Covered Business Card Box

A few weeks back, Jessica on How About Orange posted with instructions for making a box out of business cards. The folding instructions came from here, but Jessica gave suggestions for how to make the box without flaps on the outside. I decided to give it a try, and it was incredibly easy!

So I added my own twist: I used rubber cement to add some of my beautiful koi paper. I simply took each business card and cut paper to fit, added rubber cement to both the back of the paper and the business card, and trimmed the edges. The whole task took less than 5 minutes. You can see the results above (through the blurriness of my camera phone).

Cardboard as Building Material

As a person who spent many years with a cardboard dresser by her bed, you don't have to tell me that cardboard is underappreciated as a home-furnishings material. Still, I was impressed by the examples of uses for cardboard in SuperNaturale's article, "Cardboard, Your New Best Friend." It got me started looking at cardboard furniture resources, and I discovered that there's a whole world of cardboard building going on out there (besides the famous Frank Gehry cardboard chair). Take a look:


Akira at dandanews made this cardboard bookshelf with large cardboard pieces she had on hand.




These were all designed and created by the French artist collective, the Cartonnistes, founded by (genius) Eric Guiomar. Guiomar actually teaches classes in cardboard furniture making, and he offers an instructional dvd through Vine Street Works.



Even a cardboard house. Architect Shigeru Ban designed these cardboard log homes to be emergency shelters after the Kobe earthquake in Japan. I think they're pretty cute.

Convertible Lounge Chair

The sustainable style foundation blog includes this chair, which I think is a pretty creative, funny idea. It's the OZ Lowchair by Cate&Nelson Design, and it was on display at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York last week.

The chair never needs re-upholstering because if you're in the mood for a color change, you just flip over a piece of the layered felt. Kinda reminds me of one of those giant paper flip chart pads.....

Freshome Guide to Used Furniture

Freshome has a post today with suggestions for those buying used furniture. As someone who currently owns only 2 pieces of furniture, I think this guide is quite helpful.

I'm Loving...the Art of Nate Wragg

As a kid, I loved to draw (still do, actually). Luckily for me, I learned early on that there will always be someone around with more talent, skill, and commitment. I mainly learned this from my friend Nate--who was 3 years younger but always a much better artist than I was (even when he was 5 and I was 8). His artistic talent is no joke: Nate now works at Pixar, and he exhibits art in his free time. Enjoy a few examples of his creativity:

You can see more of Nate's work on his blog, or buy his stuff through Gallery Nucleus. He also does commissions; if you're interested, contact Gallery Nucleus.

I'm Loving....Alexander Henry Fabric

I just adore the bright colors, pretty florals, and fun graphics on Alexander Henry fabric. Time for a fabric shopping spree! If I haven't bought out the whole stock, you can get Alexander Henry on purlsoho.com, Z & S Fabrics, or buyfabricsonline.com (which sells only Alexander Henry fabrics). Or check the Alexander Henry website for bricks and mortar retailers near you.

Have a great weekend!

DIY: Quick and Easy Fabric Wall Art

Living in a dorm requires creativity if you don't want to feel like you're stuck in a prison cell. This is an example of a 5 minute project that can liven up any room--for no money! All I did was take some fabric (satin and velvet) from old shirts. I cut them into pieces and fit them over 3 squares of cardboard I cut from an box. Used some nice packing tape on the back, and...voila!

Okay, so they probably won't be in the Met any time soon, but they brightened up my blah cement block walls for a few years. I've actually gotten so fond of them, that I'm considering bringing them along on the move to the new apartment. I guess that's another plus: they're very lightweight and easy to pack.

Super Cute Salad Servers

These servers from Give Simple might be enough to make me want to eat a salad. They're listed at $15 for a set of 2, and they come in even more colorful designs.

Craft: Kirigami

Now that law school's over with, I have all this free time, and better yet: free brain space! So, I'm looking into what kinds of creative outlets I plan on having. One thing that I definitely want to do is some form of paper craft...and I think kirigami (also sometimes spelled kiragami) is gonna be my solution.

What is kirigami? Well, it's a traditional Japanese folk art of paper cutting (think origami, plus scissors). It also goes by origami architecture, paper cuts, paper sculpture, etc.. There are a few books out there, which I plan on checking out. But a brief web search has shown me that there are many types of art out there that people are calling kirigami.

Some Examples:


From Marivi's Origamic Architecture:

(Marivi actually offers free downloadable patterns for this and some other cards. This one's called 2 Cupids--send it to the one you love!)



From lilzabubba on Flickr:


From Gerry Stormer's Web Gallery:

(Gerry includes lots of links to other Origamic Architecture sites, for those who want to see more.)

DIY Lace Earrings

Thought this was a neat and straightforward DIY. These earrings would make great gifts. It's too late for Mother's Day, but I bet your mom wouldn't mind getting a little present anyways!



For the tutorial, visit minding prismera.

DIY Plastic Bag Holder

Happy Friday! For a simple DIY activity this weekend, why not try this incredibly easy tutorial on ReadyMade blog about how to make your own plastic bag dryer? You just need some chopsticks/kabob skewers, beans or rice and a cup! You'll get double environmental karma points for using supplies on hand and making something that helps re-use.

