Ode to Mod Podge

So, just in case you were thinking all I do is sit around eating bon bons and watching HGTV I thought I would post a little project the girls and I did this morning.  I'd like to call it my "Ode to Mod Podge"  Love me some Mod Podge.  I think its in a category right up there with Duct Tape! I love the pretty personalized canvases you see at craft fairs and have a friend who does AMAZING paint work on canvas, but I am not a painter.  (You're awesome Val! and btw if you are reading this I need to order a Hog canvas for Caleb's BD, keep forgetting to message you!) Sorry, back to what I was saying.  I am not a good painter at all!!! But I can cut and glue, so this little project is perfect for me and its like spending a little time in kindergarten all over again only no one is eating the glue at my house :) We did this project at our Ladies Night at church last month and it was a big hit.  Hope you enjoy it too- sooooo here we go.

Supplies:

• Mod Podge_ I like the glossy kind but they also have matte finish
• Plastic cup or plate to pour mod podge into (I actually didn't use mine just dipped out of the container- put the cup to good use holding my Dr. Pepper!)
• little foam brushes (1 inch works good)
• scrapbook paper in the colors you want to use
• scissors
• One-two canvases any size painted the color you want back ground to be, this one is is 7"x14" and came in a two pack from w-mart for $6, you can wait for Hobby Lobby sale or use your coupon and get them in any size you want very inexpensively, I used a can of paint that's been sitting in my garage for a year, but the little Apple Barrel bottles of craft paint from w-mart work perfect too. I suggest you do get 2 the first time just in case you mess one up :) I'm an optimist can't you tell.

Now that you have made a trip to your favorite craft store or to your personal stash, pick a name, theme, picture, or whatever you want to put on your canvas and get started cutting it our of your scrapbook paper.  If you are lucky enough to have a cricut sitting around now is the time to dust it off and use it.  Personally, I have one that I don't use.  I just cut my letters and shapes by hand.  If that stresses you out and makes you want to add something else to your cup besides Dr. Pepper. here are some suggestions.

• google online coloring pages and print off to use as a template- butterflies, turtles, owls, etc.. print off a black and white copy to trace and cut on your scrapbook paper
• print letters off your word processor to use as a stencil
• dollar store coloring books- great source for simple pics to trace
• check out www.planetapplique.com for some good shape ideas, keep in mind you may need to do some layering to get the look you want

Once you have your canvas painted and dry and your basic name/design cut out let the gluing begin! Work with one piece of paper at at time.  Put down a thin coat of the mod podge with your foam brush, position shape on the tacky area and then paint over it with more mod podge.  You have a very small window of opportunity to reposition (like 10 seconds) so be sure you are putting it where you want it! The thinner papers do have a tendency to wrinkle up.  You can gently peel it up (within that 10 seconds) and use your brush like a squeegee to lay it down flat, working from bottom to top.  This step really isn't that complicated it just takes practice and a little bit of patience. Believe me I don't have much patience either!!

Continue adding to your design one layer at a time.  I added the wheels to the engine next since this area still had wet modge podge, before moving on to the train cars.  Only add a thin layer where you need it when you need it so your canvas doesn't get too goopy.  Goopy- very technical term :) Its also helpful if you have little helpers. Okay not really helpful but way more fun!

Finish adding on your pieces using thin layers of mod podge.
When you have everything on go over the entire canvas with a thin layer just to make sure it is all glossy.

Here's our finished piece.  We decided it needed a little something more so we added in puffs of smoke and the buttons later.  The buttons are just held on with a little mod podge also.  I've never had a problem with buttons falling off this way, but I don't recommend playing football with your finished canvas!

• 
  

The options are endless.  This a favorite that I did for one of the girls. The buttons are vintage from my great grandmother's button jar! Happy Mod Podging.  Let me know if you need any help. I'd be happy to answer your questions with my massive stores of wisdom :)

Time to get back to my bon bons and I think its almost time for "Dear Genivieve" . Ha I wish- really its time to make lunch, do a load of laundry, get the girls down for a nap, finish a diaper bag, get ready for Awanas, the list goes on! Somewhere in there I'm going to make another one of these for my little friend Josh. :)

Did I say that outloud?

