Make a Christmas Countdown Chalkboard with Mod Podge

This post is brought to you by Mod Podge and The Blueprint Social. I received free product and was compensated for my time creating this project. All opinions expressed are 100% mine.

I love Christmas! As soon as the table is cleared on Thanksgiving night, I am counting down the days until the calendar flips over to the big 25. I love Advent calendars as an interactive way to countdown to Christmas but I needed something else. When I got a big box of shiny and glittery Mod Podge and paint in the mail, I knew my something else needed to have some bling. After a couple weeks of pondering, my Christmas Countdown Chalkboard was born.

Supplies Needed:

• Wood frame OR a framed chalkboard
• Chalkboard paint  (if you're using a plain frame)
• Scrapbook paper
• Sparkle Mod Podge
• Glossy Mod Podge
• Gift Tag shape from package of Podgeable Shapes
• Paint (I used Folk Art brand)
• White
• Metalic Gold
• Gold Chunky Glitter
• Ribbon scraps (I used a combo of metalic gold and red)
• Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
• E beads (red and iridescent)
• Glue
• Paintbrush and/or Foam brushes
• Scissors

Prep the Frame 

Remove the wire hanger from the frame and paint it white. Once its dry, paint the center with two coats of chalkboard paint if you are using a plain wood frame. Obviously, skip this step if you purchased a framed chalkboard. Set it aside to dry.

Make the Gift Tag

Take the gift tag Podgeable shape and trace the outline onto the back of the scrapbook paper you would like to use. Cut out the paper shape.

Podgeable shapes are lightweight acrylic pieces that can be Mod Podged on both the front and back for cool dimensional effects. This was my first time working with them and I love how great they make the finished piece look.

Paint one side of the tag with chunky gold glitter paint. Next, give it a generous coat of Sparkle Mod Podge (on the same side you put the glitter on). Apply Sparkle Mod Podge to your scrapbook paper as well and flip it design-side down onto the podgeable. Rub the back to get out any air bubbles before applying another generous coat of Sparkle Mod Podge, being sure to seal the edges. Place it acrylic-side-down to dry (I propped it up on a paint bottle so the edges would be free to dry without sticking).

When the Mod  Podge has dried enough to touch the back (the clear side may look cloudy for a while but it will dry clear and sparkly), cut two pieces of gold ribbon the length and width of the podgeable with a little extra to wrap over the edge. Apply Sparkle Mod Podge to the back side of the ribbon and adhere it to the front of the gift tag. Wrap the extra around the back and adhere with glue.

Make the "X-mas countdown" label by using a fine point brush and gold metallic paint to write on a piece of white scrapbook paper. Use the Glossy Mod Podge to adhere it to the front of the Podgeable using the same technique described to adhere paper to the back of the Podgeable. When the Mod Podge is dry, use Mod Podge Dimensional Magic to cover just the white tag. This will give it a finished look similar to poured resin or expensive puffy stickers but with way less mess. (if you have never used Dimensional Magic before, check out Plaid's great how-to video here). Set the tag aside to dry.

Mod Podge the Frame

To cover the frame with scrapbook paper, make template pieces from some plain paper (pic 1). This allows you to tweak the shape without messing up the pretty paper. Then trace the template shapes onto the back of the scrapbook paper and cut out the pieces (pic 2). To adhere, apply a generous coat of Sparkle Mod Podge to one side of the frame (pic 3) as well as the back of the scrapbook paper. Press onto the frame, rubbing to get out the bubbles before applying another generous coat of Sparkle Mod Podge over the top (pic 4). Repeat with the other three sides.

Finishing Touches

To give the plain wire hanger some bling, I strung red and iridescent E beads onto the part that stuck up above the frame. I also threaded some gold and red ribbon through the hole on the gift tag.

Before using the chalkboard, you need to remember to prime it. To do that, rub the side of a piece of chalk all over the board and then rub it in/off with a rag. Lastly, reattach the beaded wire hanger and glue the tag onto the edge of the frame. 

Once the glue is dry, you can write your countdown message on your chalkboard!

Finished Product:

I hope you enjoyed my project and feel inspired to make your own. For more great holiday inspiration, visit Plaid, online here:

Inspired by Plaid on Facebook | Plaid Crafts on Twitter | Plaid on Pinterest

Get Inspired:

I'm not the only one blogging about great holiday projects made with Mod Podge this holiday season! Check out more of my fellow bloggers' great projects below:

This post is brought to you by Mod Podge and The Blueprint Social. I received free product and was compensated for my time creating this project. All opinions expressed are 100% mine.

Make Mod Podged Book Page Pumpkins

I'm excited to show you guys my Thanksgiving decor using dollar store materials. I was able to turn some rather unappealing foam pumpkins from the dollar store into these cute book page pumpkins that spell out THANKS.

