Tag Archives: Art Project

Aug7

Fun Way To Organize Markers And Colored Pencils

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Fun Way To Organize Markers And Colored Pencils

Finished Product


I have so many markers and colored pencils lying around here. Because I enjoying drawing (and coloring) I’ve always tried to keep some kind of coloring agent in each room of the house in case inspiration strikes.

I decided I wanted to have a little “art center” area near the living room. I have a table in there all ready but I didn’t want to crowd the table with art supplies. My solution was a pencil/marker organizer using a strip of wood and empty Pepsi Bottles.

Empty Pepsi Bottles

I started with a strip of wood I bought from Hobby Lobby. They had several lengths and widths to chose from. I went with the one I thought would best fit my space. I painted it a turquoise color.

Painting The Wood Strip

Then I removed the labels from the Pepsi bottles. I cut out strips of colored paper (green paper for the green markers and pencils, etc) and covered each one with clear contact paper. Then I glued each one onto a bottle. I covered two bottles with patterned paper. These would be used for regular pencils and pens.

Once the paper was on each bottle I stuck a piece of Velcro on the back of each one. I also put one long strip of Velcro down the entire length of my painted wooden board. This is how my bottles would be attached to the board. This makes it easy for the kids to remove a bottle if they need to and easily return it to it’s place on the board.

Covered Bottles With Velcro Box

This can simply be nailed to the wall with a nail at each end. Now I have a great place, that’s off of the table, to store pens, pencils and markers!

Finished Product

Aug7

Inexpensive Fix For Ugly Kitchen Tiles

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Inexpensive Fix For Ugly Kitchen Tiles

Back Splash-Before


I have a tiled counter top and tiled back splash in my kitchen and I really don’t like it. It’s so plain and…well, ugly. I would love to rip it all out and do something totally different but I don’t have the time or funds right now to take on a project like that. Instead I did…are you ready for this…Mod Podge!

Yep, with some beautiful paper and some Mod Podge, I completely changed the way the kitchen looks. Here’s how I did it:

My tiles are 4×4 inch tiles. I bought some beautiful different patterned papers at Michael’s (It came in a pack called Fabulous Girl). I cut the papers into 3 1/2 inch squares because I liked having a white border around each paper instead of covering the entire tile. I wanted to test out my pattern so I used poster putty to attach the papers to the tiles. That way I could get an idea of what the finished product would look like before I made it permanent.

Once I decided on the pattern, I began the Mod Podging. I used a small brush and put a thin layer or Mod Podge on the tile, then carefully centered the paper and pressed it on. Normally when I use Mod Podge I put another layer on immediately but I found that when I did this to the tile it bubbled a little. If I waited a little while (until the underneath layer was dry) and added a top layer of Mod Podge it didn’t seem to bubble.

Back Splash-After

I added several layers of Mod Podge (waiting for each coat to dry before I added another one). Once it was dry for at least 12 hours I added a clear latex paint to help seal it and take away the tackiness. I waited a few hours until that dried and added one more layer for good measure. This also helps ensure that when I wipe down the tiles my cleaners won’t eat through the Mod Podge and damage the paper.

Back Splash-After (Close Up)

This entire project was very inexpensive. I used 6 sheets of paper to do the tiles above my stove. I used 2 sheets to do the back splash on the other side of the kitchen. The sealer cost me $10 at Home Depot and I only used a small portion of it.

Of course I enjoyed the process so much I couldn’t stop there. Click here to see what I did to the kitchen cabinet door knobs!