Haven't done this in a very long time but I did another floor so I thought I would add it here. Maybe someday I can add a few more crazy things :)

                                                 

This is my spider girl dancing on the original Hardwood floor. I used an acrylic varnish and I hated it because everything stuck to it horribly. We used a oil based varnish in the rest of the house and didn't have that problem. So after too many layers of gunk it was time to re-do the kitchen floor.

I collected different paper bags. The best ones were from Yolks Market and Trader Joes. because I wanted the screen prints to show through. I then stained them all a darker color to make the quatrefoil pop.





Next I visited a store in Nelson BC called Cartolina, They have great Paper! I also used some scrapbook paper and an old 1948 story book called Bluberries for Sal.



Robert McCloskey was the Author and Illustrator!

After cutting out the quatrefoils

I then carefully measured and placed them. I basically just used Acrylic varnish as deco podge throughout the whole project, adding layer after layer. It is very nice to work with because you can buy it in a gallon bucket and it dries fast and is easy to clean up.







The last thing I did was add a bit of stain and paint to even out the Dark and light papers.




I am still going to add an Oil based varnish to the top to protect everything from sticking to it and to create a long lasting gloss finish. I just have to wait until we are gone for a few days because it will smell awful.

Thats the new kitchen floor! I love it!! and have had lots of enthusiastic comments.

#paperbagfloor

Here is the finished Kitchen

Made by Me

I saw this fun idea for a tag on my sis's blog and thought I'd offer it here. Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1 - I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!2 - What I create will be just for you.3 - It'll be done this year (might take a little while).4 - You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!5 - I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same.The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!Good luck! Oh, and you may need to find a way to provide me with your mailing address if you live far from me :)

1) Bags to the floor

2) Texture, so you don't slip in the middle of the night when you are running to the bathroom and end up with a sore hip and wet pants...

3) I would be so bored if I weren't

4) From the internet. Search Paperbag floors. Then I decided to stain it after looking at cement staining.
* Cost- Acrylic Varnish 3 cans @ $50 and stain around $30, but I have enough stain for baseboards and mouldings to finish the kitchen. Around $160. Cost of Cheap Lino ($2sf)for my floor about $500
* I am also going to start a few layers of oil-based varnish because acrylic paint doesn't come off acrylic varnish very well. The reason I used it in the first place was so that I could do it while I was home with the boys: Non-toxic smell & dries super fast. But we will take a trip and put a toxic layer on.

*The Final project feels very much like Lino and cleans well, minus the paint (same chemical content etc. ), in case you were wondering.

And for Brenda the boys room included:

Paperbag Floor

Here is the steps to our paperbag floor.

1. Modge Podge Crumpled Paper bags

2. Tape

3. Stain

4. Varnish, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat... etc.

Just in case anyone wondered about where we live, this sign is at the end of our block.