Yoga Mat Bag DIY – How to Make A Yoga Mat. Yoga mat bags are a necessity if you are someone who walks or commutes to yoga class. The mats can be slightly awkward to carry on their own and never fit properly in regular shoulder bags. Having a yoga mat bag can not only keep your mat protected, but when you’re walking, biking, or riding the subway to class you can just sling your mat over your shoulder. Finding a cute yoga mat bag is not always easy – but, making your own is!
What you need for this project: your yoga mat (for size reference), fabric of your choosing, a needle, thread, scissors, some sort of cord or shoelace, and something to use as the strap (I used an old belt). Start by laying out your fabric, and place the yoga mat on top. Fold the fabric over the mat to measure how much you’ll need – leave yourself a couple of extra inches on each side just to be safe when you cut the fabric.
You’ll want an extra 3 or 4 inches at the top of the mat so keep that in mind. Use safety pins to pin the fabric where you want to sew. DIY Leather Passport Case. Every time I fly some place I keep thinking how I really need to get something to hold my passport and other travel documents in. I’m getting ready to head off to Hong Kong, and well, I thought it was finally the time to follow through and actually get one. What’s even better than getting something is making something, and when I saw this DIY, I thought I could very well do this myself. It takes a bit of precision and care, but you can put this together at home no problem.
Here’s how: You’ll need: a passport, a cutting board, ruler, 2 – 8.5”x11” pieces of leather, leather rope (not pictured), white charcoal pencil, ruler, utility knife, awl, needle and thread (I got this cool 3 in one gadget pictured below that worked great) Step 1) Lay out leather, aligning it with the lines of your cutting board, and place passport in the corner .5” from the edge. Step 2) Trace around the outside of your passport with the white charcoal pencil. Step 6) With the right sides together. DIY: Twig Cage Mobile. UPDATE: This previously ran on August the 30th but we thought we’d bring it back for a little DIY you can do this Sunday. Go out for a stroll and collect some small twigs and get DIY bus. Do you ever want to fill the air with something delicate, just have something drifting back and forth freely in a little space in your home, desk space, or backyard? I find it relaxing watching something move gently in the air; it’s peaceful and helps create a peaceful mind.
My bedroom is all white and I’ve been looking for ways to add some color – just little delicate touches that don’t take away from the white. While in Brooklyn the other weekend, I came across beautiful mobiles hanging inside a store. What you need: A hot glue gun Acrylic paints of your choice Glitter A paint brush Scissors A bunch of slim but sturdy twigs First cut six small-length twigs (mine were 2 inches) and then six large-length twigs (mine were 4 inches). Once you have all your twigs painted, lay them out. Check out more DIY’s here. Home Décor DIY – DIY Yarn Lanterns – DIY Thought Bubbles. Today’s DIY is a fun and easy project that requires little supplies and results in some seriously adorable decorations that you can use in your home, for a party, or in our case, to make our office space prettier! I’ve seen these string balls before and it was so much fun to finally make them – it’s a little addicting, too, once you start making them it’s hard to stop!
We like to call them “thought bubbles” that hang delicately in our workspace :) What you need: string, balloons, Elmer’s glue and a jar or container of some sort. We re-used an empty plastic cup with a lid and it did the trick just fine. Blow up a balloon and hang it from something that will allow it to dangle. Cut a section of string (give yourself a generous amount just to be safe). Fill the container with glue so that it covers the string – this way when you pull the string out through the hole at the top, it will be coated in glue. Continue until the balloon is thoroughly covered with string. DIY Desktop Dream Catchers – How To Make A Dreamcatcher. We’re always looking for fun ways to decorate our desk spaces at work, and these mini dream catchers do just that! I was inspired to make them after seeing these incredible beauties that our store display team made for our Costa Mesa store: Brigette happened to have some leftover fabric from her reupholstered chair that I was able to cut little pieces of, and it worked perfectly.
This is also a great project to use old crochet or vintage doilies for! The only other thing you need are twigs from a twig wreath, which I got at A.C. Moore. I just pulled it apart and used a small section of it. Using a needle and thread, sew the crochet doily to the twig wreath using each point of the doily, and wrapping the thread around the twigs so you’re simultaneously holding the twigs together as well. For the pieces hanging down from the dream catcher, I used thin strips of fabric and attached them to the twigs with a needle and thread. The result is a very shabby-chic dream catcher, don’t you think?
