DIY Business Envelopes to Pretty Envelopes Tutorial

Hi all, wonderful news: my nephew is on the mend! Here's a fun little project from Design Sponge I came across via Folding Trees. All it involves really is carefully turning junk mail envelopes inside out. Check out the tutorial at Design Sponge.

MIA

Sorry for no posting yesterday. I'm just writing to say it might be a couple days before I post again. I have been busy with a family emergency. Please say lots of prayers for my nephew, who was badly injured while riding his bike in a hit-and-run.

Warning: Your Sunscreen Could Be Killing Ocean Life

This is slightly tangential to the site's theme, but when I read the San Francisco Chronicle article about how chemicals in almost all sunscreens are contributing to killing coral reefs (so rare, so pretty, and so fragile!), I was absolutely horrified.

And it's not just coral; algae and fish are also affected (and maybe even humans). But short of burning and risking sun cancer, or hiding inside, what can we do? Well, the Chronicle also offers a nice list of ocean-friendly sunscreens.

I'm headed out to buy some Burt's Bees sunscreen, since I love their lip balm, and the swimming pool is calling.

Easy DIY decorating: Google's "Earth as Art"

I was doing some mundane Google mapping yesterday, when I saw a link to something called, "Earth as Art," which marks points on every continent. Click on them, and you can see interesting views from above, many of which I thought were very pretty.

Clicking "more" under an image links to the US Geological Survey/NASA website. There, you can read more about the images and download larger, printable pictures. Now here's an easy way to score some cool, very modern looking art. Just pop it in a frame and you're done.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Ocean Sand, Bahamas


Terkezi Oasis, Chad


Vatnajökull Glacier Ice Cap, Iceland


Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

Transit Sign Chairs

Earlier this week, I mentioned eco-artware.com. I also saw these hilarious (if impractical) chairs on the site:At $800-$1,000 each, these chairs are more than a little pricey. Besides that, they don't look like the most comfortable options ever. But I have to applaud the creative re-use! They also make me think of a transit-loving friend of mine. If you have some extra cash on hand, you can get them here. Have a great weekend!

Jose Klein: Law on Plates

A couple days ago, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a story about a guy I know (and like), Jose Klein, who draws pictures with marker that illustrate famous legal cases. He also has a whole series that depicts the Supreme Court Justices. He then has them made into plates. Mainly I find this exciting because he's a great guy getting media attention, but I also think his plates are pretty cool. This one is a rendering relating to Kemezy v. Peters, a case about a bowling alley altercation. It makes me think of that tv show Ed, about a bowling alley lawyer.

Jose's depiction of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

I remember making a plate in preschool of the same variety, though less skill (it was a self-portrait), and I actually still have it around. While Jose was doing it for class credit, this seems like a kind of fun, creative way to self-express and acquire new dinnerware at the same time.

DIY: Starbucks Card Jewelry

Got old Starbucks gift cards lying around? Probably the most environmentally-friendly option is to reload them with cash and reuse them. But if you have several or you don't go to Starbucks that much then you might try this fun idea (via craft blog):


The creative crafter who made this says that one card easily makes a whole bracelet. You can see more of her Starbucks card work at her blog, Confessions of an OCD Knitter.

Recycled Map Project

Growing up, we used to get used National Geographics for sale at the library. Many have maps included inside. Those maps always ended up on our walls, but you could also make use of the maps for lots of interesting crafts.

I came across this recycled map stationery set on eco-artware.com. This seems like it could be a pretty easy DIY project. I also think that old maps could make very nice gift wrap!

Graduation Day!

Today is my graduation from law school...trust me, there were times I believed this day would never come. In honor of the occasion, I thought I'd share two of my favorite accessories (see above).

Since I start my new job on Monday, I'm gonna take a little vacation from blogging for a few days while I get settled. See you soon!

Starching Walls

I enjoyed the jcaroline creative! blog post on starching walls. She includes a tutorial, and makes 2 great points: 1) putting fabric on walls with starch is a helpful strategy for apartment dwellers who can't paint or wallpaper, and 2) one could just put small fabric appliques on the wall with this technique instead of papering a whole wall. Sounds like fun!

Craft: Japanese Paper Boxes

I've gotten fascinated by paper. It's just amazing all the things people can do with it. I was never into origami as a kid, but maybe I was just a late-origami bloomer. One item on my craft "to buy" list is a Japanese paper box kit. I'm told they are super-easy and fun.

After I've tried one with instructions, then maybe I'll be ready to tackle Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories' tutorial on how to make a small box without a kit. Actually, the tutorial doesn't look very hard; I just need time to gather the relevant supplies. But as you can see below, the effort will be worth it:

I'm Loving...Maori Designs

If you knew how long it took me to find these few Maori designs online.... Polynesian dance/hula (Hawaiian, Tahitian, and Maori) was a hobby of mine for several years, and I've long admired the patterns that the Maoris use on their textiles, so I thought I'd share. Unfortunately, there's a major dearth of Maori-related stuff online. Most of what is out there is about Maori tattoos (more specifically, most of it is about Americans trying to copy Maori Moka tattoos and failing).

Anyhow, I wish there were more Maori designs available. I'd love to incorporate some into my new apartment decor.