DIY Keepsake Mosaic

Hello World!

Here is a post courtesy of my mom.  She created a mosaic mirror made with keepsakes and found objects. For her mirror, she chose objects that were feminine and went with a shabby-chic style. This is a great project to help show off objects that hold sentimental value for you or to put good use to all those broken necklaces, cups, ect that we all having sitting in a drawer somewhere.

For this project, you will need: plenty of small items, a vintage mirror or mirror tray (can be found at antique shops, thrift stores or yard sales), a sturdy old wooden frame, plywood cut to the same size as your frame, silicone or tile adhesive, tile grout, and paint if you want to change the color of your frame.

Above are some of the items she gathered for her mosaic. Some items include:

• Empty vintage lipstick cases,
• Broken hair accessories,
• Earrings not in a pair,
• Jewelry made by my siblings and myself when we were children,
• Faux pearl necklaces,
• Vintage buttons,
• Nail polish bottles,
• Chipped and broken tea cups and plates,
• Refrigerator magnets,
• Sea shells, starfish and beach glass,
• Christmas ornaments,
• Kinck knacks from my grandparents.

With your sturdy wooden frame, remove any flimsy paperboard backing. Staple gun or use small finishing nails to attach your cut-to-size plywood to the back of your frame. My mom's plywood is 1/4'' thick. 

To support the frame she added two screws to the back and strung heavy gauge wire in between them to carry the weight when hung up.

Glue down all of your knick-knacks with silicone or tile adhesive. Allow to dry.

Then mix your grout and apply it around your objects to lock them in place. Read your grout packaging and if appropriate use a slightly damp sponge to remove any unwanted grout. Allow to dry.

Apply newspaper to any mirrors and then use non-yellowing, grout spray-sealer. Let that dry and then use a clean, white cloth to do any final cleaning.

My mom made hers a few years ago and she hasn't had any cracks or loose grout flakes thanks to the sealant.

Happy Crafting!

DIY Ring Holder

Hello World,

Here is a new tutorial to make your very own ring holder.  I used to have my rings stored on a pretty plate, but they would always turn upside down, so I would only see the back of them. Now I have a way to display them properly.

This craft was really easy to do. Check out below for instructions:

1.   Gather your supplies: thick fabric (like cheap felt, an old towel, ect) decorative fabric, hot glue gun and sticks, scissors and a show box lid. (Or any lid you seem fitting.)

2.   Cut out strips of your thick fabric the same width as your box.

3.   Roll until they are a tad bigger than your thumb and cut at that length. 

4.   Use hot glue to secure your rolled fabric.

5.   Continue rolling and cutting your fabric until you can snuggly fit enough of them in your lid.

6.   Cut a strip of decorative fabric that is as wide as your box and three times the length (to be safe). Glue the right side of your fabric to the internal side of your box lid. 

7.   Add your first fabric roll and add a line of glue right after it.

8.   Bring your decorative fabric over the fabric roll and secure by pressing down on the hot glue line.

9.  Bring your decorative fabric back up again and add your second fabric roll. Continue adding rolls and gluing until you reach the end of your lid. 

10.  Trim any excess fabric and tuck your free edge into the box lid to hide it. Add your rings and tada!  And ribbon, rhinestones, or trim around the edges of your rolls if the free edges bother you.

I found this "classy burlap" in a remnant bin at JoAnn's.

Happy Crafting!