Made some blueberry scones for people to take home the other night, but I found myself totally out of pretty bags to wrap them in. I decided to improvise, and I think that they turned out pretty well!
I had sheets of 12×12 thin glassine scrapbook paper that I cut in half and then folded, leaving a little tab at the top, and secured the sides using double-stick tape. Wrapped the scones in a little plastic wrap, tucked them in, affixed a label, and voila! Instant treat bags.
In my massive collection of old paper-related bits, I have a stash of Valentine’s Day Cards from probably the 20′s and the 30′s (I’m guessing here). Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I thought I would share the wealth!
If you click here, you’ll find a bunch of high-res downloads of the inside and outside of all of my cards. I apologize that they’re not more orderly, but I don’t think it matters too much! Have fun using these in artwork, scrapbooking, or just printing them out to make your own V-Day cards!
This year, why not try your hand at gardening? It need not be too big of a project – I suggest succulents. They are really, truly, impossible to kill.
Plus they look really cool. There’s a great tutorial over at Apartment Therapy, if you’re interested!
It’s cold and snowy here this weekend, so doing anything outdoors is out of the question. If you’re faced with bad weather this weekend and looking for a little project, here are some suggestions for you:
1. This one might be good only if you live in an area with a lot of fungal growth, but these mushroom shelves are one of the coolest things I’ve seen lately.
2. I get hungry just looking at this one – make your own mozzarella cheese! There’s nothing better in the world than fresh cheese. Yum.
3. Why not organize your pantry or office? Not the must fun chore but it does make a big impact. These pretty organizing labels make it a more visually appealing task!
4. If you’ve got photoshop, here’s a quick and easy tutorial on filling text with an image. Oh, the possibilities!
5. This one I’ve been dying to make for a while now. Your very own tabletop letter press.
6. Well, spring is far gone, but what better reason to fill your house with beautiful and colorful crepe paper poppies than the cold weather? That’s what I thought.
1. How to make a ruffled pillow from Kelly + Olive. I think that even if you don’t want to make a pillow, the technique could be useful for other projects.
2. Great people stationery from Just Something I Made, plus all of the templates to make your own!
3. These little packages were intended to be for wedding favors, but you could use them for party favors or lovely little gifts.
4. How adorable and simple are these invites? IDiY rounds up all the latest and greatest in tutorials for you, and this is just one of her finds.
5. Everyone knows how much I love bunting – now you can turn it into a stamp! Another adorable tutorial from Just Something I Made.
6. Last but not least, make your very own scratch-off stickers from ArtMind. These would be a great party game, or to send out with your shop orders.
Don’t get me wrong, I love tie-dyed shirts just as much as anyone who went through a hippie phase in high school, but there comes a point where it just isn’t acceptable to wear brightly colored tie-dyed shirts in real life. By creating them in one color, especially a dark one, you can make the shirt visually interesting without the flower-child overtones.
You Will Need:
A plain, white shirt. I like to use the 5 pack of men’s undershirts that you can get at target for like $6. You can make a ton of them and you don’t have to worry about screwing up your dye job on an expensive shirt.
2 tbsp. salt
A big bag of rubber bands
A package of dye. I use Rit, because it’s cheap and you can find it everywhere, but you can experiment. I also like to get the liquid dye because it cuts down on the mess. For this I used black dye, because it gives the most impact, but you could use anything.
A bucket or big glass jar
A pair of rubber gloves
1. Get all of your shirts out on a large, clean work surface and make sure they are flat. I’ll give 5 different techniques here for different patterns, so you can choose whichever number you’d like that will fit the number of shirts you have.
2. To create the “lines” look, you’ll need to rubber band the shirt in horizontal bands. I like to start at the bottom and gather the edge together, making it as even as possible. You’ll want to wrap the band several times – tight enough so that there will be some white space but loose enough that you’ll be able to get it right. Depending on the shirt I’ll do this at the top too to make it as easy as possible to wrap the bands in between.
3. At this point you can add as many “stripes” as you’d like. Mix it up a bit! Put several rubber bands really close to each other, or alternate band widths. Keep in mind that the closer the rubber bands are to each other, the more “white” space will remain in between the stripes.
4. To create the “zig-zag”, place your shirt on a flat surface and fold in accordion pleats, like you would a fan. When you have them all gathered together, rubber band both ends and then fill in between them.
5. Much like the “lines” technique, you can add as many or as few as you’d like. I personally like putting a lot of rubber bands here because the end effect is a lot more striking when there are more vertical lines.
6. To make the “ruffles”, you gather it much the same as the zig-zag, but just sort of scrunch it all together. Then you wrap the ends and then the middle. This will result in a more organic set of vertical lines.
