DIY
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Snow Lanterns - Martha Stewart Crafts
Bundt pans are the key to this fun, easy outdoor project. Tools and Materials Snow Nonstick or tinned-steel Bundt pans, in various shapes and sizes Pillar candles Spray bottle and water Long fireplace matches 1. Pack snow into pans. To release, tap bottom of pan firmly.
To apply delicate silhouettes such as the cherry branches to colored accessories, you need transfer paper designed for dark fabrics. Tools and Materials White-on-Dark Transfer Technique 1. Download clip art, above, and print it onto transfer paper.
Albums and Binders with Iron-On Floral Silhouettes - Martha Stewart Crafts
This birthday Good Thing will make the recipient jump for joy. Tools and Materials Template Glue stick Craft glue Craft knife Pencil Scissors Hot-glue gun and glue sticks 3 1/2-by-3 1/2-by-1-inch box Blue decorative craft paper Green card stock Yellow and green crepe paper Thread Small spring Hole punch Ribbon Frog-in-a-Box Card How-To 1. Line box with blue decorative craft paper, securing paper with a glue stick. 2. Print and cut out templates for the frog, happy birthday sign, message tag, lily pad, and water lily on green card stock.
Good Thing: Frog-in-a-Box Card - Martha Stewart Crafts
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: painterly party cups
The inspiration behind these simple watercolor party cups from Stephanie Polli made me very happy. To me, this project exemplifies what makes DIYs such a great outlet for creativity — can’t find any paper cups you like? Make some!
when i sat down to reimagine the new d*s one of the first things i wanted to add was more diy and craft-based content. i love weekend projects that add character and personality to a house but sadly i don’t have time to do them as much as i’d like these days. rather than give up on the idea entirely i thought that it might be time to introduce a new editor (or two) to the site. i’m certainly not an expert on diy so i thought it might help to bring in two people who are. it’s my great, great pleasure to welcome lauren smith and derek fagerstrom of the curiosity shoppe to d*s! derek and lauren will be serving as design*sponge’s craft editors and will join us every wednesday afternoon for a new diy project.
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: wine crate display cases
it’s official. we drove by a real-life christmas tree lot today, which means that it’s time to get cracking on our holiday decorating. these paper ornaments can be hung just about anywhere (from a tree, in a window, from a chandelier) and they are super simple to make. all it takes is some paper and a stapler to make any room feel festive. just click here for more photos and full instructions. happy decorating! - derek & lauren
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: modern paper ornaments
Stylish Jewelry Storage - Martha Stewart Home and Garden
Jewelry boxes can be handy, but they can also turn your prettiest baubles into unsightly nests of knots. Here are four display-worthy organizing ideas we're sure you'll take a shine to. Open Drawer Policy Let your hodgepodge of china collect something besides dust: Orphaned teacups and saucers are perfect vessels for sorting jewelry, and, when arranged in a velvet-lined drawer, they give you an easy-to-scan bird's-eye view of your bijoux. To set it up, measure the height of the drawer's side (not the front), then gather dishware that's slightly shorter. Line the drawer with velvet or felt to prevent rattling and sliding, then position the porcelain.
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: laptop cozy
Recently we’ve been on the hunt for a laptop sleeve. Nothing fancy, just a simple way to protect our MacBook on its journeys around town. The quickest, easiest, and cheapest solution we could come up with was to make a no-sew Maloo -esque “wrap” out of colored felt and Velcro dots. Now our little laptop is snug as a bug in a rug!
we’ve been wanting to make a mobile for a long time, but it always seemed a little intimidating. what gauge wire should we use? how will we get it to balance? finally we decided to try making one with some supplies we had on hand: floral wire and origami papers. floral wire is great because it comes in pre-cut lengths and is super easy to bend. the origami paper is light and every piece tends to weigh pretty much the same, which made assembling this goldfish themed mobile a snap. click here for the full instructions or just click “read more” below. have fun! derek & lauren
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: origami mobile
with the crazy heat wave we’re having in san francisco this week, all we can think about is spending as much time as possible outside. and since balmy evenings especially are a rarity in sf, we plan to take advantage of the warm weather and prepare a few dinners to eat up on the roof in the upcoming days. these paper lanterns are a snap to make, and will add a nice festive glow to our outdoor picnic table. click here for the full project or just click “read more” below. have fun! derek & lauren
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: table lanterns
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy (thursdays): felt coasters
ever since we bought our first piece of “grown-up” furniture (a teak dining room table) we’ve done our best to protect its surface. these cork and felt coasters are a cinch to make, and do a fantastic job protecting the wood from those inevitable water rings made by our drinking glasses and coffee mugs. click here for the full project instructions or just click “read more” below. have fun! - derek & lauren here’s what you’ll need:crafter and all around awesome-girl kate pruitt will be joining d*s this month to share some fun, material-themed diy projects. she’ll be focusing on one material for the month and using it in a variety of different diy projects. for this month kate has chosen a material both she and i share an obsession with: ceramics! if you’re like us you probably have a surplus of cute cups and bowls sitting around the house, and maybe would like to refresh them. these teacup candles are super easy to make and would be nice little handmade gifts for the upcoming holidays…if you can bear to part with your treasures! click here for the full post and instructions or just click “read more” below happy crafting ! Kate’s Teacup Candles: What You’ll Need
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: kate’s teacup candles
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: eco-friendly notebooks
this fun, eco-friendly project comes from meghan mcclain and jill thomas of potbelly sandwich works . meghan and jill got a green committee going at their office (fantastic!) and decided to celebrate their inaugural meeting today with a fun project. the girls created these lovely notebooks by reusing office paper found around the company and scraps of vintage wallpaper and chipboard for covers. so rather than letting paper (that’s been printed on one side) go to waste, they found a way to reuse it and create something new and beautiful. meghan and jill kindly shared their full project steps and materials with us so click here to view the full post and instructions, or just click “read more” below. thanks so much for meghan and jill for sharing- best of luck with your green committee! Meghan and Jill’s DIY Recycled Paper Notebooks: What You’ll Need: 1.Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: leaf mobile
nature crafts are our absolute favorite things to make, and what better way to celebrate fall than to bring nature indoors with a seasonal leaf mobile? a good friend of ours gave us a stack of leaves from a recent trip back east, and we now have them hanging all over our apartment, suspended from little twigs. after a few weeks, when it’s time to make way for holiday decor, these guys will probably end up in our compost bin, but in the meantime, we’re enjoying the fall color and dreaming of hikes in the woods. click here for the full project instructions or just click “read more” below to continue with your leaf mobile! happy autumn!<img class="image" title="beauty12" src="http://assets4.designsponge.com/wp-content/uploads/beauty12.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="310" /> charles and ray eames are big heroes of ours, and their house of cards is something we look at often—not only for visual inspiration, but as an example of a perfect design object that is smart, playful and modern. this week we gathered some images from the weekly photo assignments we post on our blog, smarts&crafts , to create our own custom house of cards. it’s a great way to keep track of the things that inspire you, and would also make the perfect holiday gift! click here for the full post and instructions or just click “read more” below. have fun! derek & lauren