OLD MILK CAN PORCH DECOR

This was an easy project using an old milk can.
All you need is
 an old milk can
burlap
raffia
gingham or any other country material you like
some pip berries
rusty star
hot glue gun and glue sticks

First measure around your milk can so you know how much burlap and material you will need to cut the length. Then measure how much you want to cover of the can for your width. I cut the material smaller than the burlap leaving about inch and half space on top and bottom to allow for my burlap to show. But you could cut any way you prefer, this is just how I liked the burlap and material to look.

Ok now after the burlap and material are cut I then attach the burlap first by hot gluing the one end piece to what would be the back of my finished milk can. Then as I was wrapping the burlap I also hot glued here and there so it would stay in place finishing up at the back of the can meeting my starting pieces. Do the same then with the material.

Take raffia wrap around the neck part of the milk can. I wrapped several times til I like the way it looked. I just tied it off but you could make into a bow if that's what you like.

Next took the rusty star, mine had a hole in the one point, added a piece of wire and then wrapped the wire around my raffia in the center to hold star in place. 

Finally took a hand full of pip berries and wrapped their ends around the raffia to secure them in place.

And that was it for my old milk can decor that I kept on my porch. Pretty simple and easy project to do with an old milk can.

***I do recommend that you display anything with the berries in a place that does not get wet.*** 

As always happy crafting.

1974 Ironhead Sportster turned Chopper

Husband turned his blue 1974 Harley Davidson Ironhead Sportster Motorcycle into this green beauty Chopper. All period correct parts and a lot of long hours and money but this one sure is a beauty. I even got to help with this one making his Harley Davidson stencil for him to paint on his tank. And made him a lost boy decal for his rear fender using my Silhouette Cameo. This chopper is a little easier on my behind when riding since he went from a little pad for me to sit on to a king and queen seat. The motorcycle is a hard tail which means it has no springs which is a little rougher ride.
Post not very long just wanted to share this beautiful bike.
You can check out the previous post on the Sporster build here.

THE GREEN CHOPPER BEAUTY

1974 Harley Davidson Chopper Video

Removing Old Paint from Drawer Pulls and Hinges

Did you ever need to remove old paint from drawer pulls? Well I've have. Look no farther I've got a simple way to remove that old paint with things most of us have on hand and NO harsh chemicals. I watched this video on Youtube and looked up different ways. I ended up combining and not really following the video.

I started to follow the video on removing old paint from hinges but with a husband that decides at the last minute the method got changed up a bit. 

Instructions are quite simple. 

Supplies

an old pan (one that will NEVER be used for cooking food in again)

some baking soda or dish detergent

your hinges or drawer pulls

water

These drawer pulls along with the whole dresser were painted a lilac color. Not quite my style. 

Before

After

First method from video

Sprinkle baking soda in bottom of pan enough to cover the bottom

Add your hinges/drawer pulls. Add water to just cover the items.

Bring to a simmer (just little bubbles) put on low heat for 1/2 hour. 

Your paint will come right off just using your hands. For the crevices I used old toothbrush and a dental pick

Well with my husband up and wanting to leave just after I started this method.  I found out it also works with the drawer pulls just being in the simmered water (stove not on anymore) for about 2 hours while we were gone. So if I'm not in a big hurry I can start the method at time, hours if I want to, before I'm ready to get to work on the #drawerpulls.

They must stay in the water though or paint sticks back on. I found this out. But don't worry just put them back in the water.

Second method basically same as the first but if you don't have any baking soda just drop a few drops of dish detergent in the water instead. (Which who doesn't have that on hand?)

If you do the cooking method don't forget about them like my husband did and let them cook dry or they will be ruined like these few he forgot about. Handles are now flattened and puddle of melted now hardened metal.  Not good.

Now try removing old paint from drawer pulls and hinges. Basically from most metals. 

My Mod Podge Projects

Mod Podge is now one of my loves in crafting. There is so much, many crafts that you can do with this wonderful adhesive stuff. Sure glad I came across the brown paper bag floor craft. It opened a whole new world of crafting to me.
One of the best sites I came across is Mod Podge Rocks.I'm sure there are many more decoupaging sites out there that I will stumble upon in my crafting adventures.

So far here is what I've made with mod podge.

My best project so far!

Mod Podge comes in a variety of formulas:

Fabric, gloss, hard coat, matte, outdoor, satin, sparkle and dimensional magic. Pick your project, pick your formula. Get crafting!

Craft paper Console Table

This is a console table that I have been wanting to redo for awhile. Loved the table but was not crazy about the flower or grape design on top. Doing my daily searching around the net for different craft ideas I came across The Ultimate Bag Flooring Guide
Which you can also use craft paper for the flooring I found in my searches. I loved the look of it but was too big of a project for me to try at first. I had seen some pictures of the brown bag idea being done on a stole and other table tops so I thought this is perfect for this table. And of course for my first try at it.

So I took this table and with a little time and patience I turned it into something I absolutely love.

 

 

• Black paint or your choice of color
• sand paper to get off rough edges and loose paint
• sand paper for fine sanding scuffing
• mod podge
• brown paper bag or craft paper torn into pieces 
• polyurethane (gloss)
• sponge brush or your fingers like I used for gluing the paper
• trim brush or your choice of brush for painting
• sponge brushes for applying poly
• your choice of main paint for base
• some wood stain (I used red mahogany)
• time and patience

 First I lightly sanded any loose paint. Then I applied one coat of black paint. Oh actually I first laid out how much paper I would need by laying the sheets across my table. Then I tore up and crumbled my craft paper. Then painted the top. I only did one layer because of it being covered with the crumbled craft paper.

I then spread mod podge on the table working in small sections. Laying the craft paper on the glue and smoothing out any air bubbles and then applying a layer of mod podge on top of the paper with your sponge or like I did using my finger. It was easier for me to use my fingers but mind you it gets very messy using your fingers. Just worked better for me that way. Do what works for you. Then you just keep adding the paper overlapping some or putting close to the edge of each torn crumbled paper piece or leave a small gap to allow some of the bottom color to show through like I did in some spots. I also applied some wood stain after paper and glue were dry to make some of the wrinkles show more. Apply stain as directed on container.

When it was all dry I took some fine sandpaper and scuffed the top of the console and smoothed off any rough pieces of paper.
Lastly I took a sponge and applied a thin even layer of polyurethane to the top and sides of the top. Let dry overnight. Lightly scuffed and added another layer of poly. Let dry again. Added last layer just for extra durability.
My final step was to paint the rest of the table I chose a light blue color giving it two layers of paint. Hope you enjoy the looks of this Craft paper console table as much as I do.

I ended up re doing this table painting the base black and sanding the edges of it. The light blue color was just not really me. 

A little more rustic is my style.