I have had several comments asking about the status of my painted countertops.  You can read all about them HERE.  It's hard to believe that it's been 4 years since I painted them!  

 I have really good news for anyone who is considering doing this.  They are GREAT!  I have had no problems with them and I still LOVE them.  They clean up really well with any kitchen cleaning spray.  I haven't noticed any stains at all. (To be fair, though, they are painted in a way that wouldn't show most small stains.)  The only small issue I have is one edge that takes a beating is getting worn down.  I periodically touch it up with a paint pen and clear fingernail polish and no one would ever know.  If I were to do it all over again, I would have made sure those edges were covered really well with the clear finish.

Several companies now have counter painting kits that you can buy.  I think the thing I like best about mine are the shiny finish.  I'm not certain that those kits will give you that finish.  

I would highly recommend taking this on if you are a DIYer and you want to save major $ on a countertops!  GOOD LUCK!!!

Art Assistance Required

I am the room mom for my 5th graders class. Whew….that’s a lot of pressure!  I am a room parent veteran, but 5th grade is a tough crowd.  They think they are much older and cooler than they actually are so no dumb games or craft projects (my kid’s words).  I am a BIG fan of having all the kids make something special for the teacher as a gift.  This year, inspiration came in the form of this painting that I found on Etsy.  (I can’t find it anymore to give credit where credit is due!)

I got permission to come in and have 15 minutes of time with the kids so we could work on our little project.  I gave each student a 3x3 piece of green cardstock and a black ball point pen.  I asked them to write their name in a circle over and over and over…..  As you can imagine, some kids LOVED this and others whined.  (Mine whined.)  I did not tell them exactly what I was going to do with the paper so they wouldn’t be tempted to blow the surprise for their teacher.

I cut the papers into circles.  I did this freehand because I wanted it to be abstract and not perfectly perfect. 

I painted an 11x14 canvas red and added some swirls.  I also painted a very imperfect green triangle in the middle just in case any of the background would show through my circles.  I Mod Podged the circles onto the canvas, added a star and some ornaments and then put several coats of Mod Podge over the whole thing.

And I think the finished product turned out great!  Mrs. Bollinger loved it and the kids were so proud!  Total cost….hmmm……about $3.00 for the canvas.  (Two pack at Hobby Lobby is $7.99 but I used a 40% off coupon.) 

I am lucky to have super generous parents in my class so just in case of them wonder where all the $ they donated went, we also got her gift cards to Steak and Shake (her request).