Put the cork on!

Hi Everyone!

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to do this post. I have finally done the cork on the bottom of my coasters! Here is how I did it!

What you need:

Sheets of very thin cork, or a roll like I used.
Glue
A hobby knife
A cutting board

First take your cork and lay it flat. Cut a piece with scissors to fit all the coasters easily.

Spread glue on each coaster. I used the tube to spread it, but if you use woodglue or glue that is more runny, you can use a paintbrush to spread it. I used No-more-nails.

Make sure you spread the glue evenly and to the ends of the coaster to ensure that the cork doesn't lift anywhere!

I stuck all the coasters to the one big piece of cork first. Leave it to dry completely.

Using your hobby knife, cut each coaster out roughly so you have them all individually.

Carefully start to cut the excess cork of the side as shown in the picture above.

Go all around the coaster. The cork cuts very easily. Make sure that it is in line with your coaster sides.

This is what it should look like when you are finished with a side.

This is the back of the coaster when all the sides are done!

Viola! Coasters are now ready to use and won't scratch surfaces!

What's next?

Hi Everyone! Thought I'll drop in and tell you what I'll be doing next! For the next 'how to' post I'll be showing you how to put cork at the bottom of your coasters. I will also do some craft to sell on the kid's entrepreneurs day for next week. You are welcome to ask questions, tell me what you would like to see on this blog, or any crafty ideas in comments. Check back soon!

Decoupage this!

Hi Everyone! I finally found some time to do a couple of decoupage projects. I took photographs and decided to do this as a tutorial type post. So here goes:

What you need:
Modge Podge
Blanks
Serviettes or decoupage paper etc (I love using serviettes as there are a big variety and you can buy singles instead of a whole pack)
Paintbrushes
Paint

To do:

I decided to do  some tissue boxes and a set of coasters.
First paint the blanks a neutral colour. Any paint will do. It is better to use light colours when you use serviettes as it brings out the pictures more. Don't just decoupage without painting!

 

When that's dry you can start with the modge podge. Start with doing a first layer of the podge on one side:

Separate your serviettes. Take the 1 or 2 layers of white of and only keep the piece with the actual picture or design!

Take your serviette and lay it carefully over your object. It's better if you cut it a bit bigger than the object itself. Press it down and smooth it out a bit without breaking the serviette. I doesn't have to be perfectly flat. The crinkles gives it lovely texture!

Then do another layer of podge over the serviette.

 

 Take your brush and run it on the corners to make it easy for you to pull the excess of the serviettes off.

 Slowly pull of the excess paper. Make sure it's wet enough so you can pull it of without tearing into your picture. (If you use the paper, you have to cut it to size as you won't be able to do this step with it)

 Do this all the way around. Now it should look something like this and you can carry on to the next step.

 When you have covered all sides of your blank you can give it all another layer of modge podge and leave to dry.

 Give your project 4-5 layers of modge podge. Leave to dry between applications. Every application should be done in the opposite direction. Vertically then horizontally and vice versa.

Your project will dry clear and your final product should look something like this!

 

Hope you enjoyed this! Good luck with your own projects and come back soon for some more fun projects!

Welcome!

Hi everyone! I have decided to start a blog where I can share my art and crafts that I do. It will include things like decoupage, pewtering, mosaics, and anything else that is artistic! I will do some 'how to' posts as well. As I have a chronic illness that causes me to be in bed a lot, I find that crafts really help me to feel like I'm doing something worth-wile. It is also great to inspire people who might be in the same situation to also do something fun. I find that art and doing handcrafts is very therapeutic and can help a lot of people. My aim is to inspire and bring joy to people and to share my joy and my journey as I try to overcome the depression and loneliness that comes from chronic illness! Keep your head up and your hands busy!