'Moon Phases' Coasters

Hey crafters!
HouseMart Ben Franklin has so many cute wood projects to decorate and customize!
As soon as I saw this coaster set, I knew I had to turn them into moon phases!

Supplies: 
wood coaster set
paintbrush
black, white, gray acrylic paints 
black or white water based acrylic fine tip paint pens
Krylon triple thick clear glaze spray

Paint your moon phases, or pretty designs of choice, then wait 10-20 minutes for paint to dry. Write your words with the paint pens, and then spray with your super glossy spray to protect the image from water damage! So cute and so fun to customize such practical house items! These would make great gifts as well! 

Happy Monday!

Bethany @Enchanted Lake 

 

Autumn Rice Mosaic

Hi there! Today I will be showing you how to make an autumn rice mosaic.

You will need the following supplies:

- Raw rice
- Alcohol Ink, your choice of colors
- 4"x4" Art Alternatives Wood Panel
- Tacky Glue
- Mod Podge
- BBQ Skewer
- Small bowls or an old muffin tin

First, pour a handful of rice into a small bowl or container.  Put about five drops of alcohol ink into the bowl.  Mix until all the rice is colored.  Add more drops if you desire more color.  Use a separate bowl for each color you're going to mix.

Next, use a pencil to draw your image on the wood panel.  If you are copying a printed image, you can use graphite paper to transfer it to the panel.

Spread tacky glue over a small section of your image.  Dip the pointed end of your skewer in the tacky glue to make the tip a little tacky.  Use it to pick up and place the rice down one by one.  Work in sections so the tacky glue doesn't dry out.

Once your entire panel is covered with rice, apply a coat of Mod Podge, either matte or glossy depending on your preference.  

There you have it! These look great if you have several that you display together.  They could also be used as coasters! There are lots of different things you can do with this.

Until next time, happy crafting!
Rachel @ Mapunapuna

A Pallet-able Project

There are a lot of people out there right now on Pinterest and all over the web who are making astounding things out of pallets. Of course one thing leads to another and the love for making things using pallets has turned into simply a love of pallets. To help spread a little more pallet love, today's blog topic concerns making something into a pallet. Well, making popsicle sticks into a mini pallet coaster, to be exact.



If you want to make this pallet project for your own home, you're going to need a few things first. Popsicle sticks are the main ingredient but you'll also need something to cut them with and something to stain them with. I used some heavy duty tin snips and Tim Holtz's Distress Stains respectively. To round the project off, you need a length of balsa wood - square shaped, not circular - a hot-glue gun, and an Xacto or utility knife.

I then cut both ends off of the popsicle sticks to give them straight edges. You can also find popsicle sticks ready made without the rounded ends, but I used what I had on hand. I also cut the balsa wood into pieces that were roughly the same size as my popsicle sticks. Then I used the Distress Stain to give the wood pieces a rugged, weathered look. Last, I hot-glued the popsicle sticks to three pieces of balsa wood.

Keep in mind that these coasters are supposed to look raw and used, just like those life-sized pallets. Don't worry if your popsicle sticks hang over too much or if a couple of your pieces have some rough edges. In fact, you want these cuties to look as imperfect as possible. The less refined the better, I think, and they're great for adding a fun, rustic touch to your home.

Drop by our Enchanted Lake store during July for demonstrations on how to make some pallets of your own.

See you soon,
Puna @ Enchanted Lake

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 174 - Holiday Felt Coasters

Need a handmade gift or a small decoration item? Brandon’s here to show you how to make festive felt coasters.

Use stencils to add designs to felt!

Catch the segment here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 174 - Holiday Felt Coasters

Supplies:

Felt sheets

Martha Stewart craft stencils

Acrylic paint

Spouncer or stencil brush

Needle

DMC floss or baker’s twine

Scissors

Make up a bunch of quick coasters as Christmas gifts or for a special holiday get together.

*Don't forget to read today's earlier post from Kahului. They show you great ideas to decorate your own holiday ornaments!