Back to School Crafts: Button Thumbtacks

Aren't these just darling? I had so many buttons that were cute, but not quite cute enough to be ring material and so they became these sweet little button thumbtacks!

And here's the tutorial:

Buttons + E6000 Glue + Thumbtack = Button Thumbtack.

Please leave a comment if you're interested in more detail than that.

(In all seriousness, please comment. I will not judge you, I promise, and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.) 

I found that it was easiest to push the thumbtacks into something (I used the cardboard they came in, but a cork board would work too) while I glued the button on to the top so that the glue didn't seep through the button holes, but after that glue started to set up I took the tacks out of the board and laid them button side down so that they would fully dry straight.

 

And that's it! Enjoy!

peace&love,

Jill

Back to School Crafts: Magnetic Pencil Holder Tutorial

 

I don't think any thrift store in America can be complete without one of these cups. It looks harmless enough and then... wait for it...

So snarky. I love it.

But this particular cup caught my eye for another reason. How perfect would this be, I thought, to hold pens and pencils on the refrigerator so I can find them when I need them? Very perfect.

So here's what I started with:

 

Mod Podge

Scissors

Paintbrush (for applying the Mod Podge)

Scrapbooking paper

Sheet music

Buttons

Mug

Banner (from a scrapbooking set)

Not Pictured: magnets and E6000 glue to affix the magnets, gold paint

I started by cutting the scrapbooking paper into strips to mod podge onto the mug.

Then I began mod podging the strips onto the mug, applying the glue to the mug and then also paint over the strips. I cut the bottom of the strips that wrapped over the curve of the cup about every 1/3 inch so that they would wrap around the mug more smoothly. I did the same thing around the handle, carefully cutting the paper often to wrap around the curve.

Then I added the music and quote on top with more Mod Podge.

After all that dried I used the E6000 to glue on the buttons, and after that dried I glued the magnets on the back.

 

I found this configuration to be the most stable.

After everything dried I used the gold paint to add some embellishments and paint the top rim of the mug to disguise the seam between the scrapbooking paper and the mug and give it a finished look.

Ta-da! Super love. 

You could easily adapt this tutorial to use a regular mug as a pencil holder for your desk as well, especially if your thift store is out of its yearly allotment of snarky mugs. 

If you make it, I want to see it!

peace&love,

Jill