DIY Dream Jar For The New Year. Today’s DIY is more of an idea that I fell in love as an alternative to the typical New Year’s resolutions. I don’t know about you but I never remember my resolutions – by February they’re pretty much forgotten. In an attempt to remember them this year, I decided to make a dream jar. What is a dream jar? Basically it’s a mason jar filled with items that symbolize various goals and hopes for the year ahead. Gather little trinkets and mementos that have special meanings for you. Arrange your objects of choice inside a mason jar and place the jar on a desk or bedside table where you’ll see it often, reminding you of the things you wanted to accomplish. What would you put in your dream jar? Tags: DIY, diy projects, new year, new year's eve.
DIY Paper Weights – Painted Stone Paper Weights. This DIY is perfect for the spring and summer months when all you want to do is nestle outside and soak up the lovely weather. Come the weekend you pack up your things and head to the park or the beach. If you’re like me and like to take along with you magazines/books and a sketch pad this DIY will come in handy for you: paper weights! I always carry with me one or two stones in my backpack to place on top of any loose and light items that can easily get blown away. One weekend I took with me some paints and a paint brush and decorated them whilst I was sitting in the park to give them a little more life. More DIY projects from the BLDG 25 Blog.
Tags: DIY, paper weights, spring, summer. Paint-by-number hex symbol coasters. Hex signs are a form of traditional Pennsylvania Dutch folk art. They have been painted on the sides of barns to ward off evil spirits, offer good fortune or wish happiness for hundreds of years. These sentiments are perfect for the harvest season! Here is a colorful interpretation for your Thanksgiving table to wish all your guests health and prosperity for the holiday season. — Halligan CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! Materials wood log (or you can purchase pre-made cut pieces here or here or here)4 paint colors + white paintclear fast-drying waterproof sealantpaintbrushescarbon paper or tracing paper to make your own carbon paperpencil and ballpoint pencomputer and printertapemiter saw and sandpaper (if not purchasing pre-made stump pieces) Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
DIY Lace Doily Bowl. A little while back I was searching for doilies – not the paper kind, nice crochet and lace doilies – for a DIY project. I finally found some online, so I ordered a bunch figuring I’d use them for something. Sure enough, inspiration struck soon after and I decided to make some into bowls! I had heard of covering balloons with them to make really pretty lanterns (similar to our “thought bubbles”), and it turns out you can make a doily into a bowl using a very similar technique. What you need: doilies (I ordered them from this website), fabric stiffener (I found this at A.C. Moore), and a bowl. Choose a bowl that will allow you to drape the doily over the bottom of to create a bowl shape. If you have a bowl and doilies already and don’t want to purchase fabric stiffener, you can make your own!
This DIY is as easy as 1,2,3: Turn your bowl upside down, soak the doily in fabric stiffener, and drape the doily on the bottom of the bowl. Experiment with different shapes and sizes! DIY Beach Glass Photo Transfer. My Aunt and Uncle have been collecting beach glass for years. When I was recently at their house for a visit, I was fascinated by how many pieces they have acquired over time. I picked up a few and started looking at them. I thought to myself, “There has to be something cool that you can do with all of this glass.” I remembered Julia’s wood photo transfer post, and that gave me the idea to try a photo transfer on a different type of medium-beach glass! I snagged a couple of white pieces from my Aunt and Uncle (with their permission) and tried out the photo transfer technique. What you need: White beach glass Mod Podge Paint Brush Laser printed images (I made sure all of the images were a resolution of 300 and sized them down to fit my glass. Hand towel Step one- Apply Mod Podge to the front side of your image.
Step two- Place the image onto a piece of beach glass and press it down to be sure all of the air bubbles are out. Make sure the towel is wet enough but not soaking. Make Your Own A-Frame Tent. We love a-frame tents, so we invited Rubyellen to share her method for making your own. Are you excited? Here's how the magic happens- 1. From the top of each moulding, measure and mark 6" down with your pencil. 2. With your drill and 3/4" spade bit, drill a hole at your mark. Making the cover: Since the cover is made using a vintage crocheted cloth, what you have readily available to use may be a different measurement.