Handmade Crafts: Stitch markers from KnittyK8

My fabulous friend "Knitty K8" has found a way to combine a love of beads and a love of knitting. She makes these gorgeous stitch markers (I've been the lucky recipient of some of her early work):
Running from around $3 to $12, they're very reasonably priced too! For lots more examples of her work, visit her Etsy Shop!

Just for Fun: Barcode Designs

Courtesy of Ulla Maaria at HobbyPrincess: Bar Code Revolution designs bar codes for major Japanese brands such as Suntory, Calbee, Wacoal and others. Pretty awesome.

Craftster Chair Re-upholstery Challenge

As I've mentioned, my apartment is currently almost totally empty. So I've spent my free time looking at ways that people have taken thrift store/free chairs and re-upholstered them into fabulousity.

I can't actually do any such tasks right now, since 1) I'm 3,000 miles away, and 2) I still have 2 papers to write so that I can actually graduate law school. But I am watching with interest Craftster's Craft Challenge #28-In the Hot Seat, in which people are encouraged to transform blah chairs into objects of wonder. Entries are due June 1-5. Here are a couple of examples of past Craftster chair fix-ups:

Armchair repainted and upholstered in Amy Butler Before:


And After:



$4.99 Thrifted Chair Remake Before:


And After:

DIY Switchplate

After the last post featuring the cute koi fish light switch plate, I started thinking about how easy it must be to make one's own switch cover. It's a pretty fast, cheap way to personalize your home, and it's a low-risk way to unleash creativity.

So this post is devoted to a few ideas for making your own:


You could try newsprint switch plates. Check out offbeatliving.com to see a tutorial on how it's done. Other papers also work just fine with this process.


Prefer fabric? It's an easy substitution. And the lovely Pink Chalk Studio blog talks you through exactly how these colorful ones were made. You could also use clay or paint. Even glow in the dark paint.

Last, if you're feeling really ambitious, there's always stained glass! If you don't feel brave but want something this gorgeous, check out serendipitous designs' etsy shop, and buy your very own recycled chrome paisley stained glass switch plate.

Favorite Things: Koi Fish Designs

Maybe it's cuz I'm a Pisces, or maybe it's just their inherent awesomeness, but I love fish. No, not to eat...I love fish that are swimming around. Someday, I'd like to have a koi pond or at least an aquarium. But until that day arrives, I have to settle for pictures of them.

I'm planning on doing some crafty koi painting, drawing, or something for my new place. So I've been glancing at what others have done. Here are a few:


This koi stencil is from Henny Donovan Motif (a UK designer). The website actually shows a beautiful shower curtain using this stencil.

Koi fish switch plate from LuckyBird on etsy. I actually happen to have some of the same paper used to make this cover...hmm, there may be a project in my future.

Sadly, this adorable wall graphic from oneupdesigns is sold out. But maybe they'll restock?

Happy Weekend!

The Story of A Futon in 3 Parts

Part 1: The box. Good thing I bought a box cutter the day before. [Not pictured: Me and the random guy who works in the apartment complex, lugging the 140 pound box up to my 2nd floor apartment. He was the only person I knew, so I called him and begged him to come help me.]
Part 2: The futon. I used the lovely allen key to attach legs. Then, I tackled the surprisingly difficult task of attaching the cover. I think this project counts as DIY. It certainly took long enough.

Part 3: Ta Da! The finished product, and one of the only 2 pieces of furniture in the apartment right now (along with the bed). It's okay, though, since I'm headed on a trip back home for a few weeks before I move the rest of my stuff in. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some more furnishings figured out in the interim!

I'm Loving...My New Bathroom

Okay, so this is a little silly. But I just need to share: I've just gotten my first chance to look around the new apartment, and I really like it. But the part I like the best is the bathroom. Don't get me wrong; it's tiny, but it has this old circa-1930 style tiling. Not sure if it's original or not, but I like it.

So, thought I'd share a couple of pics of the bathroom. I'm feeling really inspired by the black and white together--it's so classic! I may do a post soon gathering together black/white decor.

I'm Loving...Graca Paz

Graca Paz is yet another truly amazing artist. I adore her use of color and floral motifs. Her work ends up both fun and romantic. I particularly love her frames and mirrors, so that's what I've shown you, but she also paints pictures, makes furniture, and creates handmade accessories. For more pictures of her work, visit her website, atelierxt. Or take a look at her flickr page.

Urban Squares Duvet Set

I like this bed set from in-fusions.com a lot. I never would have thought to combine brown and blue on a bed, but it looks fantastic. Hmm, maybe....

Photographic Memories: Camera Lens Bracelet

Check out this awesome bracelet from Oye Modern. I saw it on Nemo Productions & Photography's blog, and I had to share. It's good for the earth and it's pretty funky. Tragically, my wallet is running on empty, and I don't usually wear bracelets. So you should go grab one instead.

Nightstand Before and After

I wish I could take credit for this amazing transformation, but it actually is just one of the many great DIY ideas featured on jcaroline creative, a terrific fabric and craft online store. Click here for the tutorial.

Just for Fun

I came across this awesome website due to my obsession with Jessica Jones' blog, How About Orange. She blogged this back in February, but I just read through a whole bunch of her old posts. I'm jumping on the bandwagon!

You should definitely head over to the Bureau of Communication where you can send out (free!) a range of fill-in-the-blank email messages, such as the Declaration of Romantic Intent (above), Airing of Grievance, and Unsolicited Feedback.