An old globe gets a coastal inspired make-over. (Using paper napkins and Mod Podge.)

Last week I took an old globe that I have made over several times and gave it a beachy-blue ombre paint job.  Today I wanted to show you that same globe with a coastal inspired make-over.  The materials needed for this project?  Paper napkins, Mod Podge and a little paint.

 

A few months ago I picked up what I thought were rather expensive paper napkins at Roger's Gardens.  (I tend to buy my napkins at the Dollar Store, so $5 for a pack of 20 seemed kind of pricey to me.)  However, I've now used them to make brunch invitations, candle holders, and now this globe make-over, so I am thinking they were a pretty good deal!

Start by spraying your globe with a white primer.  You want to make sure it's a solid color or the globe's markings will show through underneath the napkins.  In this particular instance I gave it a light coating of Rust-Oleum's Heirloom White as well, so that it was closer to the cream color of the napkins.

(NOTE:  Make sure you have just one ply of the napkin.  If you don't, it will wrinkle up too much.)

The napkins I used were 3-ply and had a colored trim around them, so I started by cutting that off, then I pulled off the printed ply of the napkin.  Cut it into strips about an inch wide and line them up in order so you can keep track of the pattern.  You can use scissors, but I though it was more efficacious to use my paper cutter.  If you don't have one, don't worry, scissors are just fine.

Brush a light coat of Mod Podge onto the globe where you want the strip of napkin to go and gently press it onto the globe.  I used Sparkle Mod Podge, but you can use any kind that you'd like.  Line up the patterns as you add the strips of napkins.

This was a bit of a challenge for me.  I started by using a longitude line on the globe as my guideline.  For the ombre globe, the latitude lines were helpful for creating the gradations of color.  For this project, it gave me an angular coverage and I found myself having to do a weird patchwork to finish up the coverage.  So yes, there is a "good side" on this globe, but the pattern is a forgiving one, so the spots where things don't quite line up isn't that big of a deal.  Just keepin' it real.

Once the Mod Podge had dried, I mixed a little bit of Martha Stewart's Habanero with a larger  amount of Carrot until I got a color that I liked.  Paint it on, let it dry, then enjoy your new coastal inspired globe for the summer.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!  I am loving these napkin crafts.

Brunch Invitations and DIY Glass Votive Candle Holders

You can check out all the changes this hard-working globe has gone through by clicking here:

Scary Places Chalkboard Globe

Halloween Ribbon Globe

Valentine's Day Globe

Beachy-Blue Ombre Globe

Do you have an item that gets frequent make-overs?  What is it?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

  about Vivienne Wagner

An easy recipe for cream-based pasta sauce (using store-bought cheese spread.)

Pasta: It's easy, filling and great comfort food.  It can get pretty boring though, if the only time you are eating it is with some type of red sauce.  Particularly if it's just jarred sauce.... not that there's anything wrong with that.
Yes, I am Italian, and yes, I take short-cuts in the kitchen all the time.  Today I'm going to share one of my favorite short-cuts for cream-based sauces.

 

These cream based dishes are easy to whip up and you can use whatever you happen to have on hand... as long as you have milk or cream and this:

I use Boursin cheese a lot and also use Alouette cheese as well, but any type of spreadable cheese that you might eat with crackers will work.  I like the kind that have garlic and herbs, or roasted red peppers, or in this case, Sundried Tomato & Basil.

Here's the basic recipe:
3 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
pinch of nutmeg
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups of milk or cream
1  6 to 8oz package of spreadable cheese
1 to 2 cups chicken broth

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet and saute onion and garlic until soft.  Add nutmeg and flour, stirring together to create a roux.  Lower the heat to medium-low and alternate adding milk/cream and cheese spread until it is all incorporated.

Let simmer for a few minutes, then add chicken broth in small amounts, until reaching your desired consistency.  Don't rush it... you can always add a bit more, you can't take it back out again.  Once you have the base sauce, you can add whatever else you like.

