valentine lightbulb i know a lot of people find valentine’s day to be a commercialized, over-hyped, pressure-cooker of a holiday (um, take it easy with the chocolate aisles, drug stores). in my mind though, valentine’s day is great because such little things can make huge statements on this romantic day. pretty much any act of kindness carries with it a bigger message of love: a note on the counter, an extra long hug, a favorite food in the fridge, etc. so with the “little gifts” concept in mind, i bring you this valentine’s day light bulb. a subtle love note tucked inside a pretty glass bulb, this can hopefully be displayed year round, and have longer lasting power than a dozen roses (not that i’m knocking roses). the other awesome part of this project is that once you’ve hollowed out a light bulb, the possibilities are endless for future projects: mini terrarium? check. handmade snow globe? check.. go crazy! CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! materials: cost: time: 1 hour instructions:
Mix in a jar 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.
Arrow bracelet - #2 Friendship Bracelet Tutorial After you've done a few successful strip bracelets (pattern 1), you're ready to do the arrow one (chevron, #2). For this bracelet you need to know both forward and backward knots. When you're doing the arrow bracelet, you need two strings of each colour. That means that when you're doing a bracelet from eight strings, you need four colours. You are working from both sides with two string of the same colour, which are then tied together in the middle to create a 'V' or an arrow. The strings should be the same length as while doing the striped bracelet (1 metre). Tie your strings in one knot on the top and fasten it on your safety pin. In the knots tutorial, it shows you how to make both forward and backward knots, which you should already know. The working strings for the first 'V' or an arrow, is going to be blue. On the left hand side, make a forward knot over the pink string. On the right hand side, make a backward knot over the other pink string. You made your first 'V' or an arrow.
vintage suitcase charging station I love repurposed vintage, especially when it’s combined with new technology. The sleek, monochromatic look of contemporary gadgets meshes perfectly with the candy colors and rounded shapes of mid-century design, and today we have an awesome project to celebrate this happy marriage: a vintage suitcase charging station by Sara and Stacy of SugarSCOUT. Combining their love of vintage with their penchant for DIY, Sara and Stacy decided to modify a Samsonite to store and charge multiple devices at once, either tucked away in the closed case or displayed out in the open. It’s a relatively straightforward project, but if you’re not ready to tackle the power tools involved, you can pick up one of the pre-made cases in SugarSCOUT’s shop. In the meantime, I’m on a hunt for one of these awesomely pink Samsonite cases. Have a DIY project you’d like to share? Read the full how-to after the jump! We love train cases. Materials Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Plug in, and you’re wired!
Recycling the Old Markers I started looking at other art teachers' blogs about a year ago to help me get more project ideas and other nifty suggestions. One thing that I have run across most recently is a way to 'make paint' using old markers. Initially I thought it was a crock. However, its the end of the year and I'm sorting through materials to toss so I decided to put this theory to the test. Can one really make liquid watercolor paint out of old crusty dried out markers? I did the following to find out: 1. 2. 3. 4. I'm quite excited to find a really green and cheap way to make liquid watercolors. In summation, I answer the question above with a victorious Yes!
Glass Etching Have you ever done any glass etching? Well, neither had I before today. But wow. Check out my new and improved etched Trifle Bowl. The perfect bowl for desserts of all kinds…..and even a great place for fresh fruit on the counter. Glass etching is also a great way to stamp your name on your pyrex dishes, to make sure they come back to you. And how about adding a little extra detail, just because…… (Edited to Add: The font used here is called Smiley Monster and I downloaded the font for free here.) Sweet in every way. Are you wanting to make your own? (This technique permanently etches your glass. First, you’ll need a piece of vinyl with an adhesive back, like the vinyl you buy for vinyl wall decor. Then peel away the shapes, leaving the negative space all in one piece. The Silhouette code for the bird/branch is: bird_on_branch_C00044_23067 01/18/2010 Then peel the vinyl backing away. Then place your vinyl against your glass, making sure to center the image just where you’d like it. Good luck!
52 Weeks Project you knew i was going to make one. 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!
How to make Chalk by Michelle Vackar, Modern Handmade Child One of our favorite outside activities at our home is drawing with chalk on the driveway. You can play hopscotch, four-square, and of course draw and create silly stories. My daughters and I were talking one day as we played hopscotch about how to make chalk and I thought to myself, let’s try it! What you will need: • Toilet paper or paper towel tubes • Scissors • Duct tape • Wax paper • Small bucket or disposable container to make the recipe • ¾ cup of warm water • 1 ½ cups Plaster of Paris • 2-3 tablespoons of tempera paint • Paper bag or a “mess mat” ** we made six tubes of chalk – we simply doubled the above recipe Step 1: If you are using paper towel tubes, cut each tube in half, so it is roughly the length of a toilet paper roll tube. Step 2: Cover one end of each tube with duct table to hold the contents within. Step 3: Cut as many pieces of wax paper as you have tubes. Step 4: Pour the warm water into your bucket.
Do-it-Yourself DIY String Wedding Lanterns Yarn Chandeliers Jessica of Wednesday Inc shows us how to make those gorgeous twine chandeliers from the inspiration shoot she shared with us this morning. Using balloons, glue and twine, you can also make these lanterns for your wedding – and then bring it home and use it as your very own mid century lampshade. What you will need are: balloons, glue, yarn, tray for glue, corn starch 1/2 cup of Corn starch, 1/4 cup of Warm water, clear fast drying spray paint, hanging lamp cord or fishing line (depending on your desired final product), and a lighting kit if you’re looking for a fully functional lantern. Jessica recommends using a sharpie to mark on the inflated balloon how much room you need to leave for the lighting cord. She also recommends coating the balloon with vaseline prior to wrapping the yarn coated with glue so it doesn’t stick on the balloon once it’s dry. Are you getting excited to try to do this at home as much I am? Instructions: 1.
Hand Stitching, part 1 - LA One of my favorite crafts is hand stitching-- it's fun, addictive, expressive and relaxing :) Over the next few weeks, I'm going to share easy ways to make your own patterns for hand stitching along with some tips and ideas :) These are some samples of my past projects-- I like to draw patterns freehand and use my handwriting. However, sometimes I adapt clipart type images to make a more complicated pattern, like the sewing machine or I just stitch the outline of an image I love, like the Goonies "Hey You Guys" silhouette :) I use a Back Stitch for all my hand stitching because it's very versatile and I like the look but you can use any combination of stitches for your projects... there's lots of fun ones! Today, we're going to start with handwriting & transferring your pattern :) You will Need: - Card-stock or Thick Paper (I cut a piece of 6x8" card-stock & folded it in half to create a greeting card) - Needle & Scissors - Embroidery Thread - Scrap Paper & Pen - Thumbtack or Piercing Tool