Pressed botanical specimens Wow, I’m truly overwhelmed at the response to my first stab at my living in: column yesterday. When I hatched the idea to do roundups based on books and movies, I just thought it would be a fun way to find stuff online. I didn’t really comprehend that it would open a whole world of inspiration for all of us! I am SO excited to go through each and every suggestion and start some good old fashioned movie watching. Wednesdays here on D*S I’m going to be cooking up fresh DIY projects (called “Made with Love”) in my Brooklyn apartment to share with you. Creating a collection of madcap botanical specimens is about as easy as it gets. CLICK HERE for the full post (with instructions and additional images) after the jump! What you’ll need: - a large pile of heavy books, including a phonebook or something similar - frames - several fronds from ferns or other flat leafed plants - rubber cement - decorative paper, I used a pretty old kraft paper 1. 2. 3. 4.
The making of an action hero body - Entertainment - Movies - TODAYshow.com When I was hired to train an actor for an action film, the studio executives would express how important it was to transform their body so they looked like an action hero. That's why I made the decision to utilize the same method of dieting and training I used to win many of my champion body building competitions. Matt Damon and Kevin Spacey were extremely excited to work with me, which made my job a lot easier than it had been with some of my other celebrity clients. I have the actors do weight training in the morning and cardio at night. WEIGHT TRAINING SESSION(* — increase weight each set) Monday – Abs/Biceps/Triceps Abdominal Crunches - 3x50 Hanging Leg Raises – 3x30 Hyper Extensions – 3x25 Seated Dumbbell Curls – 3x15/12/10 * Standing Barbell Curls – 3x15/12/10 * Standing Cable Curls – 3x15/12/10 * Tricep Cable Pushdowns – 3x15/12/10 * Lying Barbell Tricep Extensions – 3x15/12/10 * Dumbbell Kickbacks – 3x15/12/10 * Wednesday – Rest Day
shoe rack I love the j-me shoe rack: (picture from the DWR catalog) (picture from gnr8) I love that it floats off the floor, I love that it doesn’t take up much space when no shoes are present, I love that it was the perfect shoe solution to my very cramped back entryway. I set out to wander around a very large hardware store and find something that I could use in the same fashion. We bought poplar boards from the trims aisle of Home Depot. We also bought large and small L-brackets to attach the wood to our walls and appropriate hardware: short screws to attach the brackets to the wood planks (.5 inch), longer screws and plastic drywall anchors to attach the brackets to the walls. Cameraphone spy pictures from the store: We decided to stain the wood and went with a dark expresso finish, we used two coats. Here is the smaller L-bracket attached to the smaller 3-inch-wide board: We attached the bracket to the boards first, then used them to mark the walls for where to drill. And that’s it. Before:
Joinery Techniques | Custom Furniture and Cabinetry in Boise, Idaho by J. Alexander Fine Woodworking Welcome to the first in a series of posts in our Woodworking 101 category. Today we will look at the most basic skill all woodworkers have to learn and master, joinery techniques. As you will see below, there are dozens of different ways to join two pieces of wood together. Each with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Box Joint The box joint, also called a finger joint, connects two boards at the corners. Butt Joint The butt joint is the simplest and weakest joint. Dovetail Joint The dovetail is one of the strongest, most beautiful, and most complex joinery techniques that woodworkers employ. Dowel Joint The doweled joint is merely a butt joint that uses wooden dowels to help align and strengthen the bond between two boards. Half-Lap Joint A half-lap joint is merely the process of joining two pieces of wood together by removing half of the width from each board so that they completely overlap each other when joined. Frame & Panel Joint Miter Joint Mortise & Tenon Joint Spline Joint
DIY: Furniture Makeovers I'm obsessed with making-over old, worn out furniture. It's amazing how almost any old piece can be totally transformed with new paint, hardware and a little imagination! Here are three examples from Ladies Home Journal...click here to read the entire article. Out-dated side table with stone top transformed into a bright and cheerful accent piece! *First they removed the hardware and stone top, sanded the table all over, and applied a coat of primer. *They cut a length of seagrass wallpaper to fit the inset and topped it with a pane of 1/4-inch glass. Old dresser transformed into a chic sideboard with plenty of storage! *They gave the whole piece a light sanding, a coat of primer, and two coats of semigloss latex paint in a pale blue shade on the outside and a deeper blue inside for contrast. *To dress up the doors, they picked out a pair of modern nickel pulls. *Click here to read the details on how they transformed the inside...
Terrarium Centerpieces The other week, my good friend Stephanie and I planned out a craft weekend. Our mission: Terrariums. Not the kind you keep lizards in, but the kind you can seal up and watch the moss grow. It was fun, cheap, and easy, and while we were creating them I realized how awesome they would be as centerpieces at a wedding. Terrariums are meant to be long lasting, so you can even make some months before the wedding and still have them thriving in time for the big day. So lets get down to the nitty-gritty of how you can actually make them: Step 1: Materials • Glass containers in whatever size you heart most. • Good dirt and rocks. • Figurines or decorative rocks to place inside. • Horticultural Charcoal. • Moss (another one of those things you can find outside, but can also order if you don’t live somewhere it doesn’t grow naturally). • Spray bottle (for misting after wards). Step 2: Wash out your containers and rocks (you never know what animal has probably peed on them outside). - Paula Hayes
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. (Perhaps a dollar-bill ring?) 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. Back
5 of the Coolest Staircases Ever Anyone wanting or already in the process of redesigning their multi-level home should take a look at these cool staircases, which break away from the standard design and add some creative flair. Continue reading to see them all. [via Toxel] 1. Slide 2. 3. 4. 5. Interesting Posts Around the Web you knew i was going to make one. - StumbleUpon they are all over pinterest....(i still am not signed up for pinterest because i don't have time for one more thing but browsing is fun!) so we made one. i took a box of 64 crayons and took out the blacks and browns.i used another small box and doubled up on the good colors i liked and hot glued them to the top of our canvas. then we turned our blow dryer to hot on high. not long after you set the hair dryer by the crayons they get shiny and then the wax starts to melt! and it dries really quickly too. seriously. what could be happier than this?? GREAT project. loved it today is the first FULL day with ALL my kids in ALL day school.yeah...i am smiling as i type that. it's good. it's quiet. i am rockin' it. removing wallpaper.....making code for craft weekend stuff.....doing my hair....going to lunch..... it's all good. hooray for school!
Tête a Tête - bird tree Reality pinch: we have moved cities since my last post. As much as I fantasized doing everything and blogging about everything in my head, all my craft tools were disappearing into cartons, ready to be moved at a super fast speed! So the result of the wooden picture frames will have to wait a bit. Still, I managed to squeeze in one last project before we left. Here is also where I get to mention some very sweet and encouraging friends and family, who have nudged me on with my business endeavors by buying my products and saying, 'it's not because you're my friend, it's because I really liked it'. Nesting with my Mum was a result of all the time I was spending with my daughter. Tete a tete is bringing the whole jing bang in on a twig. I just love the result and how the natural sculpture of the twig adds beauty and also has a mobile quality to it.
Good idea. But, wouldn't you want the names of the spices to be on the bottom of the jar so you can read it while it is stuck to the board? by bpsarchitect Feb 10