7. The “twist” is my favorite technique, and the one you will be most familiar with seeing in tie-dye. Grab a section in the middle of the shirt, making sure that it won’t hit in your problem areas – if you don’t like your belly, painting a big target on it isn’t the best idea – go for the ribs instead.
8. Twirl the shirt slowly in one direction, trying to keep it as flat as possible. This will make it easier to wrap it all up in rubber bands.
9. You want to make sure that it is all twisted in the same direction and there are no errand ends flying around to disrupt your pattern.
10. Place rubber bands around the circle you’ve created in a pie-like shape. In traditional tie-dye, this is where you would add different colors to get the multicolor swirl effect but this will only leave you with a slight twist. As with the other techniques, the more rubber bands you use and the tighter you wrap them, the more white space you will have.
11. The last technique is the “target”. As with the twist, you’ll want to be very aware of your placement here. When in doubt, stick to the ribs. I’ve had a few projects go horribly wrong when the circles migrated slightly northward. Pick up just the front side of the fabric and create a little nub, securing a rubber band around it.
12. You can go further down the nub and add more rubber bands, or you can add a bunch of single circles. I like to vary it up a bit, different circles, different sizes, different parts of the shirt.
Now you’re ready to dye!
13. To prepare your dye, get ready to sacrifice a bucket or a big glass jar you won’t need again. I like to use big glass jars because they are not messy and once you close the lid you can shake it up quite well without it spilling everywhere. Plus, you can pop them in the dishwasher and they are as good as new afterward! The only drawback is the size. If you’ve got too much stuff to dye, a bucket is your only option. To the dye! First, get your tap water as hot as it can go. Add the salt and the dye in the bucket, and then fill with just enough water to cover your projects. A lot of people like to add more water and swirl it around, but I think it gets too diluted. I also use an entire package of dye because hey, it’s cheap, and you want it as dark as it can go. When you’re sure that the dye is dissolved (if you’ve used powder) add your items and make sure they get good and soaked. I don’t get my shirts wet beforehand because that increases the bleed factor too much. I use bamboo skewers to move things around and make sure that the shirts get evenly coated and not my hands. This next part is a matter of personal preference. You’ll have to leave the shirts in for at least 10 minutes in order to get the dye to stick. That will get you a really light color. 30 minutes, and it will still be pretty dark, with lots of white highlights still. 1 hour, and it will be pretty black and the white highlights won’t be noticeable. If you leave the shirts in for longer than that the dye will start creeping under your rubber bands and the patterns will be really subtle (that’s what I did). Like I said, it’s all up to personal preference. When you’re ready to take the shirts out, rinse them all in really hot water to start, and then decreasingly cooler water, squeezing occasionally, until the water runs clear. Make sure to use your gloves when rinsing these out because the dye will stain skin like nobody’s business. Most of the the time I get it mostly clear before I take off the rubber bands to see what I’ve got and then rinse it out the rest of the way. You don’t have to be too attentive to this detail since I suggest washing them all together before wearing by themselves just to make sure no dye is going to rub off. Once you’ve done that, you’re good to go! Wear your super-modern tie-dye shirt and feel great doing it. Here is what the techniques I showed you above will result in:
(please forgive the shadows in my pictures)
Keep in mind that it’s not a technical pursuit. Relax, have fun with it, and don’t worry about making mistakes! It will look great no matter what you do.
I am totally in love with this wallpaper. I get the feeling that I would put it up, fill it up with drawings and pictures and notes and paint, and then tear it down, piece by piece, save it, and start over. It’s like the best coloring book ever. Want some for yourself? Find it here.
Looking for something to do or make? Does your creativity need a jump start? Here’s a list of fun tutorials (all free) to inspire you.
1. Adorable pop-bottle cap pin cushions from Craft Stylish.
2. Easy way to transform your photographs into miniature look-alikes with Tilt Shift Maker.
3. Learn how to papercut (scherenschnitte – try saying that 5 times fast) here.
4. Screenprint your own fabric for multiple uses with Kelly + Olive.
5. How cute are these resin gummy bear pendants? Too easy!
6. This is a great transformation from a doily into a bowl.
7. For anyone who has ever attempted the impossible and tried to recover a piece of furniture, this chair will give you hope.
Happy crafting!
There’s lots of gorgeous, well-thought-out blogs out there. Here’s a few of my most recent favorites.
1. A Field Journal is filled with wonderful photographs and lots of inspiring tutorials. She’s got a really great style that is carried through all of her posts.
2. I like Little Green Notebook for making good design accessible. Pointers for good sales and an inspiring do it yourself or two. I’m currently loving this table.
3. If pictures of gorgeous interior design is more your thing, look no further than Urban Grace Interiors. There’s a wide variety of styles and colors and everyone is sure to find something they like here.
