Blog: homedecor

Upcycled , Recycled: Stenciled Coasters Project

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These coasters were so much fun to make. A couple years ago, someone had given me those coasters, which were pretty, but not quite my taste. Time to upcylce and recylce!

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I painted all coasters in the same color  mix of two different blues with acrylic paint and let them dry.

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Then I grabbed the Buenos Aires, Santiago and Toledo 4×4 stencils which fit exactly onto the coaster. For some coasters I simply placed the stencil on top of the surface and stenciled with a different acrylic paint color through.

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For some I layered some color directly on top of my blue background and then placed the stencil in the wet paint surface and removed paint through the stencil with a baby wipe.

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Once all the stenciling was done and the paint was dry, I coated the coasters with Pouring Medium. I let everything dry overnight and gave them another coating with Pouring Medium to seal the surface off and also to give the coasters some depth and sheen.

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And here you go – the different coasters

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I gave those to my sister in law and she really loved them as they are in her favorite colors. Now …time to make some for myself…maybe for Thanksgiving .

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Here are the supplies I used to make those coasters – some are affiliate links:

supplies



What have you put aside to upcylce or recylcle, but haven’t gotten around to do it yet?

Comments (2)

  • Joi@RR

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    These turned out so much more YOU Nat! Perfect way to showcase your stencils. Xj.

    Reply

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Photo Booth Wall Art or …Blog Response

NatKalbach_PhotoboothFun

If you are a reader of my friend’s Julie Fei-Fan Balzer you probably saw her fun post about what she did with those photo booth strips that she and I took during her visit here in Hamburg. I totally love what she did with them – and I cannot wait to see it in person. At the end of her post she asks “What have you done to display your photo booth strips?” – and here comes my Blog Response :)

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A couple of years – many years ago – my husband and I took a photo strip at a booth in San Francisco. It was one of our first really big trips together and I totally love this little photo strip. I went to a professional photography studio and asked if they could print it on a very large and long canvas. The photo strip itself on the canvas is now 4.5×24 inches- just to give you a reference – here is a pic of me sticking my finger out- so you have a reference ;)

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At first the photoplace wasn’t weren’t sure it would work  because of the resolution of the photo booth strip (my photos here are actually a bit blurry but the print itself is not) and because it is so much smaller than I then actually wanted it to be printed – but it worked – And I love love love it. It wasn’t cheap as I remember –  I am sure you can get it cheaper nowadays – even just scan it in at a very good resolution, maybe play a bit in photoshop and then upload it to any of those services that do print photos on canvases. It is a great memory :)

Maybe I should have the Julie and Nat photo strips printed on canvas for my new studio :)

 

Have a gorgeous day

Nat

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Comments (8)

  • Neil Mackenzie

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    I love your photo Booth images, every one gets inside and turn into teenagers!

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  • Madeline Rains

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    I love this. Your husband is American? He looks so European to me. Such a cute couple!

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  • Corrine

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    Sweet….what is it about photo booths that make us get so silly…….love your friendship with Julie and how you two always light up around each other in every photo. Cute hubby.

    xox

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  • Lisa Flaherty

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    What an awesome thing to do, Nat! I love it!

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  • Gunvor

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    What a cool idea!

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  • Sue Clarke

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    Great idea and yes, you should have the ones from Julie’s visit hanging up in your new studio.

    Reply

  • Helen

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    What a great idea and a lovely reminder of a happy memory.

    Reply

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A Good Day or…Spring Texture Canvas

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It was time to get some spring feeling into the house. Outside a constant freezing cold breeze alternating with snow flakes make it hard to believe that I am on track with the right date. I might have missed something…probably spring was just postponed this year ;)

I had a lot of fun playing around with some stuff I had at hands though…so that made up for the weather.

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A different kind of texture…making me happy..I am just a dork when it comes to texture- LOL

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Used: Liquitex Professional Spray Paints, Liquitex Acrylic Paints, Liquitex Professional Paint Markers, Liquitex Gel Medium, Signo Pen, Birch Panel, Norwegian Reindeer Moss, Eggs, Feathers, Branch

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I am ready dear spring…VERY ready…

Wishing you a gorgeous sunny spring day :)

Nat

 

Comments (23)

  • Denise spillane

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    Love this project. Nature is such a wonderful topic for inspiration

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  • Michelle Looi

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    This is absolutely gorgeous! Such a masterpiece!

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  • Marsha.

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    Cool! Love it!
    I seem to have forgotten to decorate for Easter this year… All the Easter crafts I created this year were commissioned, so all of them have unfortunately left the building. I promise (myself) to do better next year ;-).

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  • Yvonne

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    WOWWW! Das gefällt mir supergut! LG aus Frankfurt, Yvonne

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  • Susan

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    Lovely! Love the flowers too. I’ve got the same colors but roses.
    I’ve tried out your tape tutorial and really loved it.

    Reply

  • Kathy Gledsdale

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    Oh this is so lovely!

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  • Carrie

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    i ADORE this canvas! Spring is struggling here, too, where it snowed yesterday and continues to be cold. But here you’ve put together my favorite Spring colors AND my favorite Spring textures! The moss is fabulous, and the speckled eggs look great with it. Wish I could find a cool birch panel like the one you used here. Love, love, LOVE it!

    Reply

    • Nathalie Kalbach

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      Carrie…I had found them once in a decoration store for christmas stuff…They were stacked and bound with metal and I instantly thought I would take them apart- LOL. I wish I had another one- I would have sent it to you – but I think I used the last.

      Reply

      • Carrie

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        Aw, thank you for even thinking of it! That’s very sweet. What a great find!

        Reply

  • Nurse Ratchet

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    That is exactly what it looks like in Toronto…. A wee bit of colour here and there. I was actually noticing this morning how many birds I am hearing this week…oh and the local woodpecker is waking up the neighbourhood ! Not me, I only hear the owl occasionally when I leave before dawn!! The canvas is stunning and I love your use of eggs!!!

    Reply

  • Lena

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    Hallo du! “Schön”” dass es dir da oben nicht besser geht wie uns in Lux…(definitiv NICHT ernst gemeint!) . Du hast mich wieder inspiriert – los geht’s – danke! Alles Liebe. Lena

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    • Nathalie Kalbach

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      LOL- dabei war zumindest an dem Wochenende als ich da war besseres Wochenende in Luxemburg als hier ;) Sei gedrückt! Nat

      Reply

  • Kathy P

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    So cool, Nat! Great texture, perfect for this season!

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  • Jackie

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    OH Nat- I love it! Beautiful background

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  • Sue Clarke

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    Just the thing to add to your wall to force some Spring (at least inside). We are done with winter here in NH and hoping for some Spring as well!

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  • Ann

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    it’s beautiful!!!

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  • Tash Daly

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    Super cute and oh so stylish and creative. Awesome job!

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  • sabelljones

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    love it! simple yet stunning, just beautiful!!

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  • Stephanie Schütze

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    Wunder- wunder- wunderbar. Toller background und so ein süsses Nest. Oh das harmoniert alles so schön miteinander, könnt ich grad ewig betrachten!

    Reply

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