Faux Agate Bookends

Agate has become a very popular part of decorating this year.  I haven't gotten on the band wagon due to not finding the wagon at a price I could swallow.

You know where this is going, right? I decided to try and make my own out of polymer clay!

First step was to pick my colors-

Second Step was cut out the shapes I wanted the Agate to resemble out of foam board.

and then cut out tabs so that they can be free standing.

The third step was to cut all of the clay in half and then flatten each color out and pile them up.  Then roll the stack like a burrito and cut that into halves.

Flatten those out and then cut one in half- this will be the separation of the two ends.

Now you have your jumping off point on each side and you build around it with more clay until you are happy with the size and design.

Follow instructions on your clay and bake as directed.  Mine was 300 Degrees for 10 minutes.  I then let dry and decided I wanted them to have a more aged look.

I wiped on some dark wax and quickly wiped it off and then painted some navy craft paint around the edges and outlined some of the spots to show delineation.

At this point I put Mod Podge Dimensional Magic all over them to add shine and dimension (duh) and let dry for about an hour.  Then used Super Glue to attach them to the foam board.

Are they perfect- I don't know- but agate isn't perfect either- so I am pleased:)
Now just wondering what else I can make with clay!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!
xoxo
B

Linking to:
DIYShowOff 
The Makers Link Party

Playroom Gallery Wall

Day 1 has come to an end and in true blogger fashion I was running around in a tizzy because I wanted to make sure I had good light for my after pics;)

The playroom wasn't horrible but it did have a big project in it that has been sitting on the floor in my master bedroom- hence having to accomplish it before my bedroom tomorrow.

I had a gallery wall in there but it was done super quick and not long after we moved in.  And it was hiding all sorts of holes on the wall that I didn't care to fill at the time.  Partly because it's annoying but mostly because we were never able to completely match the builders beige that was everywhere.

Today was the day though- I had already replaced the black Ikea storage for white- and had framed 9 8x10 pics in, what else, Ikea white frames, but hadn't hung them.

I started by patching all of the holes in the wall and then painting the whole wall in Benjamin Moore, Revere Pewter.  I had it left over from painting our family room and if I couldn't match the wall I may as well make it an accent.  It is just the best gray I have ever found!

After I finished painting, it was time for a pool break! In my haste I may have forgotten towels... I never claimed to be Super Mom.  So a few minutes on the swings had them dry and ready to go!

Paint was dry and now the fun part (read sarcasm).  Hanging Ikea frames is not anyone's idea of fun- but we suffer through it because they are cheap...

I would love to tell you I had an amazing method, but that would be lying! I measured between and eye balled the rest and then with the wire I could adjust it if it needed to be a bit higher or lower.

I love how much fresher and brighter this room feels now!

This room has to combine function with decor- two boys don't necessarily equal a bunch of breakables and pretties everywhere;)

Tomorrow I will be working on my master bedroom!

xoxo
B

Scrap Wood American Flag

One of my closest friends was in love with the Pottery Barn American Flag art... with good reason, so pretty!
But as a lot of us can sympathize... not in love with the price!
She is one of the most giving people that I know- a truly selfless person- and has done so much for our family- so I wanted to give back to her.  This may be a random way- but it's something I could surprise her with because she rarely asks for anything in return!
So off to Lowes I (we) went. (The boys and I may or may not have been banned from the plumbing section... don't ask)  I searched the molding isle and even considered using fence planks- but she wanted it above her mantel and I wanted the look without the weight.  At that point, I remembered that I had some scrap wood at home that was fairly thin and could probably do the job.  I just bought some smaller pieces to attach it all together for support.
So... behold my version! Below you will find the tutorial:)

Tutorial:

1.  Gather wood scraps and play around with your placement

2.  Using wood glue or liquid nails (what I had on hand) connect two boards and clamp

 3.  Once those are dry- attach all sections together- once the glue is tacky (it might still come apart but just rest them together) lay the two cross boards across the back with liquid nails on them and place heavy books or soup cans on the top to apply pressure until dry.

4.  Once all of that is dry- I did short screws through the cross boards to reinforce the liquid nails.

5.  Flip over and at this point you can either paint or stain.  I wanted to stain mine first so that it would show through the paint treatment.

6.  I wanted mine to have an old weathered look- so I used two different stains- I did one very messy and uneven coat of grey stain and then immediately went over that with a dark walnut.  It came out super pretty!

7.  After the stain was dry, I taped off where I wanted the stars to be placed.  I then cut out the amount of stars I wanted and tested placement- then I poured some Pure White Annie Sloan Chalk paint onto my trusty Costco paper plate (these come in handy for me so often!) and then lightly placed the star into the white paint.  I know- sounds crazy but stay with me!  I then put the star with the paint down into position- repeat with all stars.

8.  Lightly press all of the stars down so they are sticking to the surface with the paint- 

9.  Then on another paper plate (see!) I mixed some Annie Sloan Napoleonic Blue with a bit of water, and did fast brushes over that whole section.  Once that was on- I immediately started pulling up the paper stars- which left a rugged star! yay!

10.  I then watered down both the Annie Sloan Pure White and the Emperors Silk Red and did very quick coverage over the stripes- because I wanted it to look weathered and be able to see the wood stain through.

11.  Attach hangers to the back and you are done!

Have you done any summer decorating? I am working on another staining project that will include a giveaway so stay tuned for that!
xoxo
B


Linking up to:
Twirl and Take a Bow