Dear Readers,
My cold, stubborn, cynical little heart recently warmed to an idea that I have been “grossed out” by for many years. A month ago I wrote a “Be Offended At Your Own Risk” post. I discussed my dislike for jeggings, vinyl letter signs, and Mod Podge. (Not the product, but the tacky things people make with it) In this particular post, Mod Podge bore the brunt of my dislike.
The Mod Podge projects I have seen on various blogs have always been so tacky that I promised myself years ago that I would NEVER podge. Dramatic, but true. My heart sometimes gets so Grinch-like that I purposely visit blogs where the content celebrates or highlights things I dislike JUST so I can feed my repulsion; and podging was no exception. I fed this dislike (more than a few times) by visiting certain blogs which posted tacky podge projects. Crazy, but true.
Well my friends, things changed when a blogger by the name of Amy commented on my “Be Offended At Your Own Risk” post. She wrote:
Busted!
The last thing on my mind when pulling the “notebook” image off google was that I would get caught. Having Amy read my post didn’t make me feel awkward… however I felt guilty for not knowing more about her blog and her other projects. I was uninformed and a little brash. After reading Amy’s comment and visiting Mod Podge Rocks blog I decided I needed to reevaluate podging possibilities. Amy’s blog is full of Mod Podge ideas and surprisingly there were many ideas that made me think, ‘I could do that’ and ‘that is a really cute podge project’.
A few of my favorites being…
Refurbished Key Portrait (ironically this was posted the same day I wrote my Be Offended post)
Amy’s Embroidery Hoop Wall Art concept.
Beginning Mod Podger Owl Plates. This concept could be done so many ways!
With my creative energy flowing I drove to the nearest Walmart and bought my very first bottle of Mod Podge. I then emailed Amy with my thoughts and ideas- to which she kindly responded. Determined to readjust my thinking and create a project that reflected my personal tastes, I went to work.
Remember those Dollar Tree skull bowls?
That I spray painted for the sake of showing options, but secretly thought were blah…
Well I finally got around to making them work for my personal Halloween Decor.
They turned out amazing…. and I owe it all to Amy and Mod Podge.
What You Need
An item to podge- a bowl, block, picture frame, plate etc…
1 bottle of Mod Podge
1 Sponge brush
1 book with great font and artwork (I found my Robin Hood book from the local thrift store)
Instructions
I literally tore pieces from the book, slapped on some podge, and placed where my heart desired. Admittedly I podged with little finesse and wished I would have done a nicer job. The only thing I put thought into was placing the words “Preface” and “Finis” on the skeleton foreheads. Luckily, Mod Podge is very forgiving and almost impossible to mess up.
For better instructions visit Amy’s blog Mod Podge Rocks or google it!
As you can see from the pictures, I filled one of the bowls with roses. I had some artificial roses on-hand so I sprayed them with a bit of black paint and glitter. The roses definitely upped the gothic factor… now I need to decide what to do with the other bowl. Decisions *sigh*
~keighley
Thanks again Amy for being so great and allowing me to use your images!
Related posts:
Modge Podge Amy Rocks!
Love your post title.
Clarification – Cammie found your Robin Hood book at a local thrift store.
Wow Keighley, you are so amazing. What a great idea. Jealous!
You did it! I’m so proud.
I agree there is some ghastly Podging being posted in the cyberworld. Take a look at some of the projects on the Plaid website. Funny thing is, I look at the MP Rocks blog every day, and am familiar with the projects you picked out above. I have to admit, three of the four are not to my liking. I would have chosen others as my favorites. But, you come to realize this fact of life the more you look at crafting sites. We all like different things, AND THAT’S GOOD. Whatever floats your boat. BTW, I really like your skulls – the black/yellow and the decoupaged one! Great job (and the MP doesn’t show, so it doesn’t matter). The great joy of the net is you can search for what you like and follow people whose work you admire. Thanks for talking about this issue.
Keighley/Cammie
I love these skulls! Can anyone tell me what Robin Hood book this is – I have to find one! I just ordered one off ebay, excited by it’s description, thinking it would be like this one, but it’s not.
Please please help me if you can – tell me the year this book came out, publisher, etc, if you still have info.
many MANY thanks!!
Suzanne
Suzanne- I will check the book when I get to work and let you know. Thanks for the questions and I’m sure with a little work you can find the exact one.
~keighley
Suzanne-
Title: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Written and Illustrated by Howard Pyle
A Signet Classic
Copyright 1985
thanks so much Keighley!