Short little blog more for me than you- to write down some things whirling around in my head that I'd like to blog about in the future and reference back to.  If I let them whirl for very long they will be long gone.   In case you didn't know, my husband is the pastor of a small Baptist church. That makes me a pastors wife.  Funny!! I come from a long line of fabulous women with big mouths, big ideas, and a big habit of saying things outloud that well maybe sometimes shouldn't be said (don't be offended gals- own it with pride) ...so I'll ponder on some of these thoughts before I put pen to paper and embarass my husband.  I'm kind of a late bloomer in the speak my mind department. The older I get the less I care what other people think. But I absolutely care how my words make people feel and would not want to speak foolishly. I would also like to think there is a purpose to my writing and that it would glorify my God.  He is a God that loves humor and cares big about the little things in our lives, so as strange as it might sound, I think he cares about and has a purpose for what I say here.
 So here's a completely random list of little bits and pieces of my brain. Some are more thought out than others, some are just a simple topic idea, and some are things that I really need to think about before I open my big mouth.

• the trail- my attempt to get in shape and find my abs again- pretty sure they aren't at the bottom of the little debbie box
• my bucket list- hike the appalachain trail (think I butchered that spelling) where the heck is spell check on here?, visit all the National Forests- funny since I always moaned about the many many many civil war museums my dad drug us too. 
• my car- a metaphor for my brain- scary
• I want some power tools! those of you who really know me are thinking "now there's a bad idea!" seriously I think I could build something awesome if only I had the right tools...
• ???? brain just halted, there's a little alarm going off in my head that says time to sew before anyone yells for mom

Okay its a short list but a start.  If anyone has an opionion I'd love to hear it.

Out the Door

Miss Betty's, hmmm :) she's gonna stand on her head and wear this one.  I'll have to fix later, gotta run.

Help Wanted

I need a secretary. This is funnier than you know. See I just did my taxes and took a loss on my little biz. I spend more than I make apparently. Easily done with some office renos and well my serious fabric habit. Not a huge problem at this point in our lives since thankfully I am not the bread winner around here! But I have this desperate need to contribute. This is the point where you think "is she crazy! of course she contributes! the cooking, the cleaning (i'm kinda not good at that one- especially the ironing! hate to iron- sorry back to your thoughts "the cooking, cleaning, caring for the children 24/7/365". All true, while I am no June Cleaver, I am a dedicated housewife. I mean for goodness sake I cook three meals a day- poptarts totally count for breakfast once in a while. I know that I contribute in a huge way but I feel a tug that I think every stay at home mom feels to do more. I could totally go off here about how our society has warped our views of the value of staying home to raise children, but I'll refrain. And please don't read into this that I think all moms should stay home. I am in total awe of moms who work outside the home and still manage to do all the things they need to do! But back to the topic at hand, I could sooooo use a secretary. For one thing, if you haven't noticed yet, my spelling and grammar are atrocious (did I spell that right?). Despite Mrs. Farrells continued attempts to correct my habit of writing in passive voice, I think I still do, even though I really don't know what that is. A secretary could edit my blog, answer my emails, handle phone conversations, fill out craft fair apps, manage my life, and maybe I could pay her extra to do the ironing?? But there's the rub- she would probably expect to be paid. And she would have to respond to all issues just exactly as I would personally, of course. Just think of the extra sewing I could get done if someone else handled customer service calls to paypal. I've been having a minor issue with a sale on ebay and I've spent some quaility time with friendly paypal people. They tried to get me to "chat" with virtual Sarah- seriously. If I'm going to blow my lid at a customer service rep. I would prefer they understand the tone of my voice.
I think what it boils down to is that I truly love what I do- being here with my children while they are young, sewing while everyone else sleeps (I'd be up anyway) , and yes even the ironing (just kidding). And for the time being no one else can do what I do the way that I do it.
I often read through Proverbs 31 about super woman. At least that's how I think of her. She and I kind of have a love/hate relationship. She likes good fabric so we could be great friends, but she likes to get up early so I'm thinking we'd have to be friends over lunch. Seriously, what a good model for us strong women who are crazy enough to try to run a business from home. She managed it with style, why can't I? I think my daughter might have given me the answer.
Several days ago she wanted me to pick her up but I was cleaning up clutter and told her my arms were full. She said "mommy you need more arms". At the time I thought how true! But I've thought about that conversation and I think I've realized in my life, I simply hold on to too much stuff that is NOT important and that sure makes it hard to hold on to what is!
That being said, if you know of a good secretary who will work for peanuts, or raisins, or stale cheerios, send her my way. :)

