Oil and Cotton k.o'brien jewelry: thrifted jewelry displays I had a gallery request that I supply my own displays for my jewelry. I never had this request before and at first I was stressed over the idea. I worried that I wouldn't find displays that matched my aesthetic and the gallery's. And since most of my displays are thrifted I was worried about how long it would take to gather up the odds and ends I needed, not to mention time spent refinishing the pieces. There are many more little displays for this sweet little shop but I am saving the grand unveiling for when my collection is neatly assembled in a glass case. I've seen a lot of folks use embroidery hoops with lace to display earrings but I wanted a more substantial and rectangular frame. I cut the lace much larger than the size of the frame so I had some extra fabric to get my hands on. My favorite finds are those that require nothing more than a quick soak in the sink. happy monday! xo, kim
9 Cool Things to Do With Old Books » Written Word Bibliophiles and bookworms, English majors and lovers of literature: is it possible to have too many books? They accumulate so quickly! Every member of your family getting you the same three books you requested for Christmas. Seeing Don DeLillo marked half-off, knowing you dumped a half-caff latte on your copy of Underworld, and – even though only the first three pages are illegible – justifying its purchase. 15+ years of required reading lists stored in boxes in your basement, even though you can bet your bippy you will never willingly read the poetry of Robert Burns again. We are up to our waists in books, some of which we hate (really Master Burns? Scottish dialect? Update: Do to the overwhelming support (HA!) 1. It brings a whole new meaning to “audio book.” Use your old books to showcase your artistic side. Good for hiding passwords and codes, the key to your safe, and family jewels. 2. Your choice of ribbon can transform this wreath so it is suitable for every holiday – or every day!
How To Make Baskets: Chapter 11 THE chief difference between the round baskets we have been weaving and these oval ones is, of course, in the centre (a notable exception being the Japanese basket on page 133, which slopes gracefully up from the sides to the ends), so that the aim in this chapter is to give the worker as great a variety in the pattern and form of these centres as possible. English Oval Basket Materials: BASKET-6 6-inch spokes of No. 3 rattan, 1 3-inch spoke of No. 3 rattan, 64 14-inch spokes of No. 3 rattan, 6 weavers of No. 2 rattan, Brown rush. HANDLE-2 35-inch pieces of No. 4 rattan, Brown rush, A knitting needle. The six six-inch spokes are separated into pairs and laid on a table horizontally, leaving an inch between each pair. FIG. 24 Fayal Oval Basket Materials: 6 5-inch spokes of No. 4 rattan, 4 7-inch spokes of No. 4 rattan, 1 4-inch spoke of No. 4 rattan, 84 12-inch pieces of No. 2 rattan, 2 weavers of No. 2 rattan. FIG. 25 FIG. 26 Japanese Oval Basket Materials: BASKET-4 28-inch spokes of No. 4 rattan,
Twisted Felt Garland, Necklace, and Bracelet The holidays are such a great time to do craft projects. With the weather getting colder and family and friends all around it's the perfect time to settle in and do something creative. The only problem is that with all the parties, cooking, and traveling it's sometimes hard to find the time to indulge in the crafty aspects of the holidays. This project is the perfect antidote to the holiday time crunch. It's quick and easy and requires very little sewing. Best of all, using one simple technique, you can make a garland for holiday decorations as well as cute necklaces and bracelets for stocking stuffers! These garlands, necklaces, and bracelets, are made from our gorgeous 100% wool felt. In different colors this same technique could be used for all of the holidays around this time of year, in blues and whites they would make lovely Hanukkah decorations, and in black and white they would be a bold new years statement! Happy Holidays! Materials Cutting the Strips Bracelet Garland and Necklaces
Paper Flowers – Anyone Can Do That | FindInspirations.com Japanese Kusudama, this tutorial is featured on Craftuts Anyone can do that, I assure you. The proof: I can, just take a quick look at my result below. And, believe me, I am neither meticulous nor particularly patient. Below you can see my very first attempt to create paper flowers. What you will need to make your own Kusudama paper ball? 1. 3. 4. (optionally) I prefer torn paper instead of cut. You have to start with a single petal. Now you have to glue your 5 petals into a flower. Apply the glue to only one side of each petal, except for the last one, in this case cover both sides with glue. Your first flower is done. Don’t glue every petal right after you make it. When all 12 flowers are finished you have to glue them together. When two halves of Kusudama Flower Ball are ready you have to glue them together.
DIY Picture Tiles - You Will Never Buy a Photo Frame Again Lately I’ve been having this huge urge to decorate the house. This is big news. I do not decorate. Arguably, one of the reasons why is because I. absolutely. hate. to. buy. mass. produced. decor. (Also, I can’t ever remember if pink and purple go together or not.) Anyway, this extends to photo frames. Nope. Long story short, I discovered this method of transferring my photos cheaply, quickly, and beautifully to something uncommon and unique. Tiles. The only thing that’s not particularly crunchy about this is that it uses Modge Podge or similar (and I’m not sure what’s in Modge Podge). It’s just grainy and doesn’t dry clearly. Boo. BUT, if you can overlook that one minor issue, I think you’ll love this. And it will be glorious. Here’s how you do it. First, you need to go to Home Depot, Lowes, or something like it. (FYI, I found that Lowes prices on tiles were cheaper than Home Depot. I like the stone tiles, because they have texture. So you pick out your tiles in the sizes you want. Go go go!
Monday Project - Scrap Felt Coasters and Trivets In honor of Earth Day, this week I'll be posting about projects and art that reuse/repurpose materials one already has. Since I use felt a lot in my projects, I end up with a lot of felt scraps. And since I have a hard time throwing anything away, I have a LOT of felt scraps! I use a lot of them in felt work, but can't keep up with the growing pile. Materials: *felt scraps - include long pieces, not just the shorter scraps *hot glue gun and lots of extra glue sticks *rotary cutter and cutting mat - while you can make these using scissors, it will take a long time 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. To start the oval, I put hot glue on about 1 inch of a light tan strip and folded it over. 6. I do like making the circles better, though! Happy Creating!
52 Weeks Project Gift Box Gift Box This box made from two bills. The bills/box can be the gift itself, but it is also just about the right size for a ring box. Get yourself two fairly new, crisp bills. Lay the bill on a flat surface, face up. Fold the note top-to-bottom just to the right of the portrait, then unfold. Starting at the top left corner (as illustrated), close the top third fold to about 90 degrees. Inside this corner will be a remaining portion that you will crease along the natural 45 degree line to complete the corner. Complete the previous step for the other three corners. For each tab, pull it inside the box, folding so that the natural edge of the box is pulled slightly over inside the fold. Do this evenly for both tabs. For the two other sides, evenly fold over the edge of the bill. You should now have an open box. If you make another piece just like the first, but slightly larger, you would have a lid similar to that found on most shoe boxes. These will be called the wrapping folds. Back