Homemade Coasters

I saw the idea to make homemade coasters on a friend's blog (http://quirkability.blogspot.com/) and decided I had to try it! I also ran into another version of the coasters while stalking Pinterest and decided to run with it. :D

To get started, I got a few things from Home Depot.

I already had the 

*Mod Podge

*Foam Paintbrush 

*Scissors

*Scrapbook Paper

*Ruler

So I ended up buying:

*Ceramic Tiles (4X4 'Mayan White') - $.19 a piece

*Shellac (Zinsser Bulls Eye - Clear) - $6.98

Once I had all my 'ingredients' ready to go, I coated a tile with Mod Podge. I just used the brush and put a nice smooth coat directly on the tile. (I tried putting it on the paper, but it made the paper start curling up, so I found applying directly to the tile to be much easier). Be careful not to leave any big 'globs' of Mod Podge or the paper will be bubbly.

Cut a 4X4 piece of scrapbook paper and apply it to the tile. I just picked some fun patterns/colors that I happened to have in my paper stash. : ) You can pick colors or patterns that will match the room or just pick something fun!

Once you place the scrapbook paper on the tile, smooth it out and get rid of any bubbles or wrinkles that may have formed. Try to make the paper as even as possible before the Mod Podge starts to dry.

Once your paper is nice and smooth on the tile, spray the paper with the Shellac or whatever sealer you prefer. I did two coats for good measure. Let the sealer dry and you're done! Homemade coasters in about 5 minutes. So easy and super cute!

There is one more step that needs to be done, but I haven't decided how I want to do it yet. You can attach adhesive felt pieces to the bottom of the coasters to make sure they don't scratch your tables etc. I've also heard of a 'rubber' spray that essentially makes the surface like rubber to avoid scuffing/scratching. I think I might try that, just to see how it works!

If you'd like to give these super cute coasters to someone as a gift, just tie a cute ribbon around them and you're all set! 

Happy crafting. :D

Who loves Christmas? I do!

Every year my family in Iowa does a 'Homemade Ornament' exchange. Each family member (usually just us girls!) makes their own Christmas ornament and then we exchange them on Christmas. We make enough for each person participating, including ourselves, so that we can have one of each ornament made that year. It's such a cute tradition and it makes me sooo excited to decorate my tree every year!

This is what I chose for my ornament this year (what I'm calling them, at least): 

Christmas Birds - Stuffed Felt Ornament

To start my project, I visited Joann Fabrics and got my supplies! (Sorry for the mess on my floor hehe)

I bought:

-Felt (Red, White, Light Blue for less than 50 cents a piece)

-White Yarn

-Holiday Ribbon (A cute plaid ish holiday print)

-Crafter's Choice Stuffing (That bag was about $3 and I have more left over than I know what to do with)

-A package of needles (About $1)

I already had crafting scissors, the blue yarn, and the sharpie.

Getting Started:

To get started with my project, I went online and found a picture of a bird that fit my preferences. : ) I picked this cute little winter bird and printed a small version of it. I traced the bird onto a piece of thin cardboard (so that my 'template' would be sturdy). Once I had my cardboard template, I traced the bird onto my felt. 

*Be sure to trace the bird or whatever shape in 2 different directions as shown in the picture below so that your 'trace lines' are on the INSIDE, rather than the outside.

After I got my bird traced (don't forget his wing!), I cut out the shapes. [See how there is one bird facing each direction]

Making sure the trace lines were on the back side, I stitched the wing to the bird. I also left the back part of the wing loose so that it can move around a little. To do that, I just stitched the yarn through the wing only, instead of both pieces of felt. Super easy!

Once the wing was stitched on, I started to stitch the two bird shapes together. Thanks to a suggestion from Mary, I used a 'blanket stitch' to join the two pieces of felt. Don't know how to do a blanket stitch? Neither did I. I learned from this Video on YouTube!

When I got finished stitching the top of the tail and got to the wing area, I started putting some stuffing in. If you wait til the end, it gets really tough to get the stuffing into the smaller parts of the birdie. :)

Once I got to the dip between the neck and the head, it was time to add the 'hanger.' This is where the holiday ribbon came in! I looped the ribbon and then just used some yarn to 'sew' it together. Once it was nice and tight, I just stuck it in the dip and kept stitching so that the yarn went THROUGH the ribbon. This helps make the ribbon more sturdy and secure.

Home stretch! I just finished stitching the head and Voila!

Super cute homemade Christmas Ornament. I made them in a few colors and sent them on their way to IA for the exchange! Hopefully everyone loves them. : D

Oh, look! A New Blog!

Woohoo for my first ever Blog. :D

I'm going to be sharing my craft projects here so that I can remember the steps I took, and so that I can share my projects with friends! Generally, I'll give a step by step of how I did each project and what materials I used. I'll also include pictures of each step, to give a better idea of the process.

I may not be able to post super frequently, but I'll try to craft as much as I can. :)