Mod Podged Graduation Tile

Hello there, it's me again. Just poppin in for a quick visit. I am still working on updating the blog, repairing broken links, adding the Mocha Doodle Designs logo to my printables, ect... but I've also been working on several projects in my craft space, and I can't wait to show them to you. 

Most recently I've just finished a personalized tile for a sweet girl. Our family was honored to be invited to her graduation and after party/ BBQ :) This is what I crafted for her.

The layout was inspired by her gorgeous picture. Her talented photographer dad took this shot, and I loved it. I couldn't help but think of my God who is sovereign over all, and who is watching over her life.  

I began this tile using paper and sticker elements from Basic Grey, the Plumeria line. I Then used Mod Podge to adhere everything that was flat to the tile. Once the paper, stickers, and picture were dry, I added the 3D elements Prima flowers, bling, and butterflies.  I used the butterfly stickers from the BG kit and adhered them onto card stock, cut them out and glued them on with the wings popped up. Lastly I used my Viva pearl pen to add some pretty accents down the side. 

 Here is a close up showing what I did with the butterflies. For the verse, I just printed it off, cut it out, and Mod Podged it on. So easy. 

 In this close up you can see that I used the alpha stickers that come with the BG kit. Another use of the butterfly. Here you can see the pearl accents made using the Viva pen. I also adorned her name using a flower that I cut from a Websters Pages bloomer, and lastly I used Some Prima bling that curved nicely around the label. 

 And I leave you with this close up of the flower cluster. I curved it around her beautiful picture, just to bring more attention to the photo. 

These Mod Podge tiles make nice gifts, and are so easy to make. Just think of it as a scrapbook layout glued down to a tile... making it a permanent keepsake. 

Until next time, 

Mod Podged Slate Coasters

I recently had a crafty get together with friends, and it was a blast! My crafty friends made such beautiful items, I wanted to keep them all for myself. ( I'm not that greedy, really.) I only wish I had taken more pictures to share with all of you, but I did manage to get a picture of these beauties!

My creative friend Marianne had the idea to make these coasters. I'll try to explain how she did it. ( it was really easy) 

Marianne found the plain black slate coasters at Micheal's craft store. She bought a set of 4 for only $2.00! The slates already came with felt pads on the bottom. All these babies needed was a little character. 

Next, she printed, (onto cardstock) and cut out the free printable "keep moving" bicycle image from the "Wild@heart"  blog.

She then distressed the edges of the images using black ink, doing this "blends" the image into the black slate, giving a more uniform look. 

Now, Marianne Mod Podged the cardstock image onto the slate coasters. She did a total of 2 coats of Mod Podge, allowing to dry between coats. 

Finally, Marianne sprayed all of the coasters with an acrylic sealer. The coasters are pretty much water proof. 

The entire process took about 1 hour. Marianne has seen similar sets selling for close to $20!  

These made an excellent house warming gift for her brother. 

So there you have it, so easy, and so cheap. If you would like to use the free image click here. 

Thanks so much Marianne, for sharing this wonderful idea with us. I've seen so many coaster ideas out there using small tiles, that to see this slate coaster is a refreshing change. I love it,

DIY Personalized wood boxes

I really wanted to do something special for my nieces this year for Christmas. They're growing up, and toys just aren't their thing anymore. I thought what girl doesn't want her own private place to keep her special items in...  So I made my nieces these personalized boxes, they really are simple to make, yet look like you paid alot for them in some fancy boutique. I would have loved something like this as a girl! Let me show you how I did it. 

First I started with a plain wood box that had black metal accents. I forgot to take a before picture, but I bought this exact same box from my local Hobby Lobby. Using a 40% of coupon made the cost of the box around $4. 

Next, I painted the entire box using bright white base by Kilz. I even painted completely over the black metal accents. 

Then I sanded the entire box in order to smooth it, and distress it. I really wanted to sand over the metal accents to add that distressed look. 

Now to add some color. To do this I used ordinary acrylic craft paint. I added water to the paint until it was the consistency of colored water. Then I quickly painted the water mixture onto the box, and quickly wiped it off (using an old, dry wash cloth) before it dried. The color stays in the wood grain giving the box a sort of cool, but antique look. The more that you repeat this process the darker that the color becomes, so you control the look of the box.

After the paint dries, I adhered coordinating scrapbook paper to the inside of the box using good ole Mod Podge.

here's another look at the inside of the boxes when finished. 

( tip- if paper wrinkles don't worry, the wrinkles go away once the Mod Podge has completely cured. This should take about 24hrs. Also you can sand off any excess paper that comes out over the top of the box)

For the top of the box, I cut out a bird image from coordinating scrapbook paper. I used Mod Podge to adhere the bird, then I free hand painted the tree limbs. Lastly, I sanded over it all to add that distressed look. 

Now for the best part, The personalizing! I used the pencil transfer technique that I shared in my necklace hanger tutorial. The only difference is that instead of a scroll design, I'm using letters. I found both fonts at dafont.com. You can download any font from their site for FREE! 

This box I made for my son over the summer using an old bread box that I found at my local thrift store. I did have to power sand it first, but it was so worth it! I have many more ideas for boxes using the same techniques. I'll be back to share more with you later... until then, happy crafting!