Remove Sticker Residue With… Peanut Butter?

Peanut butter… it’s not just for sandwiches and desserts anymore!

This is one of those things that I just HAD to share, because honestly, who would have thought of this?  Not me!

I needed one of my Mocha Frappuccino glass jars to make something, and so I removed the stickers.  However, it left a sticky residue behind… bummer! 

No big deal.  I just threw it in the dishwasher to get it off, but… it didn’t work.  Now what?

I went online and found this post.  It was unbelievable enough that I just had to try it.

Remove Sticker Goo

 

First, I spread the peanut butter over the residue, or “goo” as she called it.

 

Then I waited for approximately 15 minutes.  When I took a swipe off with a dry paper towel, I was amazed.  It took off the residue!

I then rinsed off all the peanut butter, leaving a thin greasy layer.  Using dry paper towels, I wiped off the rest of the peanut butter.  Holy Cow!! The glass was “goo” free.

However, was I a true believer?  Not quite.  Much to my husband’s dismay, I started going around the house and ripping off labels of glass and plastic jars alike, hoping it would leave a residue that water couldn’t take off.  Finally, I found a glass wine bottle and a PLASTIC Miracle Whip bottle (yes, it was still full, but who really needs the label).

I repeated the process from before.  The peanut butter helped take off the residue on the plastic.  It did need a little more scrubbing with my hands along with some dish soap, but it wasn’t much more work than before. 

Then there was the wine bottle.  There were two labels, one on each side.  The peanut butter took off one, but not the other, so I took rubbing alcohol to the remaining residue.  When that didn’t work, I tried cooking oil.  Yep, that didn’t work either.  Then, I tried white vinegar, then soap and water.  After all that, the residue was still there, so I just checked it off to being a mutant label that would never be fully cleaned off. 

**Yeah right, I’ll take some WD-40 to it before I let it win this battle.  My competitive nature has now kicked in, even if it is with an adamant object.**

In conclusion, other than mutant labels, peanut butter is a great and natural way to get sticker residue off of glass AND plastic.

 

This whole experience reminded me of the time when I got tar all over the bottom of my feet as a little girl at my grandparents’ house.  What do you think was used to clean it off?  That’s right… peanut butter!

What other unique uses for peanut butter can you think of?

Be sure to let me know if you tried this, and how it worked for YOU!

Until then…

Happy DIY-ing!

Glass Etching Made Easy!

Okay, tell me what you know about the famous duo Bonnie and Clyde? 

• Murdering thieves from the 1930s
• In love with each other, but never married.
• Died in their car from a police shoot out with Bonnie’s half eaten sandwich still in her hand.
• Oh… and a favorite couple to my brother and his girlfriend.

That got me inspired, so this Christmas I made a gift that was personalized, just for them. 

Time for a little glass etching!  Okay, get out your sandblaster.  Oh… You don’t have one?  Okay, bring out your laser machine.  What?? You don’t have one of those either?  Geez, you’re not making this easy on me.

Ha!  Only kidding.  The Dremel way does look kind of fun, and I might try it at a later date, but this time I’m going to show you the easiest way ever to etch glass, without those big and expensive machines. 

Anybody can do this, and it makes GREAT gifts. 

Items need:

• Glass to etch
• Armour Etch cream.  (You can find it at just about any craft department.  I found mine at Michaels.  It will be close to $18 for a small bottle, but let me tell you, it lasts forever!)
• Gloves
• Paint Brush
• Design for your glass
• Contact Paper
• Cutting Mat
• Exacto knife or other sharp blade (I even used a box cutter once)

 

First step… Get the glass.  It doesn’t have to be big and expensive.  It just has to be glass.  I’ll let you in on a little secret, but don’t say anything… The glasses I used in this project were from the Dollar Store.  Two bucks was all it took to start this project off.

First, you are going to cut your contact paper to the same size as your design on the paper.  Take the backing off the contact paper, and stick it to your cutting mat.  Next, tape your paper design right over the top of it.

 

Now it’s time to start cutting.  This is where I’m always griping about how I want a printer that will cut out designs for me, but until I get one, this will do just fine. 

As you’re cutting, remove the letters from the contact paper.

Once you’re all done cutting your design, remove the paper, and underneath should be your very own stick-able stencil.  **Be sure to leave the inside of letters such as “O”, “P”, “B”, etcetera! You will need them later.**

Now, make sure your glass is clean.  Take some rubbing alcohol, put some on a cloth, and wipe down the glass.  This will help remove any debris and fingerprints.

Next, carefully remove your stencil from the cutting mat, and place it on the glass where you want the design to be.  Be sure to smooth out all the bubbles.  This can be easy or hard depending on the shape of the glass.

