DIY Menorah

If you are still missing your Hanukkah menorah, here's a beautiful and simple tutorial to make your own modern version. Happy almost-Hanukkah all!

Stuff to Do With Paper Scraps

Really enjoyed this DesignSponge post on re-using paper scraps for simple crafts. This could be a good idea for leftover wrapping paper!

More DIY Wreaths + Tutorials

Speaking of wreaths (see my recent post)....



Brenda at Alpha+Mom shared these great ideas for creative (and sometimes recycled) wreath designs that can be done with kids or just with kids-at-heart. Love them! (via Craftzine)

DIY Gift Bows

Awhile back, I shared a DIY trick for making gift toppers out of plastic bags.


As the holiday season approaches again, I thought I'd pass along this tutorial from How About Orange on making gift bows out of recycled items you have on hand, like maps or magazine pages.

Thanksgiving and Holiday Wreath

I thought a nice wreath would be a good item to help transition between Thanksgiving and Christmas decor, but when I went to the store I found out just how expensive a wreath can be. 

My solution: I found a cheap wreath at Michael's made of wooden sticks and added some berry garlands.  It came in under $10. 

Happy early Thanksgiving everyone!

DIY Fabric Stenciling

Love this tutorial from How About Orange on using freezer paper to stencil on fabric. And don't you want to do that adorable design?

DIY Velcro Catch Ball

This one could be fun whether or not you have kids. I am imagining starting up a game in the office....


Check out this super easy tutorial from Craftzine on how to make your own Velcro Ball game.

DIY Coffee Stencil

I think How About Orange's idea of creating a DIY stencil to make words or designs on top of coffee etc. is very cute. Learn how to do it here.

DIY Poppy Pins Tutorial

Check out the Grosgrain tutorial on how to make these great fabric poppies. So lovely.


She makes them to pin on sweaters as boutonnieres, but I think they could make great hair accessories as well. Make some of your own and come up with other creative uses!

A Childhood Classic Revisited

Some people take coffee breaks, I take craft breaks. In honor of the cold weather we've been having here in DC, I present to you a (mostly clean) paper towel (from the office kitchen) turned snowflake. What can I say, I enjoy using scissors as stress relief.


As you may be able to tell, it's been strategically posed on my office chair, and photographed with the not super high resolution camera on my phone. As for the original, it is now hanging in my office window.

Cereal Box to Drawer Organizer

Gotta love this simple recycling idea from A Little Hut. While there's no written out tutorial, her pictures provide a pretty good idea of the steps.



And given the normal price of such things, it's absolutely wonderful to find a free, environmentally friendly way to accomplish the same thing. I think these would look amazing covered in some fun fabric.

DIY Recycled Can Flower Magnets

This is a great tutorial from 10th muse studios on using old soda cans to make adorable flower magnets. Just be careful not to cut yourself on the aluminum!

I'm Loving: Penguin Cloth Cover Books

I've always said that it's fine to judge a book by its cover, as long as you take time to discover what's inside too.* Now (finally!) Penguin USA has released it's gorgeous cloth-covered editions of some fantastic books, many of my favorites, actually. And they are so pretty (plus, only $13.60 each)!

What do you think, would you buy a book because it looked nice?


In case you were wondering, and because I can't help myself, here is a list of the titles that I want (did I mention PRETTY????)

Available Now

• Sense and Sensibility
• Wuthering Heights
• Great Expectations
• Jane Eyre
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Pride and Prejudice

Not Yet Available in the US

• Crime and Punishment
  
• The Hound of the Baskervilles
• Emma
• The Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint
• Little Women
• Oliver Twist

*I'm talking books, here, not people!

DIY Japanese Paper Dolls Tutorial

These Japanese paper dolls that Kimono Reincarnate makes are super adorable. They could work as bookmarks for those who want a more grown-up way to play with dolls. Here's the easy tutorial.

