roll the bag over to the hole punch to reach to the bottom. 

Step 4:

Tie an orange ribbon to one of the holes and

"sew" through the holes until you get to the end.

Tie it off at the end. 

*Kids can do this themselves. 

*Put a little piece of scotch tape on the end

of the ribbon to make it easier to thread through the holes. 

Step 5:

 Tie a green ribbon to the top.  

Write your child's name on the ribbon with a white paint pen.

Enjoy!

Mixed Media Collage Recipe Box Tutorial: Part 2

Just in case you missed it:
Part 1: Making the Box

The inside of the box is what really makes me happy all over.

The thing is,

I really don't mind cooking dinner

even after working all day.

Unless it's been one of those days,

I really enjoy the cooking part.

Making food for my family is strangely satisfying.  

It was the thinking part

that made me dread the thought of dinner.

(Don't make me think if I don't have to.)

First, what to cook.

Second, How to get everything I need

to cook what I just decided to make.

Brain surgery after working all day.

So this is my little system that has changed my life

and made me a kinder, calmer, gentler person,

especially at 4:00 in the afternoon.

All you need are 5x7 notecards and a heap of your favorite recipe books.

I'm sure many of you have figured out your own system that works for you.

If you have, please share it. I need all of the help I can get.

Step 1: Plan your weekly menu.

Okay, this may sound like stating the obvious, but for me, it's not.

Every day around 3 I would start thinking,
"What are we going to eat?

I wonder what we have at home...
Do I need to stop by the store?"

stressful.

I usually plan on Saturday or Sunday with my recipe books out.

It has to be: simple, healthy, and cheap.

Step 2: Organize the ingredients on the back

of the menu card according to the sections in your grocery store.

genius, I know. seems obvious, doesn't it?

how did it take me 34 years to figure this out?

It makes shopping so much quick, simple, and cheap.

*Tips for shopping on a budget:

Write it down, grab your cart, don't look up or side to side!

Head down, grab your stuff and get out as fast as you can.

Honestly, when I do this my grocery bill is cut in half!

When I think I have a little extra cash and grab those cute
Halloweenie chocolate covered pretzels,
I can count on my bill being almost double.

Okay,are you ready for Step 3?

This is the best part

Keep the card.

that's it.

just keep it.

make a few more.

and recycle your cards...

over + over again.

your family will never know the difference.

no planning.

no new grocery lists.

genuis. again.

thanks.

*(I still try to throw in a new recipe every

week or two so I don't get bored.)

And this is my favorite cook book for the last 6 months.

Super easy.

Quick.

Healthy.

Love this book.

So what are your tips, tricks, and favorite books?

Mixed Media Collage Recipe Box Tutorial: Part 1

Here it is.

My beloved recipe box.

I love this thing. 

In Part 1 I'll show you how to make the recipe box,

In part 2 (tomorrow) I'll explain my whole 

planning/shopping/prepping/cooking 

without-losing-your-mind system.

Which has saved my life since going back to work.  

Materials:

1. Wooden index card box.

I found this one at a garage sale and I saved it for something special. Mine is big (5x7) because I like to go big. It also allows me to print out recipe's on a half sheet of card stock + file them easily.

2.Gel medium

(Mod podge will do.)

3. Great paper.

I used old dictionary pages and patterned paper but when I was done I thought it would be cool to use pages from an old recipe book. I have a ton of them. Maybe next time...

4. Acrylic paint.

Use what you love. I used white, brown, Naples yellow (myfavorite color right now), turquisoe,  red 

5. A Sharpie 

6. A white gel pen

7. Acrylic spray fixative

Let's get started.
Step 1: Paint
Paint your whole box one color, as a base.

Step 2: Glue
Use gel medium to cover your box in paper.
I started with big dictionary pages and added patterned paper overit.

*Note: See the wrinkly bumps on mine? I like the texture. the more the better for me, but if you don't like the wrinkles start gluing your paper from the center and work out to avoid air bubbles.

