Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Crafty Rx for a Bad Mood

Ever just have a day when you feel useless at everything?  Yesterday was one of those for me....  Work going nowhere, tired of my messy & undecorated apartment, unable to work out because of an old foot injury, and just feeling alone.

So a little venting:  Why don't I have some actual hobbies or exciting events in my life?  I feel like I don't even have clear interests anymore (I'll blame law school).  Once, I knew where I wanted to go in life and had definite interests that I pursued.  But now I just feel kind of lost and incompetent.




Luckily, though, there's one thing guaranteed to pick me up from any blue mood:  using scissors!  Yup, just spend 15 minutes cutting out pretty pictures from magazines, and (if you're like me) you won't be able to help feeling a little better.  Sure, maybe nothing's actually improved, but a quick round of snipping gives me hope that things will be better soon.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

DIY Zen Garden


Curbly user DIY Maven shares a video tutorial on how to make a low-cost (under $10) zen garden.  You too can make one that's soothing on your budget.  (via Craftzine)

Monday, July 28, 2008

Love Letter Box

Folding Trees comes through once again with this beautiful picture from Craftster user nicolatte (you can also see more views here). 



You can also learn how to make your own box.  So romantic!

Friday, July 25, 2008

DIY Recycled Disco Ball

Um, this is so happening.  Yes, I'm really gonna have to do put this idea to the test:


That's right: you can make your very own disco ball out of old cds.  With glue (or better yet, a glue gun), a styrofoam ball, and some spare time, you can add some sparkle to your life.  Here are a couple different tutorials: this one from wikihow, and this one from National Geographic Kids.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Cute Embroidered Notecards

Craftzine recently posted about these adorable notecards from one of my favorite Etsy sellers, Bird and Banner. Much of Bird & Banner's stock includes the sweet phrase, "When you see this, think of me," but I am a big fan of these new cards with pre-punched holes and embroidery floss.

They say it takes under 10 minutes to make a card, and I'm sure your loved ones would like a nice reminder that you care! At $18 (plus shipping) for a pack of 5 notecards, these might not be the cheapest craft ever, but I think that it wouldn't be too hard to try making some simple embroidered cards of your own.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I'm Loving...Barbara Fleck's Plastic Bag Art

Okay, guys, you are welcome in advance for sharing with you these amazing mandalas from artist Barbara Fleck, which I found via craftzine.  You will love me for this.  And I love these so much I'm ready to make one myself.



It's just so cool how she uses familiar logos to remind us of the prevalence of consumerism while she reuses everyday objects to make art. 
  

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

How To...Make a Shirt out of a Muumuu

Time for a trip to the thrift store.  You can find out how to transform a muumuu into a cute drape-neck top on San Francisco's Stitch Lounge urban sewing blog.  It turns out that you can actually make a few shirts out of the average muumuu, but you can also just use the free pattern on the site with one yard of any knit fabric (just use a sleeveless shirt for a template and then follow the instructions for cutting out the draped front).  Who knew a muumuu could be this cute?  (via ReadyMade Blog)

Monday, July 21, 2008

How To Make a Watermelon Keg


As it continues to get hotter here in DC, I am inspired to share this exciting tutorial from Evite blog on how to make your very own watermelon keg, so that you can serve guests spiked watermelon juice right from the tap. (via How about Orange?)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Baking with Cardboard

This post is written especially for those who like to look at food but not eat it.



Art on the Menu on Etsy sells handmade art that is inspired by food. All of the works are made with cardboard, acrylics, or watercolor. I would imagine that a creative person could figure out how to make fake food like this too. Mmm, crunchy.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Knit Organs

Because...haven't you always wanted to know what your insides would look like if you were made of wool?


Hey, maybe God is a knitter.   Oh, wait.  These actually were made by artist Sarah Illenberger (via Craftzine).

Monday, July 14, 2008

Fashion from Paper

You must check out this amazing collection of paper dresses put together by painter/textile designer Isabelle de Borchgrave and costumer Rita Brown. Papiers a la Mode is a traveling exhibit of these gorgeous paper craft takes on 300 years of fashion. Prepare to be amazed what some folks can do with a little paper. (via Folding Trees)

Friday, July 11, 2008

Rubbish: Reuse Your Refuse

Here's a book I'm dying to check out:



It's called Rubbish: Reuse Your Refuse, by  Kate Shoup. The book describes over 30 projects for materials you might otherwise have thrown away.  A few intriguing ones include a clock made out of an old board game and a lampshade that incorporates photo-negatives (remember those?).  There's even a tutorial on turning the plastic from lawn chairs into a cute clutch purse.  One suggestion, the credit card bracelet, is reminiscent of my post on Starbucks card jewelry.

