A Dozen Dollies... We've got a secret. A new obsession. A slight addiction to folding Japanese paper dolls. These paper dollies, our take on Japanese shiori ningyo (bookmark dolls), are rather addictive once you get started. Just some scraps of chiyogami, a few clever folds, a dab or two of glue, and a little bit of fancy scissorwork, and suddenly you've got a bevy of beauties on your hands. While these paper dolls would make lovely bookmarks, we also envision them on cards, in frames, adorning gifts. And for you? 3 dollies with fashionable sleeves.Approx finished size 2 1/2" x 4 1/2 " (6.5 x 11.5cm) 3 dollies without.Approx finished size 1 1/2" x 4 1/2 " (4 x 11.5cm) (Of course, these dollies are designed to look as good from the back as they do from the front. 1. 2. For each piece of 5x7" chiyogami, you will have 10 pieces that look like this: 3. 4. 5. 6. Place body with collar in the centre of the kimono fabric. Repeat with right side. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
DIY Stitched Hat If I had a nickel for every time my mom has warned “the sun is not your friend,” I could retire tomorrow. Honestly. Instead, my closet is full of sun hats, fedoras, cowboy hats, visors, and various other sun shielding apparati. Supplies List Start by cutting the ribbon or band off the hat. Pull the thread through the back side of the hat, leaving an inch of slack. Using the brim as a guide, start stitching along the edge of the hat. Pick another color and stitch several rows along the band of the hat. Give it some character by adding a little something along the band . . . why not? Your stitched fedora is finished! (top photo from here, rest of images by Honestly…WTF)
The Handy Hausfrau: Origami Lilies for May Day Happy May Day! These origami lilies are just something I whipped up last night to celebrate spring. I used this tutorial here, and loved the result. I didn't have any origami (washi) paper lying around, so I used astro-bright bond paper (cut to size), and it worked perfectly. My first attempt was at making these GORGEOUS Kawasaki roses (can you believe those are made out of paper), but the tutorial was way beyond my folding skills, so I gave up that effort and resorted to the beginner-level lilies. This beautiful little bouquet arrived yesterday from one of my college roommates. And finally, in sticking with the flower theme for May Day, here's a collection of photos of Dale Chihuly's stunning "Fiori di Como" at the Bellagio in Las Vegas*. My husband is in Vegas this weekend at a bachelor party for a college friend. With all of these flowers, I'm reminded of my husband's dear grandmother (or G-G) as she was affectionately know by her great-grandchildren.
love note pillow tutorial Before I moved from Oregon to San Diego to be near my boyfriend (my now husband) we maintained a long distance relationship. A big part of that relationship was writing letters, email and LOTS of little love notes sent back and forth. We both saved all those letters and notes and once in while we will pull them out, spend time shaking our heads and laughing while reading them- so naive and silly we were! These days (insert 10 years) we still write each other notes and letters. For a while I've wanted to do something creative with some of those notes and came up with the most simple idea to make little love note pillows. FYI- I am OBSESSED with pillows and believe that you can never have too many around the house (they are EVERYWHERE) so adding a few more to the collection is always a good thing. I started by selecting a couple of notes and letters that I scanned. Or they could be photographed I added a warming filter for a subtle sepia look. I then flipped it horizontal to prepare to print.
DIY Decor Inspiration: 14 Eco Crafts for the Home Hang a wreath on your door made from the pages of unwanted books, custom-color your own vases and mason jars, turn torn doilies into a pretty hanging lamp or organize your jewelry with a reclaimed rake. These 14 fun, crafty DIY projects for the home transform cast-off materials into stylish new decorative items. Custom Colored Mason Jars (images via: creative little daisy) Vintage blue mason jars can make a pretty addition to home decor, but a single jar – once tossed away as junk – can cost as much as $12 at an antique store. Branch Candle Holders (images via: fossil blog) Add rustic beauty to your mantle with twig candle holders. Tiered Cupcake Stand (images via: giverslog) Cupcake stands are a fun and dramatic way to show off these confectionery creations, but it makes no sense to spend a lot on one if you’re not a frequent baker. Round Lace Lantern (images vía: dos family) Recycled Barrel Planter (images via: design sponge) Fabric-Covered Pots (images via: ashley ann photography)
Tiny Polaroid Magnets | { Ambrosia Girl } Hi there! It’s felt like forever since I’ve last blogged, and has felt like an eternity since I’ve done anything crafty and nifty. Since my morning sickness has gone into full speed (yes, we’re expecting our third this fall!) I haven’t felt like myself. I came across these DIY Pantone chip magnets on How About Orange and wanted to do something similar. You will need: Cardboard (mine was the backing of a sketchbook — much thicker than the back of a regular spiral bound notebook) or 2-3 sheets of white cardstock or poster board spray-mounted together to use as a sturdy backing to the magnetsOpaque white marker (necessary only if your cardboard is not white) Craft knife Metal straight edge/ruler Clear packing tape or frisk film. Step 1: Download a Photoshop file of the Polaroid frames below. Step 2: Print out photos onto photo paper. Step 3: Spray the back of your sheet of photos and also the cardboard with spray mount. Step 4: Trim out photos with craft knife. 487 Comments