**Don’t forget to put the insides of your letters, which I told you to save, back in their place.  This will make it so you get the outline of the letter, and not just a big blob.**

If the edge of your stencil is close to your design, put tape along the edge. This will give more of a buffer to prevent the etching cream from getting where you don’t want it to go. Just remember, wherever the cream goes, it will be etched.    

Once you got it taped off and all the bubbles are out, it’s time to etch. 

This is where you put on your gloves.  **I know, I know!  The pictures show me not using gloves, but it IS an important step in protecting your hands.  This is an acid… enough said.**

Shake/Stir your Armour Etch.  Now, using your paint brush, dip it in the bottle and paint over your design, using a liberal amount. 

**This is where the directions say to paint over once and let it sit for 1-3 minutes.  I’ve done that, and it was okay.  However, it just didn’t seem as bold as I wanted it to be.  That’s when I found this video, and once I started doing what he said, I got the results I was looking for.** 

YouTube - Better Results for Etching

Basically it’s this…

• Paint it on as directed
• Set your timer for six minutes, maybe a little more for bigger areas.
• Then paint over it again going a certain direction.
• Get some more cream and go over it again using another direction.
• Do it again with another different direction. 
• Use vertical stokes, then horizontal, then diagonal, then diagonal the other way; in any order you wish.
• Scrape the cream that’s left on your brush back into the bottle. Then let it sit for the remainder of the time.

Time to rinse it off.  Put it under the running faucet, and use your paint brush to help clean off the cream with the water running over it.  Bonus… Your paint brush gets clean at the same time.

Take off your stencil, dry it off, and voila!  You have a beautiful etched glass piece.

Uh Oh!! The shape of my Bonnie and Clyde glasses are square at the bottom and I missed a few folds that formed along the “C”, hence a distorted looking letter where the cream seeped through. 

Now, I only recommend this fix if you have steady hands!!  I happen to have said hands. 

Freehanded, I took a liberal amount of cream and painted along the edge of the letter, to make the edge more unified. 

I let it sit, and once I rinsed off the cream, I got the look I was going for.

 

The first time I ever did this, I made wine glasses for my mom.  She absolutely loved them because they were original and PERFECT for her. 

After that, I went a little crazy and started etching everything around our house where I thought it would look good. 

Then I made a father’s day gift to my husband.

The look on my brother and his girlfriend’s faces were priceless when they opened their gifts this Christmas.  I gave the Bonnie glass to her and the Clyde glass to him.  They couldn’t get over how much they liked them, and that’s why I love doing this technique so much.

 

(Before you ask... Yes, that is toilet paper on our Christmas tree.  Our resident elf, Applejack, put it there, and the kids loved it so much to keep it on there.)

What’s your favorite glass etching technique?

If you’ve done this before, don’t be shy and share some tips that you’ve picked up along the way.

Lastly, if you try this out, be sure to send me pictures, and let me know what you thought.

Until then…

HAPPY DIY-ING!!

Peekaboo Shoulder Sweatshirt

I have fallen in love with a sweatshirt of all things, and better yet… I can wear it anywhere.  It still has the comfort of a sweatshirt, but with a style that gives it some flare.  I’ve even been asked where I bought it.  I gotta say, it’s a little thrilling to be able to say that I put it together myself. 

Here’s how I did it.

This was a combination of a blog and a video. 

5 DIY Sweatshirts

Peekaboo Shoulders

Find a sweatshirt that you like.  I started off with a men’s XL sweatshirt. 

 

I loved the color, but the fit was horrible.  So, I revamped it a little.

First, I cut off the bottom of the sweatshirt as well as the ribbing on the arms.

Then, I went ahead and resized it to fit me better by taking in the sides and also in the armpit area.  Once that was done, I tried it on and even though I liked the fit, I realized that I liked it better with the ribbing ON at the bottom of the sweatshirt and at my wrists.  Yes, I'm a little indecisive.  

Time for a little seam ripping.  I took off the excess fabric that was cut off with the ribbing, then pinned it to the new edge of the sweatshirt (right sides together).  Once all pinned, I sewed them together using a ¼” seam, stretching it tight as I went.

 

**This was when I found that the base of sewing machines can be removed for easily sewing around arm and leg holes.  It might have been a no-brainer to some people, but to others that are learning as they go, it was like striking gold!**

Now I was ready for the next step… The peekaboo shoulders.

When you have a sweatshirt that fits how you like, put it on and make chalk marks where you want the opening to start and stop, on your shoulder and on your arm.  Then cut out the opening just inside your chalk marks.

**Be sure to cut out a little at first, then put it on to see if how much more you want to cut, if any.  I’m going to sound like a mom here…  You can always cut more off, but you can’t put it back on.  (In actuality, you can, but it would take restyling, more time, plus extra effort. Ugh!)**

Fold the sweatshirt in half lengthwise so the seams match, and cut the other shoulder in line with the first. 

