No matter the real weather, it is always a beautiful day at my house where I regularly daycare children.
One of the little boy's 8 year old sister was out of school. So, her mother asked if she could spend the day with me; and of course that was just fine. Every time his sister comes over she likes to have something fun to do.
This particular day I decided to let her paint a Mod Podge hanging. if she can do it, U2 Can do it. Don't be miss-led by the name, Mod Podge, almost all of us have heard about decoupaging before. That is what Mod Podge really is; the maker just decided to kid-i-fy it, that is they gave it a new and easy name that kids find easy and fun to remember.
It is a lot of fun, and kids seriously engage themselves in it without much supervision. While you may have the urge to coach them and stand over their shoulder, there is not much they can do wrong. So, just let them take the project and run with the few basic instructions you give them. They will ask you when they think they need help.
First I find a wooden or any kind of plaque, which is what will be "podged" on. We are going to use a wooden plaque that we can display somewhere prominently. By the way, kids really like it when you display their handiwork for God, the world and everyone to see.
Then I put down the newspaper. I always then lay 2 pieces of computer paper on top, as when the newspaper gets wet it has a tendency to stick to the back of the wooden plaque.
Next I gave her the Mod Podge and a paint brush. You don't need a large brush, just one about 1 to 1 1/2 in. wide. You put your plaque on top of the paper.
Now it's time for the fun to begin. Carefully Abby painted the entire plaque with the Mod Podge, all around the sides and the top, really well. If the wood is a little splintery it may need a little sanding first.
While the Mod Podge is still wet, carefully place your verse or picture evenly on the top. Try to smooth out any bubbles.
Then take the brush and dip it in the Mod Podge. Do not get too much on the brush at a time. Then spreading in the same direction, make even strokes back and forth until you have covered your picture. If bubbles appear, put a little Mod Podge on your index finger and try to gently rub them out. (Do not be alarmed if some of the bubbles remain.) When the picture completely dried on our project, they disappeared.
Put a little hanger on the back of the wooden plaque or use a stand, whatever you prefer, and there you have a finished project.
Abby has a beautiful scripture of Philippians 4:8 on her plaque:
Finally Brethren,
- whatever is true,
- whatever is honorable,
- whatever is right,
- whatever is pure,
- whatever is lovely,
- whatever is of good repute,
- if there is any excellence
- and anything worthy of praise,
- dwell on these things.
This is a life building and saving verse that I always want to remember. And I want to pass it on because it has always been so helpful to me. I mean, how many times have you ever wondered if something was good or bad? This verse is a God-given way to think about everything and anything. Whatever thought that comes in to my mind, I test it according to Philippians 4:8 to determine if it is a Godly thought. if it doesn't pass the Philippians 4:8 test, I just consider the source and put it out of my mind.
What a wonderful scripture for a young child or a person of any age to learn. That verse should be our filter for life.
Always think the very best of others. Always do what is right just because it's the right thing to do. This verse sums it all up so well. Ideas for Mod Podge could be to use a picture of your child to give as a gift on Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, etc. Everyone always likes to receive a picture. You could use a beautiful poem, or a song. It's really what ever you think would be special.
I have taken the opportunity to provide you with a sample of old parchment paper I made by superimposing a picture of a leaf pattern on top of a MS Word document and then converting it to a PDF file so I could give it to you. You can Google for any kind of background or picture to use. Also, you may find some useful backgrounds and textures in MSWord under "Format." Then pick out a message and the type style you want for your font from your font format menu in MSWord.
To download the samples I have provided, free of charge, simply click on the links to follow. Oh, I would be ever so grateful if you could leave your email as a follower of my blog. The little box is located at the top of the blog. That way, you will always be notified when I have posted something new and I will know who my blog friends are. Also, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post, as I want to know what you think of the post and get any ideas from you about how to make it better or what to include. Here are the links:
- floral-parchmant-full-page.pdf
- my_peace_floral_parchmant.pdf
- The Fruit of the Spirit-galatians-5-22-23.pdf
- Wisdom from Above-james-3-17-18.pdf
- God's Plans for Me-jerimiah-29-11-14.pdf
- How to Get Wisdom-proverbs-2-6.pdf
- Live in a Worthy Manner-1-peter-1-13-16.pdf
- Produce Fruit Exponentially-2-peter-1-5-8.pdf
- Brought from Dark Into Light-ephesians-5-8-12.pdf
Also it was fun to hear her tell of summer camp and the times she had actually done this kind of project before. Kids have a lot of stories, and many times they just want a listening ear. It makes them feel important. And letting her do the project almost 100% on her own did just that. She was very proud and I just kept saying, "Abby you are doing a Great job." Every child needs to hear that.
If more children were told that, I believe we would live in a different kind of world. Enjoy and please share other things you have tried with Mod Podge. We would LOVE to hear your ideas for a wonderful project!
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