A few years ago my mom gave me this chipboard or a hard paper mache heart. Originally she wanted me to paint it or something for Valentines Day as a prop for her photography studio. Lets just say that never happened. So long story short this heart has been in my box of random art supplies for the past two years with no purpose in life.
Well today that heart was found a new purpose. Thanks to Pinterest. Well sort of. I saw a pin a while back that I of course pinned for future projects. It's not the same, but it is essentially the same idea. The original pin had the letters for Love and they used quarters hot glued to the letters. Forming this neat mirror effect. So I was digging around in my things today looking for a easy craft to try out without having to get too messy or buy more things seeing it was pushing 5 PM and most craft stores would be closed before I got to them. I found the unused heart along with my container of small gems. I bought the gems a few months ago for another project and then had a lot left over. I grabbed my mod-podge and voila! Craft project formed!
What I love about this is that it captures light as well as reflects it. Great piece to add to any room!
Things I used that you might need!:
- Mod-Podge (But you can use craft glue if you'd like)
- Craft Paint Brush (One you don't mind throwing away if it gets nasty)
- Paper Mache Heart/Chipboard or even a wooden letter!
- Box of Gems
- Paint if you want to paint your piece first (I didn't do this step for I felt it wasn't needed for what I wanted!)
Step One:
Prep your area and items. If you are using mod-podge make sure you follow the directions for it. Shake it well. Keep it sealed when not in use. If it helps pour a little bit in a butter lid and seal the container so that it doesn't dry out. When using mod-podge place a piece of a plastic sac down NOT newspaper. Newspaper and mod-podge DO NOT MIX!! I use a plastic grocery bag and tap it down to my work surface. You can also use a garbage bag if you want. I didn't put anything down for I didn't think I needed it. If you are messy when it comes to mod-podge and glue do it.
Step Two:
If you are choosing to paint your piece first do that now. Make sure the paint is dry before continuing on!
Start brushing your glue or mod-podge on your piece. Don't cover all of it for it will dry before you get to it. Work in small amounts at a time.
Step Three:
Once you have some of the sticky substance down on your piece you can start placing your gems on it. Arrange it how you see fit. Pattern or Random it's up to you.
Keep doing step three until your entire piece is covered.
If your piece has an edge on the outside like mine does than you can do the same to the edge. But just so you know. It is a bit harder
to mod-podge the gems on a curved
surface. So take your time!
Step Five:
Let dry. Use a command Velcro strip to hand on the wall! Or put a piece of ribbon on it and make it a hanging wreath for the door or window!! And Enjoy it!
Hello fellow crafters! Jessica here. For the past week or so I have been working on re-purposing a blue wine bottle I had sitting on top of my fridge. I used the same gems Jennifer used to make her gemmed heart, mod podge, and a paintbrush.
For the first wine bottle I made, I started at the top of the bottle, but after I finished and made a second one (this time using mutli-color gems) I found that starting at the bottom was actually easier because then you can hold the neck as you work your way up the bottle. And the gems can't slide down the glue because there are gems beneath them on the bottle.
When I finished the bottle, I determined it is a bit...loud. I wish I would have left space in between the gems rather than pressing them all together. But for a super girly girl or a bling themed party (oooh maybe New Year's Eve center piece) it would work great. It was cheap and easy...just time consuming.
I also made a smaller one with the different colors...I spaced the gems out more and liked the results better. Again, these may have to be party centerpieces because they are a little over the top for my taste.
But it was easy-peasy~