Then turn in the edges on the shoulders a small amount and glue with liquid stitch.  I liked this idea for the hem because it made it so no stitching could be seen from the outside. 

Now, in the blog post, she sewed on pearls around the edges of the shoulders.  I wasn’t a fan of that look, but I agreed that the sweatshirt needed something more. That’s when I remembered the video I watched where she glued a statement necklace to a sweatshirt, and I knew that that’s what I wanted to do. 

I found an inexpensive necklace at the store, and took out my E6000 glue. 

**Warning, exposure to said glue could cause kidney damage.**  What??  That’s a new one.  You know it’s has to be some good glue when it can cause bodily harm. That said… use with caution!**   

Place the necklace where you want it, put a strip of glue against the neckline of the shirt stopping at the shoulder seams, and pressed the necklace in place.  Once the glue dries, remove the remaining links that aren’t glued down at the back of your shirt. 

Now, mine did stick with just the glue, but I wanted to make sure it didn’t go anywhere, so I also sewed it down, making sure to hide all the stitches. 

That was it. It’s fairly simple and now I have a sweatshirt that looks and feels great.

Then there’s me playing around and making faces at my daughter.  Thought you might like these…

I definitely plan on using one or both techniques again, so be sure to keep a look out.

Make sure to send a picture or let me know if you make a sweatshirt like this.  I would love to see what you come up with.

If you have any other ideas or tips, be sure to leave a comment.  I’m always open to learning new things!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!

Monogrammed Address Sign

So, I’ve lived in my house now for almost nine years, and there’s one thing that has been sorely neglected; our address sign.  The post and wood plaque were from before we moved here, and they were never treated in any way.  When more numbers had fallen off than were still on, I decided to take it down with the intention of redoing it. 

Two years later, it still wasn’t done.  When you live out in the country and your mailbox is half a mile away, house addresses aren’t needed very often.  However, this Christmas we ordered an expensive gift for my in-laws, and it was delivered to my neighbors.  That was too close! It was finally time…

We had recently painted our front door a beautiful red, so with the left over paint, I decided to spruce up the post.  Two coats was all that was needed.

 

That done, it was time for the sign itself.  I went out and bought black numbers, with the intension of using the original sign and painting it with white acrylic paint.  I knew that the three colors together would give it a more sophisticated feel.

Something was missing though; a personal touch that would make it stand out.  I started searching the web, and found my inspiration. 

Monogrammed Outdoor Sign

I used the same technique and painted the edges black to lock in the sign.  I tried to tape off around the edges first, but since the sign was older, it wasn’t a smooth and flat surface.  I knew I could do a better job free handing it, so that’s what I did.  The sign already had the decorative edge, so it was easy to use the lines as a guide.   

Then, came the monogramming part.  I could have very easily printed off a “W” and cut it out, but I wasn’t exactly sure how big or wide I was going to make it.  Here’s my secret…  I found the letter “W” on my iPad, increased it to the size I wanted, put a white piece of paper over the top of it, and lightly traced it.  The iPad worked as a type of light box, and it was very simple to see through the paper. 

**I do NOT recommend this shortcut for anyone that doesn’t have proper protection over their screen, and I’m positive that APPLE would frown upon this idea.**

Once I got the letter on the paper, I cut it out, placed it where I wanted it, and traced around it onto the wood.  Using my steady hand, and a small paintbrush, I painted the letter black to match the rest of the sign, using an acrylic paint once again.  I chose not to add any extra design to it, instead kept it nice and simple.

I sealed it with Mod Podge to protect the paint, and let it dry.  Next, was to place the numbers where I wanted them. 

I’m known to be a little over creative sometimes, but since the sign was looking so unified, I decided to keep the numbers strait and even. Once, I centered the middle number, I eyeballed where I wanted each number to be, but made sure they were all an equal distance from the bottom.    

Here came the most interesting part for me.  They were nail on numbers with two nail holes per number.  At first, I nailed in one nail and when the number shifted on me, I had to go back and make sure it was strait all over again before hammering in the second nail.  After the first number, I found that it was easier to make an small indent in each nail hole where I wanted the nail to be, then start hammering.  That way, no matter how much it moved, I knew exactly where to put it back to. 

After a few grumbles, a couple crooked pounds, and a lot of curses when I hit my thumb, the sign was put together, and looked fantastic.  It feels nice to have checked this task of my long list of things to do.  Not to mention that I love having a piece of our family hanging out for everyone to see.

**Our original sign had hooks on it already, but if you’re starting with a new one, EYE hooks and S hooks are what you’ll want.**

Do you like this idea?

Let me know what you think, or even send a picture of your creative address sign, so I can see what YOU came up with.  

 

Happy DIY-ing!