DIY – Graceful Mommy

DIY Photo Calendar

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Graceful Mommy

28
Dec

This is another project I did for Christmas gifts for some of my family- A photo calendar! I got the idea and directions from another blogger- It’s Always Autumn . You can see the detailed directions to her project here. She is so creative. All you need to do is go to her post and print out the calendar pages. I printed mine on cardstock so it would be thicker.

After printing out the calendar pages, just cut them out.

Then, cut your pictures to be 4 inches by 3.75 inches. Use double sided tape to stick the photos to the calendar pages.

Then, arrange the photos in calendar order! Look how pretty all of the photos look together. Gracie is just the CUTEST! You can attach magnets on the back of the calendar pages and simply hang them on your fridge like this. Or you can stack them all together and put them on a mini easel.

Here is what the calendar pages look like stacked up on the mini easel. I got my easels from Hobby Lobby! They sell a four pack for $5. I just think this is such a cute little desk calendar. Also makes a perfect gift!!

Thank you Autumn from It’s Always Autumn for your creativity and amazing calendar printable! Go check it out + make your own!

DIY, Home

DIY Photo Coasters

Posted on December 28, 2015December 28, 2015 by Graceful Mommy

28
Dec

These polaroid photo coasters are a super cute + easy DIY project to make with any photos you have! Of course I used photos of my daughter Gracie, but you can use photos of your pets, landscapes, food + drinks, etc. I made these for some of my family for Christmas. Here’s how you do it:

Materials You Need

1.White tiles from Home Depot (or anywhere). Mine were 4 1/2 x 4/12 square tiles.

2.Photos cut to size. I ended up not measuring my photos- I just cut them until they looked good. I wanted the coasters to have a polaroid feel so I cut my photos more in the shape of rectangles. It would also look cute to do square photos to take up the space of the tiles.

3.Mod Podge matte glue

4.Sponge brush

5.Mod Podge dishwasher safe gloss. You can also get the Mod Podge spray sealant spray. This is to ensure the coasters are completely waterproof.

6.Black felt. This is for the back of the coasters.

Steps

First, paint a thin layer of the regular Mod Podge glue on the entire tile

Then, place your photo on the tile and press down on the edges. Then, wait about 10 minutes for the glue to dry.

After about 10 minutes (when the glue dries), paint a thin layer over the photo and the coaster. The glue will look white, but don’t worry- it dries clear! Make sure to paint over your photos going one direction. The Mod Podge lines will show, so you want it to all go the same way.

Let the first layer dry (about 10 minutes). Then, paint another layer of the regular Mod Podge over the top again. And let it dry.

When the second layer of glue has dried, it’s time to make the coasters fully waterproof. Paint a thin layer of the Mod Podge dishwasher safe gloss over the entire top of the coaster. This type of Mod Podge will also add a nice glossy finish to the coasters. This layer takes a little bit longer to dry than the regular Mod Podge glue. Be patient!

I waited about an hour to do the last step- just to make sure everything was dry. The last step is to cut a piece of black felt the same size as the coaster. Paint a layer of the regular Mod Podge glue on the back of the coaster, and apply the black felt. Press down on the corners to make sure it’s on there good! This step is important because it makes sure that the coasters will not damage any furniture. It also makes it look more like a polaroid!

And, there ya have it! The cutest coasters around!! P.S.- These make great gifts for grandparents 😉

DIY, Home

DIY Baby Handprint Ornament

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Graceful Mommy

07
Dec

Recently, I posted a bucket list for baby’s first Christmas. One of the activities on the list is to make a homemade ornament. This is such a fun way to create memories during Christmas time. Gracie is 5 months old, so I wanted a way to capture how little and cute her hand is right now.

When I taught first grade, I loved doing handprint crafts with my students. They turn out so adorable! I sort of went into this with the same expectation. It’s gonna be easy, right? Oh my- was I wrong!!!!

Here’s what happened. We got a plaster handprint kit from hobby lobby. Basically all you do is mix the white powder, paint, and water. Easy so far. Then, pour the plaster into the mold that they give you. Easy… Next step: put hand in plaster for ONE MINUTE. Wait, what? A minute? How am I going to hold Gracie’s hand in there for a minute? I decide 5 seconds should be good enough. So I put Gracie’s hand down and she grabs the plaster. Haha! Digs her nails in all the way down and grabs a huge chunk. I knew right then that this was not going to work! It looked nothing like a hand. Then, because I only held it in for a second, it kind of all flattened out in the end. Hm…. definitely looks like Gracie made it. Hehe.

After that fiasco… we thought it may be easier to do her foot. Wrong again. I think this project is made more for like a 5 YEAR old not 5 MONTH old. We definitely laughed and had fun, though. That’s all that matters anyways. I consider this a Pinterest fail but a memory win.

I still wanted to have an actual handprint ornament craft… so we started over. Back to hobby lobby for supplies! Spoiler: this one actually turns out cute!

Materials You Need

Plain ornaments (Hobby Lobby has both frosted and regular- we did frosted!)

Elmers glue

Glitter

Spray Adhesive

Ribbon

Marker

Steps

Put elmer’s glue all over baby’s hand. I used a brush at first, but it was actually easier just to spread it around with my fingers.

Next, place the ornament in baby’s hand. This craft actually works cause Gracie just tried to grab the ornament, which put her handprint on it perfectly!

Then, wash baby’s hand before she eats glue.

Next, fix up the handprint a bit with q tips or your finger. I made three of these and each one I had to touch up just a little. One of the ornament handprints only had 4 fingers. One of her fingers must not have pressed down, so I just made one with glue and a q-tip.

Then, sprinkle the glue handprint with glitter. And shake off the excess. Let it dry for about 10 minutes. After, I sprayed the ornaments with a spray adhesive so that the glitter wouldn’t get everywhere. Honestly, I’m not sure that this is even necessary.

After the spray dries, write a little message on it with your marker! Add a little ribbon and voila! Cute craft completed! Mine didn’t end up perfect but I think the little mistakes make it more charming!

Give both a try and let me know if you have better luck with the plaster handprint one. Maybe i’ll attempt that again next year? Or, maybe not.