**THIS IS ONLY A TEST**

Tut, tut... looks like rain, Reader,

This dreary night in New York City has infused me with a quiet stillness, just perfect for a crafty new repurposing technique... Actually, I was all riled up and raring to go just a short time ago; the stillness is a recently acquired trait. BIG PLANS! I had BIG PLANS! I was all set to go to a well know gentleman's club in this fair city, at which a friend has recently become a bartender. I've never been to a titty bar before, and well... I still haven't. Still a newbie at the famous strip club, as night swept over the Bronx, I received a text from my gal pal informing me that for one reason or another, my visit would have to be postponed. "That's okay," I replied, "Someday I'll 'make it rain'..."

With that, the actual downpour began, and millions of beads of water came crashing and breaking against my window. This made my spoiled plans far easier to swallow. "Screw it! I'll decoupage!" Recently, I purchased my first jar of Mod Podge, and I've been saving my cherry busting, first decoupage for just the right occasion. **You've never decoupaged before??? What kind of a crafter are you???** I know, Reader... It's been my secret shame for some time now, but I'm finally ready to come clean and publicly get down with the gluing and the sealing.Though I have long been a fan of collage as a medium, my clipped and arranged concepts have always been adhered via glue sticks, their facades left naked and vulnerable to the elements. I've never had a problem with the "distressed" look, so I've never before gone that extra mile to become one with 'The Podge.' I am a matte finish. I am a matte finish. I am a matte finish. A recently emptied oatmeal container became my canvas for this experiment, and I immediately sprayed it black, for a base.
Next, using scraps of colored craft paper (left over from other projects,) I traced a stencil onto them and cut out the resulting shapes with an exacto knife. When the paint on the oatmeal cylinder had fully dried, I applied Mod Podge (with a sponge brush) to the backs of the flowers and placed them randomly onto the tube. OH JOY! After roughly 20 minutes, the Mod Podge dried, and I was left with a firmly attached, delightful design on my canister. Time to seal the deal. OH RAPTURE!!! Over the entire area of my project, I brushed on a thin, even layer of Podge. Dry for 20 minutes. Another layer. 20 more. Yet another layer of the good stuff!!!! 20. I sprayed on Clear Acrylic Sealer to end the vanishing, as well as to eliminate the chances of a tackiness. The oatmeal container's once foggy, plastic lid got a spray down of sage green, and I lined the insides with fresh, white paper. SHAZZAM! I Mod Podged up somethin' real nice.I'm a bit anal retentive when it comes to my kitchen cabinets... I transfer everything from a box into beautiful, clear jars... Each item has it's specific place... and I remove the labels from all of my spice jars before they can be added to my collection. I'll even go so far as to print up new, prettier onces if a sticker leaves behind a mess during the pealing process. **Ummmm.... You're f-ing nuts.** Maybe so, Reader, maybe so... but my cabinets are extremely presentable. I'm not sure what I'm going to use the fruits of my first Podge for just yet, but I'm sure I'll find something. Until then, I'll simply admire it's folksy charm, I guess. Reduce, Re-use, Repurpose, Reader.