Once my sauce was simmering nicely, I added chopped, cooked chicken (about 2 cups), chopped bacon (1 pound), sauteed mushrooms (8 oz, sliced), a pinch of red pepper flakes and halved grape tomatoes just before serving.  It looked a little thick, so I added a bit more of the chicken broth until it was just right.

Serve over penne (or your favorite) pasta and top with a little fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.  Yum!  Mangia!

Do you have any short-cuts you like to use in the kitchen?

  about Vivienne Wagner

SNAP Conference Wrap-Up: Blogs you should be reading.

So last month I attended the SNAP Conference just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. It is a conference for creative bloggers, and let me tell you, it is a big deal for us... lots of fun, lots to learn, lots of blogging related stuff.   The fabulous Duck Brand was kind enough to sponsor my trip, and I will have some Duck Tape related projects to share with you very soon!

The way I figure it, most of you are NOT bloggers.  You might enjoy reading creative blogs, but you certainly are not interested in seeing how the sausage is made.  With that in mind, I wanted to share some blogs that I think are great reads and introduce you to some of the new blogs that I am reading as a result of meeting the women behind them.

Starting with my roommates and the amazing women I hung out with in our "Wine Wing" of the hotel after hours.  Jennifer from Always In Wonder, Heidi from Honeybear Lane and I had an adjoining room with Bev from Flamingo Toes (my SoCal Social co-founder), Kara at Mine For the Making and Michele from The Scrap Shoppe

And we spent so much time with Carolina from Always Expect Moore and 30 Minute Crafts that it felt like she was a roommate.  (That was a good thing!) Each one of these women is amazingly creative and talented.  Most of them have sewing tutorials and will walk you through how to make some incredible jewelry pieces as well. (Bev is particularly brilliant when it comes to the jewelry making...)   Both Heidi and Carolina make gorgeous quilts too.

I mentioned our "Wine Wing" of the hotel, and that is where we got to meet and get to know some of these incredible women a little bit better...

Shannon from Madigan Made, Diane from In My Own Style, Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick and Traci from Beneath My Heart have been favorite reads of mine for a long time and I was so happy to get to spend some time with them.  I also got to hang out with and be inspired by these women, who will give you recipes, creative ideas and tutorials on how to do awesome things:
Deneen at Dreaming In Color 
Stef from Girl. Inspired.  
Melissa from Number 2 Pencil
Allison from A Glimpse Inside
Amy from Positively Splendid
Laura from The Shed
Kristin from Yellow Bliss Road
Carissa from Creative Green Living
Sarah from Craft Quickies
Courtney from Sweet C's Designs (She's kinda wild.  Loved her!)
Heather from The Sewing Loft
Kelly from Nest of Posies
Maegan from SAHMaegan
Johnnie from Saved By Love Creations
Amy from Plucking Daisies
Allison from House of Hepworths
Jamie from C.R.A.F.T.

There's also Kami from No Biggie who is one of the sweetest people you could hope to meet, Karen, The Graphics Fairy who will give you all sorts of cool, FREE images to play with whenever you want them, and wonderful, creative peeps like Amy at The Idea Room, Desiree from The 36th Avenue, Jen from Tatertots and Jello.  

Hungry?  Ashlee from I'm Topsy Turvy and Heather from Whipperberry are the cake whisperers.  Want dessert?  Or anything else good to eat?  Check them out.  (They do lots of creative things... not just food.)  Also be sure to visit Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime, Laura from Pink Cake Plate and Kendra from My Insanity for more fabulous food and party ideas.

Stacy from Not Just A Housewife, Sandra from Sawdust Girl and Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl will teach you how to handle a DIY project like nobody's business and Lindsey from Better After showcases the best of the best before-and-afters!

