DIY T-Shirt Quilt Before I explain this project, I need to set two things straight. First off-- I'm a sentimental hoarder. If a fond memory is even remotely related to an inanimate object, I keep it. For example, I have almost every ticket from any movie I've ever seen, I have a serious problem with getting rid of stuffed animals, and I have a knickknack box full of dumb things like a dried clover flower that my friend threw at me while we were lying in a cornfield, bored, waiting for a cross country race to end. (I also have a craft supply hoarding problem, but that's a different story.) The second thing I need to get straight is that I've always been a joiner. My mom made me this blanket as a high school graduation present, and it is still one of the coolest things she's made me. Space camp, elementary school, 4-H club, AAU basketball, student council-- all of the shirts are there. What you need to make a t-shirt blanket: -T-shirts (I used probably 30-40.)
Wire-Wrapped Tree Necklace I’ve gotten some comments recently about how often I use images of trees in my crafts. I really do love trees. I know you have probably seen the wire-wrapped tree necklaces around (some people call them Tree of Life necklaces) – so perhaps yet another tutorial is overkill… but I made this little beauty for the Birthday Bash giveaway that starts tomorrow at SevenAlive, so I thought I’d show you the how-to, since I was making it anyway! :) This is going to be photo-heavy, but it’s not because it’s complicated – just difficult to explain, and much easier to show you. What you will need: The first step is to prepare your wire. See? The easiest way I have found to form the base is to find something that’s already the shape and size you want, and wrap your wire around that. This next bit is hard to explain and it might feel tricky at first, but I promise, it’s not as bad as it sounds. You’ll take one half of where your wires overlap, and wrap it around your round pliers (if you have a pair).
Dream Big Butterfly Window - Resin Craft | Pretty Handy Girl Phew, what a week. I’ve been working on about 5 different projects simultaneously. The biggest accomplishment this week was my screened porch makeover. One of the projects I completed for the porch was an old curbside window that I turned into a unique piece of art using a product that ETI sent me. I have to admit, I was a little scared of the EnviroTex Lite. The utility lighter was more within my comfort level. My beautiful butterfly window started out looking like this: Someone was throwing away these old windows. Creating the Art: Materials: Cardstock weight scrapbook paperCardstock letter paperButterfly hole punchReal Butterfly Wings (found in my yard from a cat’s discarded hunt remains)GlitterMod podgeSmall cup (to pour mod podge into)ScissorsPaintbrushEye bolts for hangingRope for hanging Start by cutting out paper letters and punching out butterflies until your thumbs are sore. When you are happy with the design, anchor everything onto the window using mod podge. Pouring the Resin:
25 Incredibly Detailed Black And White Portraits of the Homeless by Lee Jeffries - StumbleUpon Lee Jeffries career began as a sports photographer, capturing the beautiful game of football in Manchester. Then a chance meeting with a homeless woman living in the streets of London changed his life forever. He has since dedicated himself to capturing gripping portraits of the disenfranchised. Shooting exclusively in black and white, Lee Jeffries’ 135+ pictures can be viewed in his Flickr Photostream. Lee Jeffries lives in Manchester in the United Kingdom. Lee Jeffries recalls that, initially, he had stolen a photo from this young homeless girl huddled in a sleeping bag. The models in his photographs are homeless people that he has met in Europe and in the United States: «Situations arose, and I made an effort to learn to get to know each of the subjects before asking their permission to do their portrait.»
52 reasons why i love you Update January 2013: Thanks to everyone who has visited, commented and shared this post. Who knew my little craft would be so popular?? pricklypants.com is now defunct but if you like what you see, join me over at reneeyoxon.com where I blog about my life as a professional jazz musician. See you there! Renée Craig’s 28th birthday was yesterday so I decided to make him a little book out of playing cards to tell him how much I love him. You will need: a deck of cards2 binder ringssticky notesa cheap pen with dry ink (don’t use an expensive, wet ink, ballpoint kind)mod podgea paint brusha hole puncher Punch holes in all the cards. That’s it! Do you like receiving hand-made gifts? Wire Wrapped Tree Well, voting is now closed for this week’s challenge at One Artsy Mama, which means it’s big reveal day here! I’m so excited to show you my entry. Did you go vote? I am happy to say that while I didn’t win this round overall (the competition was pretty impressive!) I am advancing to round 2. This was a very fun project for me. This is a bit more time-intensive than what I usually show you, but I wanted something special not just for the contest, but also for my friend’s gift. I started with a rock from my yard. First, I cut about 2 dozen lengths of copper and brass wire about 24″ long for a tree about 8″ or 9″ tall. Once you have your roots started, twist your wire to create your trunk. Once you’re satisfied with the height, start sorting your wires back out to form branches. The beads here represent the people in my friend’s and her fiance’s families. Now, I found it most helpful to work from the lower branches and go upward, but there’s no rule. I link up to these great parties!
