Fun With Mod Podge, Part I

Why did I not know about this stuff before? Well, I knew about it, but I didn't KNOW how great it could be.


Let's back up though. Are you on Pinterest? Do you pin and pin, or repin and repin, never to look at your boards again? Do you say, "oooh, how cool" or "I'm going to make that tomorrow" and then never do? Well, I've got a DIY board, and I'm going to attempt to actually make some of the things that I pin. Are you ready for this? It may or may not be sewing, but it's sure to be crafty!


OK, another thing though. Let's see a show of hands for everyone who calls it Modge Podge.


What did I make, you ask? Something for the sewing studio, and fabric was involved. Initially discovered on the interwebs by my real life friend, Elizabeth, decoupage light switch covers seemed like a wonderful idea, and once I saw the tutorial on the Jones Design Company website, I was so in!


She (Emily) suggests scrapbook paper, book pages, wrapping paper, or even... fabric! I was in luck because, well, I have a ton of fabric scraps, and a dislike for the boring plastic light switch covers. So, here we go...

In the tutorial, she paints on the Mod Podge and then cuts the corners. That's a lot of stickiness, so I did the cutting pre-podge. By the way, the whole thing is about 1/2" bigger than the switchplate.

Here you go... all the tools, plus added stuff from my table. Podge painted on plate and fabric.

Fabric on, necessary parts cut out. Check out the original tutorial for more specific steps. Then more podge painted over the fabric to seal the whole thing.

Not a perfect match with the wall, but way better than the old, well...not white... beige?... plastic switch plate. And hey! Fabric covers for the switchplates in the sewing studio (which you still haven't really seen... my apologies).


I'm sold! It took more time to choose the fabric than to actually do the podging (is that a word?). Well, not counting the drying time, but obviously I could move on to other projects while that was happening.


Go ahead... make something fun that you pinned, and show everyone!

The Big Zipper in the Room

... or why I haven't shown you any pictures of my made-over studio...

There it is, people. A door length zipper. Awe-inspiring, no?


But let's back up. Have you ever done any remodeling? If you have (or maybe even if you haven't), you know that one thing leads to another, and this is definitely a case of that. For your enjoyment, let's go through a brief outline of those one things leading to other things...

• Kyle moves into a house in Macon (whoa, how does this fit in?)and needs furniture
• We give him the furniture in the guest room/studio, making it possible to simply have a new studio... woohoo!!
• We decide to remodel the kitchen
• Get quotes and pick a designer/contractor
• But wait... the kitchen floor is seriously not level. Can't have that.
• Luckily, the kitchen is directly above the open storage area in the basement. Engineers descend.
• A plan is hatched. Must clean out the basement. Studio redecorating is fast-tracked. Woohoo!!
• The basement is cleared out, and a little plastic room pops in.

• With another big zipper. This is to hold all the cement dust in when then cut a hole in the basement floor. It works.
• And now we have this:

• Clever, right? It's like a giant car jack, hoisting up the kitchen floor 1/16" of an inch at a time. Those little red "feet" on the bottoms of the outside posts are really the jacks that the guys come in and raise up almost every morning. The floor has been raised 7/16" as of last Wednesday, and we're giving the walls a chance to adjust so they don't crack. So far, so good.
• Leading us back out of the basement, through the big zipper:

All, of this is to say that while my sewing studio is completely usable, it's kind of a mess with things stacked up in it that will go back into the basement. And I haven't put up any of the decorations, and really made it pretty. Just functional. Soon, I'm promising myself, soon.

I have big sewing goals this week, too... but lots of appointments, etc, too. Probably too ambitious, I know. But on the 13th, Laura and I are going to New York for her spring break, and I need a new dress! Vintage pattern made up in a red ponte knit. Oh, it will be delightful.