How to Make a No-Sew Rag Rug Thank you for visiting Little House in the Suburbs. If you like what you see, please check out OUR BOOK. I thought that with all of the emphasis on recycling and reusing these days, a no-sew rag rug post would be more common. However, in my own internet research, I find that it’s something of a unicorn. It follows the same principle that we all used in making those funny cotton loop potholders–under, over, under, over. No-Sew Homemade Rag Rug (Or trivet, potholder, centerpiece, place mat, what-have-you.) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Depending on your material, your rug may not want to lie flat if you turn it too quickly, so you may not get to tuck EVERY strand into the original braid. 6. 7. You can’t see, but there’s SIX strips now. Intermission: WHEW, this is way harder to explain than it is to do! Let’s also pause to learn how to join (slip-knot) strips to each other: Cut a hole in the ends of both strips you want to join. Back to our regularly scheduled tutorial… 8. 9. 9. 10. Ivory Like this: Related
Una festa di carta Proprio ieri vi avevo detto che le decorazioni per le nostre feste dovrebbero essere facili da fare, belle e perchè no, anche economiche. Vi propongo oggi una selezione di foto che vi aiutano a creare una festa a tema facilmente, non trascurando il particolare ma risparmiando! Come? Usando della semplice carta crespa!Dall'invito, alle decorazioni, e perche no anche per vivacizzare un concktail o un dolcetto.Basta poco davvero, solo delle forbici e voglia di fare.Perchè se è vero che alcuni compleanni a tema che vi ho mostrato possono essere costosi da realizzare, vi do ragione, ma ci sono tanti modi per creare cose belle e non esagerare col budget! Ecco la carta crespa cucita che diventa una splendida ghirlanda o il decoro di un piccolo invito che possiamo fare in casa noi stesse semplicemente cucendo fari strati di carta tagliata nel senso della lunghezza per creare un effetto festone. E ovviamente cappellini e ghiralnde appese qua e la! Infine una bel fiore di carta per il cake topper!
DIY Faux Curled Rosewood Wreath {Made From Rolled Recycled Book Pages} I have seen various versions of Faux Rosewood Wreaths in just about every store and catalog for the upcoming season; most with a price tag running upwards of $40 or more. Some are crafted of paper and other of real wood shavings. Last year I made a few rolled flower gift toppers from recycled book pages and they remind me so much of the curled wood roses I thought they would make a good substitute. {with a much lower price tag} Materials Needed:Foam Wreath FormRecycled Book PagesLots of Hot GlueRibbon to Hang The full step by step tutorial I posted last year can be found {here}.Basically you layer three book pages together and draw a spiral circle. Starting with the outside of the spiral, roll the paper inward to create the flower shape. Give the wreath form a light coat of white {or light color} spray paint to help camouflage any see-through spaces. It seriously takes quite a few roses to fill the entire wreath, however I think the finished project has such a unique look. {Simply Lovely}
the haystack needle: simple gift wrap I love any reason to pull out my collection of rubber stamps, and I'll never tire of seeing ways to wrap presents with a simple, stylish edge. This gift wrap inspiration comes by way of my friend and wedding photographer Charlotte Jenks Lewis. I love how she created a modern handmade look for wrapping gifts that's also personalized. And with this idea, you can skip the gift tags and splurge on some pretty ribbon instead. If you're on the hunt for alphabet stamps, I spotted an amazing antique set of stamps over in Pretty Tape's shop. Thanks for sharing your stamped gifts, Charlotte! ps. (photographs by charlotte jenks lewis) paint chip calendar | Maple and Magnolia A few weeks ago, I saw this paint chip calendar on my friend David’s blog Cheltenham Road and knew I had to make one! It combines two things that I love…stylishness and organization. And the fact that it utilizes paint chips? Even better. I mostly followed David’s tutorial with just a few modifications. Since I planned for this calendar to hang in my office, I chose paint chips that would coordinate with the room and with the pin board that hangs on the adjacent wall. Here’s my version. materials needed: poster frame, fabric, hot glue gun, 35 paint chips, paper trimmer, corner rounder, fabric glue, foam brush 1) Purchase a poster frame (mine came from Target…$9.99). 2) Remove the edges from the frame. 3) Cover the cardboard insert with fabric using hot glue to secure it on the back, pulling tightly to keep the fabric smooth. 4) Trim the paint chips with a paper trimmer (I chose to leave the paint color names but cut off the brand). These BH&G paint chips came from Wal-Mart. Sharing here: