A Day of Decor

#1- T.A.R.D.I.S. Wall Art

After reading so many books lately, I thought it was time to take a break, do some things around the house and finally tackle some craft ideas. A few years ago, I purchased a set of three frames. After decorating my living room, I had only used two of the frames. One has a print of Hand and Apparatus by Salvador Dali that my dad bought for me at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. The other, a print from the final page of the comic in Chasing Amy, signed by Kevin Smith.

I knew I wasn't going to use the frame in the living room, so I tried to find a place in my bedroom that the frame would fit and go from there. I found a perfect fit on my geek wall and tried to think of what would go well there.  To me, art is like putting together a puzzle when you don't know what the end picture is supposed to be. I decided to start with the background. I had bought some scrap book paper on sale and it matched my bedroom with a purple pattern on a cream background. I wanted to do a cameo of sorts, but I wasn't sure if I should draw something or go with a magazine or comic picture. I went to the comic book shop and started looking through the damaged and reader grade comics, when I saw a Doctor Who comic with a T.A.R.D.I.S. on glossy paper. I sat down, cut out the picture and used Mod Podge to attach it to the paper. It took all of maybe 5 minutes and I like the way it turned out.

Since that literally took less time than a commercial break, I felt inspired to keep going. I already had the Mod Podge and scrapbook paper out of my craft closet, so I finally went to work on adding some pizazz to a plain photo box where I keep my crafting notions.

#2- Decorated Craft Notions Box

If you are anything like me, when you are in the craft store, you have to hit up the clearance. There are so many great deals and cute things that I will most likely never use, but absolutely have to have. Like this felt chandelier. I have no idea what I was thinking when I bought it. There's not much you can do with a felt notion like this in any of the crafts I have done. I decided to use my Mod Podge to put the chandelier centered on
a purple square. Nothing flashy, simple design, but I love the way the chandelier pops off that purple. Plus, organization is a lot funner when you have cute storage supplies. With the left-over Victorian scrapbook paper, I re-purposed a gift box for more storage. By this time, I was only through two parts of The Mind Robber, so I decided to tackle another project.

#3- Painted Fan

I saw this idea on Pintrest a while ago. Like most things on Pintrest, I pin it and forget it. But I figured what the heck, I have a fan, I have paint, at the very least I thought it would help me get over the guilt I feel pinning 50 things that I promise myself I'm going to try and then forget it ever existed.

I decided not to take the whole fan apart. I just took off the front and laid it down. If your worried about spills and drips you should put something underneath. I only do for spay paint, but it doesn't hurt. It hasn't finished drying in the picture. I am adding some scrolls in white.

Not every project needs to be a huge ordeal, but it seems like those are the ones I am most likely to tackle. I finished all three projects in under 2 hours, leaving me some time to try to catch up on the stacks of review books I need to read. Hopefully, you'll feel inspired to tackle some of your own small projects.

On the Record

One thing that my Dad and I share is a love of music. As a cash-strapped college student, I wanted to find a gift for my Dad that was not only economical, but also was unique. A long time ago, my Dad gave me his old record collection. The collection had everything from Pink Floyd to Shaft. Unfortunately, a lot of the albums were unplayable due to damage. So, one day I decided to scour the internet for ways to up-cycle the records that no longer worked and try to give them some new life. I had no idea there are so many ways out there to turn your old records into usable crafts. When melted, you can form vinyl to just about any shape, making albums a great material for bowls, bookends, jewelery, and so much more. If the thought of playing with really hot material right out of the oven gives you the heebie jeebies or you are looking for crafts to do with kids, there are lots of ideas out there that don't require an oven, like painting or making records into clocks.

I decided to make retro record bowls for my first attempt at record crafts. For my pops, I chose the Eagles Greatest hits. Not only does my Dad love the Eagles, but it was one of the first bands he introduced me to as a child. I still can't listen to Hotel California without hearing my Dad's voice sing out, "but you can never leave." So, I thought it would be the perfect choice for Father's Day.

What I absolutely love about this craft is it is super duper easy to do and really doesn't take much time. First, you are going to need a record, cookie sheet, oven safe bowl, and 2 oven mitts or pot holders. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. When the oven is heated up, you will put the bowl upside down on the cookie sheet and the record on top of the bowl and throw it on in. Don't stray too far, though. As soon as the record "flops" or begins the melting process take it out and get to work. Each album has different qualities and can vary in time, you'll be looking at 4-12 minutes oven time. When you take out your album, you will not have much time before the record begins to harden again. Mold your record around the bowl. The method that worked best for me required 2 times in the oven. After the first go around, I folded the record into four sides, which made four grooves. I then put it back in the oven and let it fall the other way and took it out. This time, I put four additional grooves in it and molded the bottom. It turned out so cute, I just couldn't stop. I started using a variety of different sized bowls and playing around with shapes, with varying results. If it doesn't turn out the way you want, just throw it back in the oven and start over.

 Weather you are looking for a gift or just to have around the house, these little retro bowls have so many uses. Put it by your door and throw your keys and change in it. By putting a clear coat on the inside, these make great bowls for parties, just fill 'em with chips or popcorn. These also make a great little basket for gifts.

If you are really artistic, you can make original artwork with your records. As I was searching the hundreds and hundreds of pages of record art, I fell absolutely in love with Etsy shop Valderie Originals. If it wasn't already sold, I would totally buy this...

Check out the other records still available in the shop at Valderie Originals