I’ve Been: Mod Podging All The Things!
Yup, yet another post about making things. You’ll probably keep seeing more of these for a while (added bonus, I feel way less guilty binge watching Netflix if I’m working on something). Lately I’ve been doing a more traditionally crafty thing of playing around with Mod Podge. I didn’t realize some glue could make anyone seem crafty. (Because despite my recent string of projects, I’m not really that crafty.)One of these Mod Podge projects that you won’t see here is the birdhouse I decorated for the annual Great Birdhouse Challenge for Partners in Housing. They’re a supportive housing charity in Indianapolis. Go to their site to see it and vote for me!
The rest of these projects are for a guest room that will double as a listening room we’re putting together (more on that later this summer) and I wanted a few accessories to go in the room. Accessories are expensive, and hard to find, so I decided to try to make a few of my own. As always, all Amazon links are affiliate links. But most of this stuff is cheaper in the actual craft or hardware store, so I highly recommend you skip Amazon for most of these projects.
Clock
When I’m listening to records or reading a book, I don’t tend to take my phone with me. I like to disconnect and enjoy whatever I’m consuming without distraction. However, I do still need to be aware of how much time I’m spending doing that. So I needed a clock. I was originally going to make this color block clock I saw on Pinterest, but having to keep a steady hand was not something I was confident about. So I decided to use scrapbook paper instead. I painted the clock (just the first inch in), added the face with Mod Podge, sprayed the whole thing with polyurethane for protection, and then added the clock movement and hands. The movement is HUGE and doesn’t allow the clock to fit flush, it’s also a bit too short for the clock so I just left off the rubber part.
Supplies:
- Scrapbook paper – I found the cool cassette print on Etsy
- 10” Clock Face
- Paint – Radiant Orchid from Lowe’s Pantone Collection
- Clock Movement
- Clock hands (because I don’t like the ones with the movement)
- Semi-Gloss Spray Polyurethane
- Matte ModPodge
Record Cleaning Supplies Storage Box
This next one isn’t a Mod Podge project, but I did it in the same timeframe. I needed a box to store my turntable brush and Discwasher. Previously, these things had just lived at the side of my turntable, which is a little cluttered looking. But when I was a the craft store buying my clock face, I saw an unfinished recipe box. I liked that there was no hardware on the box, giving it a clean and sleek look. I painted the inside with some of the Radiant Orchid paint from the clock project, stained it cherry (I also used wood conditioner, because this wood was cheap), and then used spray polyurethane to keep the finish nice.
Supplies:
- Unfinished recipe box
- Wood Conditioner
- Minwax Cherry Stain
- Paint – Radiant Orchid from Lowe’s Pantone Collection
- Semi-Gloss Spray Polyurethane
Bookends
Pictured here are three sets of bookends. Two of them I made from wood, painted, and Mod Podged scrapbook paper over them. I put rubber feet on them to prevent sliding. I do not recommend this method, and as such, am not going to tell you how to make them. They really only work as “CD ends” because they aren’t heavy or strong enough for books. Plus, they were more expensive to make than the other set of bookends pictured here, which were just cheap ones from Amazon I added scrapbook paper too. I’ll go for the cheaper and works better option every time.
Supplies:
- Bookends
- Scrapbook Paper – Heidi Swapp September Skies (Right now it’s a “hot buy” at Michael’s so the whole book was around $6 there)
- Gloss Mod Podge
Coasters
While I was browsing the “wood crafts” aisle of the craft store, I found a set of unfinished coasters. So because I was bored (and had some Gilmore Girls to watch) I picked them up. These I just painted with extra paint from the nerd cave and added some of the same scrapbook paper from the bookends above. The only problem I had was that gloss Mod Podge can feel tacky. This is fine for things like the bookends, and really wasn’t that bad for the coasters….until I put a warm beverage on them. At that point, the coasters became the bottom of the coffee mug. So I used some (you guessed it) spray polyurethane de-tacky it. I expect I’ll take these up to the nerd cave eventually, because they really match more up there.
Supplies:
- Scrapbook Paper – Heidi Swapp September Skies
- Gloss Mod Podge
- Gloss Spray Polyurethane
- Unfinished Wood Coasters
- Paint – Pittsburgh Paints Tapestry Teal
Side Table
Again, this isn’t a Mod Podge project, but I’m including it here because I did it around the same time. I needed an end table, but I needed a small one. The space where my chair is isn’t super wide so the smaller the table the better off I was going to be. I knew I was going to make one using a round board from the hardware store, and when I saw this design I copied it. I ran into two issues. First was that the round board didn’t want to take stain. At all. I think I should have sanded it, even though the packaging claimed it wasn’t necessary. I ended up putting it on super thick, letting it sit on the board for 15 minutes. That finally got it to take. The next issue was that it was hard to get the design to go around the edge of the table, so I just didn’t. Lastly, even though I waited a few days, the cheap wood came off with my tape. Again, I think it really needed to be sanded. Other than that, it was just stain, paint, and attach the legs.
Supplies:
- Paint – Radiant Orchid from Lowe’s Pantone Collection
- Wood Conditioner
- Minwax Cherry Stain
- Gloss Spray Polyurethane
- Table Legs
- Angle Mounting Plate
- 15″ Round Board
- 3/4″ Painters Tape
MOD PODGE ALL THE THINGS! YES!!! I’m glad to find someone else who loves that stuff as much as I do! 🙂