Work List for Today

Complete (I think) work list is on the side bar
Today-
2 Camo bags for etsy orders
Aunt Jackie _ finish burp cloth set and work shirts
entertain Emorie while her favorite playmate Aj is gone for the day

Take Me Out to the BallGame

It is baseball season (in case you didn't know!) And all I want, is be to be at a ballpark somewhere! Today would have been the perfect day to watch the Hogs and I'm afraid on Friday when I can go its goint to be too cold! Favorite baseball memory ever-- watching Tim play in the State Championship in high school, and a close second (okay maybe first but dont tell Tim) watching the Cubs & Braves at Wrigley Field with my girls (girls/friends not to be confused with my girls/kids :)! It was an amazing spontaneous trip and I loved it! Honestly can't tell you any real details including who won. We had to leave early so we wouldn't miss our flight, but it was totally worth the rush and the really expensive cab ride we took just to stay a little longer. I'm not the kind of fan who remembers every play of the game, I'm the fan who will always be able to tell you who I went to the game with and where we had dinner!

So welcome to my little blog. "This Little Piggy's Party" is an idea I've had in my head for a while now. I have a booth at a local flea market with my friend Mindy. We both have business names that we work under and decided to call our joint venture "This Little Piggy". I keep thinking of talented friends I would like to invite to put things in our space there but there just isn't room. Here there is plenty of room to show off our creative talents and offer our collective efforts to our friends and customers. Don't run away if you aren't a customer. I promise not to make you send in three monthly installments of $19.95 just for reading.

I'm a really creative person, like scary scatterbrain creative (just ask any of my former employers- no it's not a long list in case you were wondering). I have so many ideas and plans its hard to focus on just one- which is why I find myself working on my blog at 1:30 in the morning instead of sewing. Ha- see a normal person would have said "instead of sleeping". Anyway, everybody has a blog these days- why not me. Its also a secret way (well not secret anymore) to keep my friends. I love to write and I can imagine that my friends must get a little tired of all my random facebook posts. Enter, the blog. I can write- you only have to read it if you want to! Will this truly limit my fb posts? Hard to say. I spend my days with a 1 and 3 yr old. While I love them tremendously, I also crave adult conversation during the day, even if its as superficial as fb. Combine that with night owl habits that my husband doesnt' share and well, I feel alone alot. (not like sad miserable person alone- no need to leave any help hotlines for me to call :)

I hope you'll enjoy reading my blogs and if no one reads them at least I'm doing something better with my late night hours than watching hoarders- another of my guilty pleasures. Not to brag but I think I'm a semi interesting person. I am able to do a lot of things thanks to the blessing of being a work at home mom that most people dont really have opportunity to do. I mean how many of you still can your own garden vegetables? Its a dying art! And of course I plan to blog about some issues I feel very passionately about, ranging from the silly- my love affair with Dr. Pepper, to the serious- my faith.

The plan is to also use the blog to keep me on track. I plan to give a daily update of the projects I am working on so my customers will know where they stand and can kindly pester me if I'm running behind. I stress- KINDLY. ha ha side note-- do you ever hold down the keyboard keys waiting for them to capitalize? Anyway, I have some very patient customers like my wonderful Aunt Jackie and I need a better way to let people know where there orders stand. So I will have an ongoing work list on here. Don't worry if its a gift, I wont spill the beans but it will be listed so you and I know what it is and when I plan to work on it. I'll blog about the projects working on as I work on them. Like the 6- yes 6 camoflauge diaper bags that are on my list right now! I don't really get it at all. Yes, they are cute, but they are still camo. Truly glad you all like them but I just dont love them myself.

So tomorrow- camo bags galore and maybe just maybe if I can get done I will reward myself by bundling up and heading to the ballpark!