Anyhow, I can't recommend it, since I haven't had a chance to try out the ideas myself, but once I do, I'll be sure to report back.  Anyone who has read it, please let me know!

Happy Friday!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

'Picture Perfect' Picture Frame Tray

Design* Sponge recently featured a tutorial from photographer Ashley Ann on how to make this picture frame tray:
It reminded me of a project that I'm doing (currently in-progress). I turned a picture frame into a coffee table top with the simple addition of some fabric remnants I had lying around.
Currently, it sits atop a less-than-lovely cardboard box. My next step will be to pick up some contact paper and liven up the cardboard, for a slightly less low-end look. Anyhow, here is the tabletop today:

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Post-It Book Tutorial


Just because Greetingarts has posted this tutorial (via Folding Trees...I love that blog)  on how to make adorable notebooks using sticky note pads and scrapbook paper does not mean that you have an excuse for office supply theft.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Designing Fun With Polyvore

"What is Polyvore?" you ask.  Only the best time suck for the wanna be artist, designer, or procrastinator ever.  To quote from the website, " Polyvore lets you mix and match images from anywhere on the web, to create outfits, interior designs, or any kind of collage."

In other words, you can literally spend hours searching not only the Polyvore site, but the ENTIRE world wide web for  components for practically any kind of picture you'd like to make.  Below, you'll see my first attempt.



One warning, (besides the obvious that you shouldn't start this if you have an addictive personality and somewhere to be in the next hour):  Polyvore still has a ways to go in developing the tool to make it its best (it's only been around since sometime last fall).  Cropping and rotating images are limited/non-existent, and it's a huge hassle to deal with changing things from foreground to background images.


Still, it's far too fun not to check out!  There's also a Polyvore Facebook group, for those so inclined.

Monday, July 7, 2008

I'm Loving...Bokja {haute bohemian}


Although I do sort of object to the phrase "haute bohemian," I love the beautiful furniture designs from the Lebanese company, Bokja {haute bohemian}, which I found via decor8.  The colorful patchwork style is just so amazing.  Exactly the sort of thing for which my blah walls and beige carpets are calling. 

Unfortunately, this stuff is filed under "not cheap," since at least some of their chairs sell for around  2900 euro.  There is apparently an American distributor, ABC Carpet & Home.  I think I'll probably stick with feeling inspired by the beauty of this amazing handcrafted work.

Friday, July 4, 2008

July is Etsy How-To Month

Etsy is hosting over 25 live tutorials this month on how to do any number of crafts (actually, they've already hosted a couple, so act fast or you'll miss more). So head on over to Etsy and view the schedule of classess. Monday, from 4-8 pm (all times are EST) they will host an origami-making class that I hope to catch. Via Craftzine.
Happy 4th of July!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Fourth of July Drink Charms

Need a last-minute craft to make your 4th super patriotic?  Plan on having folks over for so many drinks that everyone will be confused?  Then this instructables tutorial on how to make drink charms using printouts of classic American posters is for you:

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Craftapalooza

Here are a couple other projects I've done recently:



Satin Pillow (I love the remnants section at the fabric store).  I designed it to be a "mood pillow."  If it's vertical, it means, "Beware; stormy mood ahead."  Horizontal means, "You may approach.  She is friendly."  Haha.  It's only been vertical so far for its photo shoot.



Newspaper strips + Cardboard + Permanent Marker Contour Drawing= Random Artwork for Kitchen



Less craft and more disaster.  This picture shows most of the parts for the dresser I ordered.  I'm still not completely done assembling it because one of the dresser drawer sides was lacking in holes, and they are sending a replacement part.  Maybe one day I'll share the finished product.

DIY: Easy Felt Makeup Bag Tutorial

Okay, so now my excuses for non-regular posting have dwindled.  I was sick for a few days, which meant mostly sleeping in.  And I have been doing more crafting, which takes time away from blogging about crafting.  But, I'm gonna turn over a new leaf.  And I'll start by doing a couple of immediate posts.

The following was a 15 minute craft project (from a kit that was on sale at Barnes & Noble).
  

 To do it yourself:  Just grab some felt.  Cut out 3 squares of a different color felt.  Sew them on by hand.   Add a zipper (I attached with a sewing machine, but it would be easy to do by hand too).  Unzip the 2 sides of the zipper, and sew up each side of the bag.  Done.