creative jewish mom

How To Make A Stunning River Table Without Investment Using Recycled Materials

Photo Credit: Boulder Wood Works on Etsy.com has reasonably prices tables and has received great reviews for those who are not DIY inclined!

River tables are all the rage, but what is a river table exactly? A river table consists of two basic materials: wood and epoxy resin, together with a base and/or legs of some kind. Wooden planks, and in this case recycled wooden planks, are laid lengthwise on each outer edge of the table, such that the space between the two pieces of wood is filled with epoxy resin, either colored or clear. The wood planks can be shaped on their inner edges to look more organic, and thus the section of resin looks like a river, hence the name. Epoxy resin river tables have gained popularity because of the variety of unique designs you can create when making a one-of-a-kind piece. The exotic beauty of the finished product attracts the interest of all those who see it, and it is both artful and useful!

There are many ways to design an epoxy resin river table: you can go conservative, sleek, natural, or choose to add color or even sparkle. Generally, creating an epoxy resin river table
without any color is attractive enough. But adding color to epoxy makes the furniture more aesthetically pleasing. So, if you want a more artistic and colorful resin table for your home,
you should start looking for the best way to color it. Also, it’s important to know that there are various methods to make your table eye-catching. These can include alcohol-based ink dye, resin
dye, acrylic paint and even glitters. However, if you don’t know what to do, you can check some reliable websites and other platforms to obtain information about how to colour epoxy resin.

On the other hand, you need to understand that making a stunning river table doesn’t always have to be challenging. According to River Table Guide by Resin-Expert.com you don’t have to be a professional to create your own river table. With materials readily available online, you really can create a river table in keeping with your own concept and personal style. And why not make use of materials that you’d thought about throwing out by including them in your river table?

If you are actually looking for a resin project that is an epoxy ocean coffee table, complete with a beach, I have a great source for you, that includes a great chart showing the 3 day process involved to make a gorgeous epoxy resin table. I'm a visual learner so the chart really spells it all out and makes the project easy to understand. You might even want to print the chart and include the whole family in the process. After each step is done you can cross it off. Epoxy projects do require patience though the results are worth the wait. Once you have mastered the new technique of creating an ocean epoxy resin table top, you can certainly opt to use various ocean embellishments such as: natural sand, rocks, shells, and much more. One-of-a-kind absolutely amazing resin artwork is a DIY that you can make in multiples to give as gifts or even sell! Of course if you fall in love with this idea, but don't have the time to DIY at the moment, you might consider purchasing an inexpensive ocean theme epoxy resin table from IntoResin.

Okay, epoxy resin is so exciting it is hard to stay on track, but lets get back to the subject of this post, which is how to make an epoxy river table. Let's do it!

A DIY Stenciled Coat Rack For Kids From Odds And Ends

Sometimes blog posts come about in the most interesting ways, and this one is no exception! I just posted an article about summer decorating tips, and then I saw that one of our Craft Schooling Sunday regulars had a linky party with stencilling as the theme. I certainly have some stencilling projects in my archive, I thought to myself, totally forgetting about this little stencilled coat rack, which I then came across and just had to share again, as it is stlll cute as can be! My photography 9 years ago certainly leaves something to be desired, but the project, love it! I made this coat rack for my kids to hang their coats and backpacks, so it is also a bit nostalgic since those little ones are now teens with different needs, where do the years go?

That said when making a coat rack for kids it might just be wise to use scraps of formica covered wood, or drawer ends (which I believe these were) and an odd assortment of hooks, as sooner or later you'll be replacing that coat rack with something else, as we have! Keep on reading for this fun tutorial, and enjoy!

Fun City Scape Blocks That Kids Can Make Themselves!

Aren't these just the cutest? And isn't it great to turn someone else's garbage into something fun and usable? I found these painted wood scraps hanging around in my neighborhood, and quickly collected them to use for a building project with my seven year old son, who isn't such a crafts lover. Then Lilla A.Design inspired us all with her illustrated blocks on Craft Schooling Sunday, here, and I realized that these blocks would be perfect for something like that too.

My kids didn't get excited about drawing on the blocks themselves, so mommy drew some fun city scapes, and lo and behold, my seven year old sat and painted a whole slew of blocks, and enjoyed doing it! He has a desire for creativity in him somewhere, it's just about catching him at the right moment! Phew.

You'll Need:

• wood scraps in a variety of sizes, or even some old blocks that have seen better days!
• acrylic paint
• a permanent marker
• acrylic varnish (optional, recommended for use with natural wood blocks that you may choose not to paint)

How To:

My blocks were already painted, but you might like to paint yours, or not. (If you choose to leave your natural wood blocks unpainted, I would seal them afterwards with acrylic varnish to keep them clean. And if you use a shiny varnish, they'll look great! ) Draw designs on the base with permanent marker, and paint. There are so many fun ways to make this project yours....draw your house, your neighbor's house, your child's school etc. Enjoy!