How to easily decorate a special rock with decoupage or paint

Painting rocks are all the rage at the moment, but I've been painting and decorating rocks for ages.  When I travel out of state or country I skip the gift shops with their souvenirs often made in China. Instead, I pick up a local rock.  This special rock is actually a piece of your trip. It doesn't have to be large, just large enough to paint or decoupage on.

So for a real souvenir of your travels, pick up a rock, paper, and scissors and you will be all set.  If you are not into decorating rocks, shells or driftwood works just as well.

If you choose to paint your rock instead of decoupage, simply use a small paintbrush and acrylic paints of your choice. What a great way for kids to create a very special rock!

You will need:

Rock, shell, or driftwood in your choice of size

Modpodge decoupage glue (You can use outdoor modpodge if your rock is large and you want to display it outdoors)

Sharpie marker

Computer and printer

Scissors

Small paintbrush

Waxed paper

1.     Wash and dry the rock.  Gather your supplies and cover your work surface with some waxed paper. Use your printer to print an image that represents the area or an even a small personal photo on all-purpose paper.  Carefully cut out the image. (I like to use the state seals)

2.     Brush some Modpodge glue generously on the flattest side of the rock.  Place the image on the glued area and brush some more glue on top.  Let dry.  When dry brush another coat over entire rock.  Let dry. The glue dries clear.

3.     When the glue has dried use a sharpie marker to write the place and date on the rock.  You can also write a small quote if you wish.  You can write on the back or the bottom optionally.  Brush another coat of Modpodge glue on the writing to protect it.

Note:  You can also use personal vacation photos, tickets, images cut out from travel pamphlets.  The sky is the limit for personalization! When you have finished you will have a lasting memento of your travels that is actually a piece of the place.

I'd love to hear your comments!  And be sure and stop by Make it easy crafts again and say hello!

How to make an easy refillable travel duct tape wipe pack

Flushable wipes have come a long way.  Many are safe for septic and sewer systems. And if you are concerned one can always use a trash can.  They usually come in packs of 40 but some stores sell small packs of 10 for travel. These travel packs of 10 are a little pricey when you consider how much a larger pack sells for. So I figured why not make a refillable travel duct tape wipe pack? 

Public toilets and porta potties at sporting events are often out of paper and unclean.  All you need to make this refillable travel duct tape wipe pack is some duct tape, a Ziploc sandwich bag, and the plastic top opener that comes on soft packs of flushable wipes. 

Materials:

Duct tape in your choice of color or print

Recycled plastic top opener

Scissors

X-acto or craft knife

Ziploc bag

Cutting mat

Piece of corrugated cardboard

Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Ruler

1.  Cut off the plastic top opener from a used pack of a soft pack of flushable wipes and remove the entire plastic wrapper.

2.  Next, cut the bottom of a Ziploc quart sized storage bag to the size that will fit the wipes.  Don’t worry about it; you will be covering it with duct tape.

3.  Now working on a cutting mat, place a strip of duct tape across the bottom about an inch or so overlapping the bottom.

4.  Continue adding strips of duct tape across the bag until you have covered the entire side and reach the top (zipper) edge.  Now turn over and fold the sides and bottom edges to the opposite side. 

5.  Repeat step 3 and 4 or the second side.  Cover the entire back with duct tape.  Now cut a piece of corrugated cardboard the size to fit inside the bag.  Unzip and insert the cardboard. 

6.  Use a glue gun to attach the plastic opener to one side, center of the pack.  Make sure you only add hot glue to the edges around so that the opener will still open. 

7.  Open the opener and cut out the center duct tape area.

8.  Open the zipper area and fill with wipes. Take your refillable duct tape wipe pack with you wherever you go and fill it back as needed.