DIY: Spruce up that cubicle!

I have to admit, I'm really excited to have my own desk at my new internship even if it is in a blah cubicle.  One way I've added some much needed color is with this hummingbird garland.  All you need is patterned or colored paper (check the scrapbooking section of Michael's), a stencil which can be easily made with cardstock, and thread/string.  At a past job, I also made turtles, snowflakes, lilies, Eiffel towers and bats for co-workers which were hung from the shelves on the cubicles.

DIY: Spray Paint Texture How To

To get the texture you see first spray paint the canvas with a solid color (blue in the pictures).  Wait for the paint to dry, about 20-30 minutes (it should give you an estimated time on the spray paint can).  Then cover the panel with a lace or fishnet stocking/tights.  I used a pair of lace stockings that had a flower pattern.  It is important to make sure the holes are not too small in whatever pattern you choose.  Stretch the stockings over the canvas until you are satisfied with the pattern and placement.  Secure the stockings in the back with a rubber band or clip. As you can see I placed the canvas on a plastic bag to keep it flat (because of the rubber band in the back it was tilted).  Then spray the second paint color (green in the pictures) either very lightly for more of a tie-dye look like in the hummingbird picture or completely coat for a more defined lace look as in the picture below.  Wait for spray paint to dry before removing the lace.  The lace may be somewhat stuck to the canvas, but it should easily peel off.  After you've finished the background texture you can then spray paint a stencil on top or whatever you would like!

DIY: Easy to make coasters!

We needed coasters for our new coffee table and remembered a craft project for making coasters from 4" x 4" tiles (in the Big-Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano). We headed to the hardware store to look for simple white ceramic tiles to affix pictures too.  White bathroom tiles in hand and walking down the aisle, we then spotted these glass tiles you see in the picture.  They were a bit more expensive than the white ones, but the glass tiles were much more attractive and did not have the built-in spacers the white tiles had.  We bought three of the light blue and three of the gray-brown.  When we got them home we sprayed the backs with Krylon Spray Adhesive and stuck squares of felt to them (the felt was bought at the dollar store).  They dried and voila, we had coasters.  The best part about this project is how easy it was to make the tiles into coasters.  They also look great with the coffee table and are easy to clean.