(Hint: A twin sized sheet fits this tent frame almost perfectly!) 1. TIPS: For a little extra detail and to keep the tent cover taut, I fed twine through some holes of the cover and tied it to the legs of the frame. Again, how you make this tent cover will vary depending on the size of the crocheted cover you find and decide to use. Thanks so much, Ruby! DIY Jewelry Organizer – Jewelry Board. Today’s DIY is for all you girls out there – like me – who can’t seem to keep your jewelry organized :) I’ve always loved how our stores display accessories, particularly the wooden jewelry boards. Our Farmington FP girls put together this awesome and thorough tutorial on how to make one! It’s a bit long, so click “read more” to view all of the steps. What you need: (all supplies can be found at Home Depot) 1. 2 x 4 – Get this cut into pieces. About 3 pieces 12″ long (home depot will cut it for you). 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Step One: Prepare to stain your wood. Step Two: Stir your stain. Step Three: Cover the whole jewelry board with stain, including the sides. Step Four: Take your nails and place them on your jewelry board where you would like them. Step Five: Once you’ve laid all your nails out and have a good idea of where your going to nail them in, measure with a measuring tape to make sure they are the same distance apart. *The bracelet nails are 3″ apart* Almost DONE! Awesome job ladies! DIY Wire Crown – How To Make A Wire Crown.
UPDATE: This post originally ran on November 7th 2012 but we think these would make super cute accessories for holiday parties and New Year’s Eve so we brought it back! In the spirit of our November catalog, for today’s DIY I wanted to do something whimsical and inspired by fairy tales, that would make for a fun accessory this holiday season. I fell in love with the idea of making wire crowns to wear for holiday parties or just for fun this season, and it turns out they’re very easy to make! They also bring out that inner child who still wants to be a princess :). What you need: wire, pliers, and scissors. The wire I used is 20 gauge medium temper wire that I got from A.C. Start by making the base of the crown. Next, cut several smaller pieces of wire, all the same length.
Use the pliers to fold up the ends of the crown points as pictured. Hook the ends of the point under the base wire, and use the pliers to wrap the ends around the base wire to keep the point in place. Photos by Julia. DIY Fabric Covered Notebook. I first found out about Willow Rose one day when I stumbled upon her adorable blog. She posted lots of stuff that inspired me creatively, so I decided to find out more about the woman behind the blog. What I found out – excitingly – is that she’s a beautiful woman living in the UK who creates neat hand-made treasures. I fell in love with these fabric covered notebooks she custom-makes for people. All of the fabrics she personally sources herself, and she’ll even cover actual books if you’d like!
I love the idea of having one of my favorite books made special by covering it in beautiful fabric. For this week’s DIY, I’ve asked Willow to show us how we can make one of these notebooks at home and she was kind enough to share =) To find out more information and see Willow’s other projects check out her boutique website. Tags: fabric. DIY Valentine's: Handmade Love. Our Handmade Love event is this Saturday!
Make sure you check out your local store’s facebook page (a full list can be found here) to find out what DIY Valentine craft they’ll be making – and stop by on Saturday to make something special for your friend/loved one and pick up an outfit for your night :) Each store will be doing one of the following crafts, and I put together tutorials for each one – so if you can’t make it out to our event, or don’t have a local store, here are four great DIY Valentines that are sure to warm any heart! DIY Embroidered Cards What you need: paper, needle, thread, scissors, envelopes (optional) I found this raw edged paper at my local crafts store, and used some dark red embroidery thread and a regular sewing needle.
I free-handed the hearts, but here’s a useful tip – if you want to write something, or make sure your heart is done perfectly, use pencil on the back and follow the pencil lines as you sew. Aren’t they sweet? DIY Unraveling Letter DIY Mini Book. 3 Ways to Make Your Clothes Smell Good. DIY Gift Wrap – How To Make Gift Wrap. DIY Notebooks – How To Personalize A Notebook. Recycled Book Keepsake. Wild goose chase. Geo Painted Wooden Kitchen Tools. Homemade Body Scrub; DIY Body Scrub. DIY Lavender Tea Tree Surface Cleaner. How To Make Tea. Photo Bunting – How To Make Photo Bunting. Wednes-diy. Wednes-diy. Wednes-diy. Wednes-diy. Wednes-DIY: Feather Hair Clips. Wednes-diy. Thurs-diy.