And just in general, all around can do a bit of everything genius bloggers...?
Marrisa from Rae Gun Ramblings
Katie from Sweet Rose Studio
Natalie from A Turtle's Life For Me
Barbara from Chase the Star
Megan from Brassy Apple (If you need a little fashion inspiration, Megan's your girl!)
Crystal from A Pumpkin and A Princess
Jenn from Four Mars One Venus
Suzy from Suzy's Sitcom
Taryn from Design, Dining & Diapers (I am just drawn to images from her blog!)
Becky from Organizing Made Fun
Michell from Girl In Air
and finally, Lucy from Craftberry Bush.  The SNAP Conference is so big that I didn't even know that she was there, or I would have absolutely jumped on her and wigged out to meet her.  This woman is amazing and does the most beautiful projects!

To read SNAP Conference wrap-ups from other bloggers, you can click HERE.


  about Vivienne Wagner

World Market: a great source for gourmet foods and some cool gifts for dad.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of World Market for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Handsome Hubby is a wonderful father.  I am so lucky to parent with him and our boys are soooo lucky that they have him at the helm.  (Even if they don't always realize it at the time.) With all of the things HH does, it's nice to be able to just sit and relax, and sometimes (OK, often) means without the kids.  HH and I play games together all the time and have appetizers for dinner while we do it.

I thought it would be nice to try out some new snacks and goodies, so I headed over to World Market because they have such a great selection of unique food and drink.  (And all sorts of household items, decor, jewelry, etc.) I could easily spend hours in there just checking everything out, but this trip I headed straight to the food section.

There are tons of unique and delicious items to choose from.   I ended up picking up several yummies.

I poured some wine, got a double deck of cards so we could play one of our favorite games (Tic) and put out three different dipping oils, some gourmet salami and cheeses, a delish aritichoke pesto, some flatbread crackers and a little fruit.  It's an easy, casual way for dad to relax.
With Father's Day just around the corner, you might want to hit your local World Market and check out all of the great Father’s Day Gifts that they have to choose from.  Additionally, you should check out the World Market Facebook page.  They are having a sweepstakes where you could win a $1,000 gift card for you AND one for your dad!

 Nominate your Dad here.
Pretty cool right?  At any rate, no matter how you will be celebrating dad, chances are that you'll find just the right thing at World Market.
(And by the way?  I won the card game. heh heh. )

Sunday Rewind: "Spooning" artwork.

I loved this DIY artwork project about spooning!  This makes a great wedding or anniversary gift and is super easy to make.

Click HERE to see the easy tutorial.
Happy Memorial Day!


  about Vivienne Wagner

In case you missed it: Weekly Wrap-Up

How was your week?  Last weekend was pretty eventful, so I ended up slacking on Monday and Tuesday, but I needed it!  Here's what happened at least for half of the week.

Sunday Rewind: A hanging photo centerpiece.
Monday: Nuthin'.
Tuesday: Still nuthin'.

Wednesday: A coastal inspired Mother's Day Brunch.
Thursday: Patriotic project inspiration for Memorial weekend.
Friday: An easy Ombre Globe make over.

Hope you're having a great weekend!


about Vivienne Wagner

An easy ombre globe.

I love this little globe I picked up at a yard sale a few years ago.  I have transformed it a couple of times over.  It's had two Halloween make-overs and been repainted for Valentine's Day.  I have another project coming up, but in the meantime, I got a wild hair and decided to do a quick ombre treatment.

 

It's pretty fun, right?  I like that it's kind of beachy and that I can just paint over it and make it something else.

I started out by painting over the heart and text from the Valentine's Day globe. I just used a basic spray primer and grabbed 4 graduated shades of blue acrylic paint.  Fortunately, globes come with latitude lines.  These make great guidelines for painting the stripes of color.  I started in the middle (um, at the equator)  and then worked my way out from there, blending the colors as I went along.  Not. Rocket. Science.

Easy, fun and best of all, can be painted over the very second I get bored with it.

Scary Places Globe                                              Ribbon Globe                                             Valentine's Day Globe

Do you have a globe...?  Whatcha gonna do with it?

  about Vivienne Wagner