Interior Personality Quiz

Enjoyed this quick color/style quiz (via How About Orange). I thought my results were pretty accurate (leaning more towards the purples than pinks, though):

Young House Love

Six months later.... I haven't been crafting much in the past 6 months, but as the weather cools, I'm feeling inspired to stay indoors and make stuff. So maybe I'll start posting here again. After all, this blog serves as a sort of idea scrapbook for me (and hopefully, some entertainment for you).

One great new find is the Young House Love blog, which is written by a great couple who have done DIY to their whole beautiful house (below).


They give tips on home decor, have a fantastic page of their house before and afters, and share how they managed to put on a backyard wedding for under $4,000! A fantastic site!

DIY Cereal Box Notebooks

The long thread provides a great tutorial on using a cereal box to make your very own moleskin-inspired journal. A great re-use idea!

Happy Earth Day!

In honor of Earth Day, Crafty Chica is posting tutorials for 24 creative re-use projects....one every hour. The spectacular ideas she's posted so far include these great ribbon picture frames and mixed media wind chimes.

A Flower Collage

Hope you are all having a good day. Since it's gloomy and rainy out here, I thought I'd share a few pictures I took with my camera phone a week ago, when I believed it was actually Spring.

And I thought I'd use the opportunity to point out that using Picasa, Photoshop, or some other photo editing device, you can easily and cheaply make some simple art with just a digital camera and a little cash for prints. Many photo editing programs will even make a collage (like the one above) for you with the click of a button.

Design*Sponge Sneak Peeks

As I mentioned on Friday, I spent the weekend moving into a new place. I'll provide some pics once I get everything out of chaos. But moving means decorating, and I love using the web for inspiration.


Design*Sponge's "Sneak Peeks" are perfect for those who A) need some new decor ideas, B) like snooping in other people's lives, or C) like me, fit options A and B. Basically, they just show behind the scenes pictures of creative people's homes. Have fun with the voyeurism!

Happy Easter!

Or Spring....or belated Passover...or whatever you may celebrate!  =)  I'm in the middle of the fun process of packing boxes before I move tomorrow.  But if you have free time, jinjerup provides these adorable chick bookmarks to print (via Folding Trees). 

Shelterrific

While we're on the subject of websites, here's another one that I just came across. Shelterrific lives up to its name, providing great ideas for crafts and purchases for the home. I'm totally addicted, especially to all the great earth-friendly suggestions.

Craft Fail

Craft Fail is a new blog where people can post their craft ideas gone wrong (found via Craftzine). Sounds pretty entertaining to me. Always love to see what others are doing in the craft/diy world.

Which reminds me, if any readers here have completed (or not) craft/art projects that you'd like to share, I'd love to post them on here. Also, feel free to send in sustainable design projects (ie. recycling old objects for craft, repurposing stuff that's no longer useful, or fixing up something instead of throwing it away).

You can email me at designphoenixblog at gmail dot com (see the new link on the right).

Plastic Soda Bottle Vase Tutorial

Here's a fun (and free!) project available on wikiHow: a tutorial on turning a plastic soda bottle into an attractive vase.

Ha. Cute Felted Puppet(s)

 

"Puppets need puppets too."  From the Craftzine Flickr pool by moxie.

Plastic Bags into Baskets

Craftzine recently featured a pretty straightforward tutorial from The lucky ladybird craft blog on making baskets out of old plastic bags. Very cool. If you like this stuff, check out my older posts on using plastic bags as gift bows and art.

Business Card Artwork

Whether you've been laid off in this horrible recession or you just have a lot of used office supplies hanging around, here's one idea for an alternative use for business cards:  stick 'em together and make a quick and easy art project.  (If you're interested, I previously posted about using business cards to make a nice origami-style box).

All I did was put masking tape on the back, so that they formed a single sheet.  Masking tape or painter's tape works well because it comes off later.  They don't need to be perfectly aligned.

Then I made my drawing.  I used only office supplies on hand (permanent markers and highlighters).

Last step was to remove the tape.  You could keep it together for a textured look.  Or you could mount them on some other paper with space in between.  Another option would be to hang each piece on the wall separately.  Or how about using it as a simple puzzle?  Anyone have other ideas?  I haven't decided what to do with my little masterpiece yet.