4. I love City of Dionne for the thoughtful posts and the wonderful illustrations. That she can be that prolific and still find time for such intricate blog posts is amazing to me. An added plus – she’s always got a great giveaway going.
Carnations get a bad rap. So often the flower choice of a forgetful boyfriend at 8pm on Valentine’s day, they’re often dismissed as being cheap and ugly. My mother abhors them. I tend to think that they have a lot of potential!
Clustering them gives them a more sophisticated look, and since they are so cheap, you can use quite a few of them to get the density required and not feel guilty about it. Especially if you can order them in bulk. They also come in a really wide variety of colors, so that’s a bonus as well.
Here’s how to make your very own carnation centerpiece!
1. Pick a piece of floral foam that will fit into your preferred container. I’m not usually a huge fan of floral foam, but when you need the flowers to be this tightly grouped, it’s the only real solution. Make sure to get wet foam if you plan on using real flowers. Before you start placing flowers, soak in water until it’s good and dense.
2. Pick your flowers. Lots of wholesale/discount florists carry large bouquets of carnations cheaply, so they are a great place to start looking. Make sure to pick flowers that have strong stems and dense, fresh heads. The amount you’ll need depends on the size of your container, but you’ll need to buy more than you think.
3. Cut the stems below the flower themselves, but above the last bulb. You want to make sure they’ll go into the foam and stay there. Starting at the top, insert the stem into the foam. Made a grouping, with each flower head slightly overlapping the previously placed flowers. Do this all around the foam, making sure there are no gaps. You don’t want to go all of the way to the bottom – make sure there’s enough room to put the foam into your container.
4. Place the foam into your container, fill with water, and enjoy! I’d love to see a grouping of white carnations in all green and blue containers, lined up down someone’s table at a dinner party. So lovely!
After finding so many delicious fabric bunting examples on the internet, I thought that it was time to try to make one myself. I have a big box of vintage hankies that I used. It’s easier when the edges are already finished, it looks a lot more polished, and it gives it a fun eclectic feel. Want to make your own? Here’s how.
1. I picked 8 handkerchiefs that didn’t match but coordinate. I thought that blues and whites would be a nice look for summer. Don’t worry about them all being the same size – the variety is really charming. You’ll need more or less depending on the size of the hankies and the length of your bunting, but 8 is a good starting number.
2. Whenever I’m digging around at the flea market or in a thrift store, I always look for vintage sewing bits. This fabric binding works really well with the blues in the hankies, but you could use anything – ric rac, quilt binding, or just a piece of fabric or ribbon. Contrasting thread pulls it all together. Cut a piece as long as you want your bunting (I made mine 12 ft.) and make sure to leave enough on the ends to tie it to something.
3. Lay out the hankies along the length of your binding – this gives you an idea of how many hankies you need, as well as how far apart to space them. I just eyeball it.
4. Pin the hankies to your binding, with the hankies on the back side. Again, the spacing doesn’t have to be exact, but make sure to leave enough space between the hankies that they can fall well (6 inches, more or less).
5. Run it though the sewing machine, making sure that the thread goes both through the binding and through the fabric of the hankie.
Trim your ends, and find somewhere to hang!
Single strands look great over windows, or as a backyard party decoration. Or you could make a lot of them and hang them up for a wedding! The possibilities are endless. If you make one, I’d love to see it!
Here’s another I found that I just had to try. I’ve never really figured out what to do with old t-shirts instead of just giving them to Goodwill (or making a big quilt out of them). I’ve found that cutting the shirt into smaller strips than you would expect works best. And tie-dyed shirts make really cool yarn!
You can find the tutorial here.
This post is not about the food variety, though I really enjoy those. This is about the fabulous Norwegian site where you can find lots of cute knitting and crochet patterns, as well as some other DIY’s.
I love the bolero pattern they have – it looks very simple and easy. And who hasn’t wanted to try knit furniture? I’m not sure how practical this stool would be but it sure looks adorable. Probably a great place to crash on the floor. Check out their site for more cute patterns.
I wish I could take credit for this idea too, but no such luck!
I think it’s a great way to use bits of scrap paper you have lying around, as well as finding a way to recycle all of that bubble wrap. Plus, who doesn’t love anything that is a tiny bit interesting? No more plain jane manilla mailers for you! And they’re super easy, so that’s also a bonus.
Find the tutorial here.
I wish I had come up with the idea, but sadly, no. I thought these were going to be hard to make, but they turned out to be really easy! And don’t worry about them being perfect – they can put up with a lot of little mistakes.
These would be a great gift for that crafty person in your life, and what a way to use up scraps! I made mine with vintage hankies and old buttons. I really liked the way they turned out.
Look for the whole tutorial here.