Step 3: Paint with your fingers.
 Paint a glaze over your paper to dull the colors.
Glaze is just a fancy way to say lots of water with a little bit of paint.
Dip your fingers in a little bit of white, a little bit of brown, and a lot of water.
Cover  the box with a thin layer of paint, then use a wet paper towel to wipe off more paint.

Step 4: Paint with a paper towel.
Dip a squished up paper towel in brown, then in water, and rub it around the edges and corners of your box to make it look aged.

Step 5: Paint with a brush.
Use the colors in your palette to paint shapes, patterns, and designs on your box

Step 6: It's doodle time.
Get out your Sharpie and add doodles to the painted designs on your box.
Add contrast with your white gel pen, and any other ephemera you'd like...
ribbon, buttons, etc.

Step 7: Spray

Spray your box with an acrylic fixative so that it will be able to hold up to the wear and tear.

Finished!

Enjoy 

Tomorrow I will add Part 2:

I'll explain my whole...

How to plan/shop/prep/cook for your family

without-losing-your-ever-lovin'-mind

system.

Mixed Media Background Tutorial

3 Reasons to use this tutorial:
Reason #1: It’s fun.
So fun. There’s no wrong in making backgrounds, so the gremlins kind of shush themselves.
Reason #2:Really, anyone can do this.
Anyone. There’s no right or wrong to backgrounds. And I’m not lying just to make you feel better. It’s true.
Reason #3:You are important.
The act of taking time to feed your creative self is important.
Every time I forget how important this is, I read this post again and I remember. (She’s my life coach, only she doesn’t really know it.)

So shush all of your lame excuses and just join me in this. If you are reading this within a 50 mile radius of my house come join me at my kitchen table and we can drink coffee and have a play date. For big kids.



Stuff you'll need:
A quick note on materials: use what you have. Don’t spend a gazillion dollars on new supplies. Everything I use is inexpensive and works great. I’m hard on my brushes & I binge on paint, so I just use them up or throw them away and get more.

Wood block or anything else to paint on
Old book to rip up
(I use dictionaries, atlases, an old hymnal, the phone book, anything really.)
*Mod Podge. A lot of it. I like the matte kind.
Old paint brushes. Nothing fancy. They’ll get ruined pretty quick. Acrylic Paint. Cheap. I use the cheapest I can find at the end of the aisle in Michael’s.
Paper towels.
That’s it.


Step #1: Cover your wood block with text

Grab your Mod Podge* & a cheap paint brush. Coat the edges of the wood with glue and apply a dictionary page. I like the air bubbles that make it all wrinkley, so I just slap it on, but if you want it to be flat start gluing from the center & go out.
*Mod Podge is my life saver because it is SO darn cheap. I go through a big can of it about once a week. Don’t spend a lot of money on this stuff. Trust me. Plus the smell reminds me of the paper earrings I used to make is 8th grade. Anyone remember those?



Step #2: Tear up pieces of patterned paper & glue them randomly with ModPodge.I start big and then move into smaller pieces. Go fast. Don't over think this. Don't judge your work, just keep moving.



Step #3: Apply paint randomly with a paper towel.
Squeeze your paint onto a paper plate, squash up a paper towel, dip it in water and squish it around the painting. I add a lot of white to mute the colors. Dip your paper towels in two colors and see what happens. Don't over work it, so the colors blend. When the whole piece is covered, squash up a wet paper towel and wipe away some of the paint so that the paper shows through.



Step 4: The details
Use bottle lids to stamp your collage. Any lid will do. I used the top to my Mod Podge & my water bottle. Dip it in paint and twist it around your painting. That's it.
Rub an ink pad around the edges of the wood. I used Tim Holtz's brown distress ink. I love the way it brings out the texture in the paper.

Step 5: If you love it, you’re done.
If you don’t, keep adding paper & paint until you do. That's it.

Other Stuff:
I do these in batches because I like to flit around from piece to piece, otherwise I tend to obssess about one piece and drive myself crazy. It also gives me room to make bad art & quiets the gremlins.