Envelope to Gift Bag Tutorial

I've posted before with tutorials for how to use envelopes to create beads and to make new envelopes.

This time, How About Orange provides a great tutorial so you can learn how to turn old envelopes into nice gift bags in just a few steps.

P.S. This is not an April Fool's Day joke! =)

Return from Radio Silence

To quote my friend at Kniterations: "When life gets complicated (as it so often does), blogging drops off the radar..."

The past 2 months have been a little crazy for me too: mysterious health issues that finally disappeared, apartment hunting, and--most recently--breaking my elbow. Yes, I said "elbow." Anyhow, now that I'm getting ready to move (again, *sigh*) in 2 weeks, I'm back thinking about design and decorating.

To re-start this whole blogging thing, I wanted to share with you some great finds from the National Portrait Gallery gift shop, courtesy of my friend Queena:



Top: Bags made out of Coke bottle labels and bags made from candy bar wrappers/soda labels/food packages (all from Ecoist).

Middle: The non-paper paper cup.

Bottom: Bags made from aluminum can pull tabs (from Escama Studio).

DIY Pop-Up Photograph

After my Christmas card debacle, I've pretty much had enough of pop-up card making for a lifetime. But if you still like them, wikiHow can show you how to make a pop-up photograph card. (via Craftzine)

Simple Tutorial: Googly Eye Tacks

Loved this easy idea from Zakka Life:  diy googly eye thumb tacks.  I may have to put some of these on my work bulletin board.

Recycled Envelope Bead Tutorial

 

A while back, I posted about re-using old security envelopes to make new, pretty envelopes.  Well, here's another option: turning those junk mail envelopes into lovely paper beads.  Laupre has an explanation of how to make them.  (via Folding Trees) 

Celebrate a New Era

Things have been very exciting in our country--especially Washington D.C.--this week.  I was lucky enough to get to go and see some of the inauguration events.  It was amazing how many people came from so many different states and even countries to be a part of it all. 

Well, even if you couldn't make it out for the inauguration, you can be connected to our new president by turning a picture of yourself into the style of the classic Obama poster.  Visit Obamicon.me to make your own. (via How About Orange)

Yet Another Painting

Another of my adventures with acrylics.  This one is a mandala.  I tried several things, scraped them off or painted over them and started again.  This was a very fun painting to make.

My crappy photograph makes it hard to see this, but it's sort of textured.  You'll have to come to my home exhibit to see it properly! Ha.

Tutorial: Mini Pinatas

Aren't things always cute in miniature?  These small pinatas from Ask Martha make great party favors.

Besides, pinata making was always exciting as a child.  On the other hand, I remember trying to help a friend in college with a papier mache project, and it was a lot less fun to make than when I was a kid--so undertake this project at your own risk!

Paper Bag Wrapping Paper

I thought I'd share with you this simple idea for re-use friendly gift wrap.  I did this little wrapping project over the holidays, but it could be used for any time of the year.  I wrapped presents using old paper bags.  I simply cut them up, folded them flat, and used scotch tape for wrapping.  It did take a little more tape than usual because the bag paper is thick.

Since all the gifts were for one person--they were small items--I cut out numbers instead of labels.  I used red scrap paper, punched a hole, and put them through the ribbons for color.  You could also do letters for initials, or shapes, or who knows what else.  I cut them freehand, but you could also buy large stencils at any craft store. 

Handmade Pop-Up Cards (Or My Excuse for Giving Up)

So Christmas time rolled around and I felt incredibly ambitious about all the amazing crafts I would make.  Among those, one of the simplest seemed to be handmade Christmas cards.  I got the brilliant idea to make pop-ups.  Somehow, the act of making just a few--I successfully completed only around 5 of them--drained me of all energy.

Yeah, that and the general winter blahs.  So I've finally gotten the energy to post on here again.  The above are pictures of a couple designs I used for the cards.  Next year I'm sending out Christmas emails.