Framing three of my favourite quotes on my $0 budget As you know, I am one week into my month of not spending and it is going extremely well. I have only been to one store and that was to do some groceries. I only bought fresh fruit and veggies, milk, and bread...ok that is not 100% true...I also bought a bag of chips. I know chips aren't a necessity, but that is my vice. I don't drink alcohol or coffee, not because it is bad for you, I hate the taste. I will try better next week ;) On to my $0 budget post! I have a small wall in my ensuite bathroom that has always seemed bare. Well, I was digging through some boxes that have never been unpacked since we moved in almost 2 years ago and I found three matching panoramic frames. After pulling out the wonderful photos and touching up some minor scuffs with my amazingly handy Sharpie, I decided I would frame three of our favorite quotes. I found a piece of scrapbook paper (12 x12 inch) that matched my bathroom and the frames perfectly. Total cost $0!!
99 Excellent Examples of Forced Perspective Photography | Photography Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It is used primarily in photography, filmmaking and architecture. It manipulates human visual perception through the use of scaled objects and the correlation between them and the vantage point of the spectator or camera. There are many ways to attack photography and some are much more expensive than others. Here in this showcase, we presenting a Stunning collection of Forced Perspective Photography and Pictures taken by various artists in which all pictures are linked to the author’s pages. When it comes to inspiration then there is no limitation on resources. You may be interested in the following related articles as well. Feel free to join us and you are always welcome to share your thoughts that our readers may find helpful. Don’t forget to and follow us on Twitter — for recent updates. Brilliant Examples of Forced Perspective Photography
Sock Monkey Gosh… I am supposed to sew some thing for the Earth Month this April, but I can’t wait to sew these sock monkeys. My hands simply took over my head and see what I did after a few days and nights of sewing…. a house full of sock monkeys!!!! Do you love them? I have seen a lot of sock monkey photos hanging around friends’ photo albums in many photo sharing websites, so envy. These sock monkeys are so cute and so adorable that I would want to hug one, I bet my kids would love to have them to accompany too when mommy is busy with works. Therefore, I went out to shop for some socks thinking that may be 4 to 5 pairs should be enough, I ended up with 20 pairs of colorful socks, simply can’t resist for not buying ;-). …. With different sizes of socks, I made the sock monkey out of a family, from baby, toddlers, teens to adult. 3rd picture in the above album shows the family photo of the sock monkey, from daddy, mommy, sister, brother, triplet toddlers, and a baby. Pages: 1 2
20 of Our Favorite Homemade Halloween Costumes If you’ve been on this site for more than a minute, you know we here at Brit + Co. are all kinds of crazy about the upcoming Halloween holiday. Given our penchant for all things homemade, we only felt it right to share with you, dear readers, all of our favorite homemade costumes we’ve spotted from around the web. Many of these you can even make with stuff you already have lying around your house! Pinata Want to get “hit on” this Halloween? Super Mario Brothers Mario and Luigi are the ultimate pair. UP Old Man One of our favorites of the bunch, mostly because this kid is so darn cute. Low Resolution You know we love all things Pixel. Jelly Beans One of the simplest of the “bunch,” these jelly bean costumes take nothing but balloons and garbage bags to make. Crayola Crayons A great costume, especially if you want to dress up as a group. Tetris This one’s been around for awhile and has been recreated multiple times, but we love it for its simplicity. Thing 1 and Thing 2 Dr.
DIY Dixie Cup Garland :: Hey Gorgeous Aug 10 Cuteness alert coming right at you, but how fun is this little DIY project, guys? I found the original inspiration on Pinterest (the ‘lamp shades’ were covered in Hallowe’en hued paper) but figured I’d give it a go using my fave hues. Wouldn’t this garland be absolutely fabulous for a bridal shower, an outdoor wedding and or even the most perfect addition to a nursery in lieu of a night light? Check out the awesome step by step photos below shot by the always wonderful Jenna. Craft on, beauties! {Step 1} Carefully cut apart a Dixie cup and smooth it out so it is as flat as possible. {Step 2} Using double sided tape, adhere one end of a shade cover to a Dixie cup. Like so! {Step 3} Using a pencil (or you can just eyeball it) you’ll make an X on the bottoms of the Dixie cups. I only made a select number of shades for the purpose of the photos here but you get the idea. This little project was also shown over on The Loveliest Day; thanks Melis for sharing the love :)
guide to photoshop actions . photography month Have you heard of Photoshop actions and wondered what they were? Do you know what they are but just don't really understand how they work? Kristy of Kristy Bee Photography is here to explain everything, and best of all, she has a couple free actions just for you guys! If you end up loving them, you can purchase Kristy's full action sets here! Sometimes it is fun to spend hours playing around with your photos. This is how Photoshop actions come in handy. I usually begin with the lighting of the photo, using the curves tool and/or adjusting levels until I am happy with the overall look. Playing with actions is also a great way to experiment with different styles. Actions can also be mixed and matched; one can be placed on top of another, which can produce amazing results. I've shown a couple of examples below of before (an unedited photo) and afters (after adding only my action). Kristy & Kristy Bee Photography elsewhere