Supplies Needed:

• Foam Pumpkins ($1 each from the dollar store - I used 6)
• White Paint (on hand)
• Paint brushes (on hand)
• Mod Podge (I used Satin finish - on hand)
• Foam applicator (on hand or $0.30 at Michaels)
• Book (on hand or $1 at dollar store)
• Black paint
• Brown paint
• Permanent Marker
• Font You Like (I used Harrington)

How I Made Them:

Here is a sample of the font that I used. In the video, I said I decided to use lowercase letters. I ended up changing my mind and went with all caps. The font name is Harrington.

I just pulled the font up in front of me on the computer as a guide and free-handed it onto the pumpkins.

This project is really easy, but it does take some time if you're going to make multiple pumpkins. Get your whole family involved (one person painting, one person ripping book pages, one person mod podging). In addition to window sill, mantle or table runner decor, these could make fun place settings. Write a guest's initial on their pumpkin and let them take it home after dinner.

How to Make a Removable Laptop Cover

Once upon a time, I was a supervisor in a customer service call center. To make it easier for supervisors to remain connected to the borg, er, their team, each of us had a laptop. The laptops were standard issue black bricks which could probably withstand being dropped off the roof of a building.

And they were all the same. **YAWN**

So I did what any self-respecting crafter would do - I made mine way cooler.

Because the laptop wasn't actually mine, I needed to make sure the cover could be removed in the event I needed to switch laptops or stopped working there. You can make your own laptop cover, too, for less than $2 (assuming you have Mod Podge on hand).

Supplies Needed:

• Laptop (this will work best if yours does not have a textured lid)
• Surface cleaner
• 1 roll white contact paper ($1 - from dollar store)
• Coordinating scrapbook paper (on hand or about $0.25 each sheet)
• Drinking glasses or other round object to use as a tracing guide
• Pencil 
• Scissors and/or exacto knife
• Mod Podge (I used matte finish, but use your fave finish)
• Brush or foam applicator to apply modpodge

Step 1: Clean the laptop

Clean your laptop to remove dirt, oil, etc and ensure that the contact paper will adhere well.

Step 2: Cut contact paper

Lay the contact paper over the laptop and trim to the right length and width. Be sure to leave enough extra to wrap over the edges. Remember that you can always trim away excess but you can't add more later.

Step 3: Fit contact paper to laptop

Use a small pair or scissors or an exacto knife to carefully cut notches as needed for any moving parts. My laptop had hinges on the back as well as an unlock slide on the front edge that needed to be cut around. Once the contact paper is nice and smooth on the back and wrapped around the edges, trim away any excess to make it pretty.

Step 4: Cut out paper

On the back of your pretty paper, trace circles in varying sizes using drinking glasses or other round objects from your home. Cut out your shapes and set aside.

Step 5: Arrange and Adhere

Play with your shapes until you find an arrangement that you like. Once you're happy, use your Mod Podge to glue your pieces down starting with the lowest layer and building up (new to the 'Podge? Check out my friend Amy's video tutorial here for how to use modpodge [although I don't use a brayer - sorry, Amy!])

Make sure you coat the whole thing at the end to seal all the edges and give it a uniform finish.

Step 6: Let dry and enjoy!

Let your laptop dry at least overnight to cure. When you're done you can enjoy working in style.

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Garden Bling

If pink flamingos, garden gnomes and flashy garden art aren't for you, cute plant markers are a great way to add a subtle hint of style and fun to your garden.  I've been working on a few different styles of garden markers lately for Fat Dog Farms and have had fun both making them and sprinkling them throughout the garden.

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Stamped Silverware Markers

Make these from used, thrifted, or inexpensive silverware. You'll need to pick up a metal stamping set (I got mine on Amazon for about $20). I've got a mini tutorial for how to make these that lives here.

Glass Gem Markers

These are made with large glass gems from the Dollar Tree. Printed designs are mod podged to the backs of half the gems (the backs of the other half are painted white). The gems are then glued together and to the top of the sticks. I twisted some raffia with a drop spindle to help twist it to a more rope-like texture and wrapped  it where the stick and gem pairs meet. The tutorial I piggybacked on to make these is here.

Stamped Clay Markers

I saw some cute stamped clay markers over on the Reese Dixon blog that I loved and was planning on making until I saw someone combine clay and what looked like vintage knife handles on Facebook somewhere so I went this direction instead. I love these! I think they are super fun and colorful.

Chalkboard Markers

Little wooden plaques painted with chalkboard paint and framed with twigs make fun little markers. Probably not super practical for using in the middle of the garden where it might be subject to downpour and sprinklers but sheltered porch plants or plants growing inside would be great homes for these fun little markers. I ended up selling all of these so I didn't have any left for me, but I'm planning on making more for the fall sale.