A little something for Granny...

Happy Saturday and Happy St. Patty's Day! Well...sort of. This Saturday marks the nearing end of my spring break. Whomp whomp whomp! Spring Break 2012, it's been real... And yes, I am sitting at home blogging on St. Patty's Day and I am prefectly content in doing so. Don't judge me!

Shopping with Mom = a good time

I, however, have gotten a lot more done during the second half of spring break. This is a far cry from the unproductive first 1/2.
One of the things I did was complete that special project I started for Granny. I'll be seeing her tomorrow and cannot wait to give it to her. Don't worry, Granny is not a blogger so she probably won't see this ;-). I began by asking Granny for some old pictures of her and Gramps and the family. I am fascinated by old things and family history so this was particularly exciting for me. There is nothing like looking into the past and where you came from. I have an overwhelming sense of pride when I connect to my family heritage.

I took those photos that Granny so graciously entrusted me to take care of and had them scanned and resized as needed at Walgreens. Of course you could also do this at home with a printer/scanner and photo paper. I could see when she handed them over that she was a little hesitant...and understandably so. But I am proud to say I have all 17 photos in hand and they are unharmed.

So much family pride...the oldest pic dates back to 1918

So, on to the project...
I saw this FABULOUS idea on, of course, The Nate Berkus Show. First I hunted down old plates...found at dollar stores, flea markets, or in my case, in an adorable little antique mall in Hobbs. I had my eyes peeled for some that really screamed "Granny" and found them. Along with the copies of photos, I used sponge brushes and Mod Podge with glossy acrylic sealer.

All you need...

I first applied the Mod Podge with the sponges on the front of the plate and the back of the photo. It's goof proof (great for me) and dries clear so I brushed the entire plate- it does dry with brush strokes so I preferred covering the entire plate for consistency. I then placed the photo in the inset of the plate and allowed it to dry.

Next, I applied a coat of Mod Podge over the plate and allowed to dry. I used two coats of Mod Podge for each plate.



Finally, after the plates dried I used the acrylic sealer for extra protection. I used 2 coats.
I will be hanging these for Granny tomorrow using plate hangers I found at Hobby Lobby.

Granny gave me sooooo many pics and told me to choose, but HOW DO YOU DO THAT?!? So I decided to begin yet another project so I didn't have to choose...drink coasters! I found this idea on Pinterest and looooooved it! I bought travertine stone tiles from Home Depot (much cheaper when your not redoing an entire bath ;-), and cork lining in the drawer lining section-->very easy peel -n- stick!

I did the same thing with the coasters as I did with the plates. However, I did 4 coats of the acrylic sealer on these to protect from sweaty drinks. After it all dried I added the cork lining to the back and got some pretty presh coasters!




These all include photos of Granny and Gramps' family (my family). These photos hold so much significance, not only because of the history, but because we miss my Gramps tremendously and these photos are just another way to rememer him and celebrate his life!

 

Next on my list...do both of these projects for our home!

Here are some coasters my mom made with some photos she found in the house. So easy and so cheap!

Happy St. Patty's Day friends! Hope you're wearing green!