These little fabric-covered tacks went to Japan in a Christmas package for Megumi.
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Merry Christmas!
We're off for Christmas. Hope you all have happy holidays!
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Thinking outside the box
Someday I'd like to have a hand-carved nativity scene. The idea of an artist carefully crafting each piece by hand seems much more spiritually meaningful, and more like how I imagine God must operate, than mass-produced plastics injected into the same molds. And I'm fascinated by the different perceptions that people from different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures have about the nativity, and about God. I want to see with new eyes.This beautiful Maasai nativity is from Ten Thousand Villages, hand made by artisans in Kenya.
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Retro star instructions
Visit Swapatorium for instructions straight from 1958 for making a 30-inch spiky Christmas star, "perfect for your mid century modern interior."Update: The link to the instructions no longer works. So sad!
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Controversy in the Jones house
This (fill in the blank) has been a cherished part of Alex's Christmas memories; IT's older than he is. We have inherited IT. But what is IT? Without naming names, one of us insists IT is a cute Christmas elf. The other is certain IT is a creepy gnome lawn ornament. The debate rages. Could you guys help us settle this once and for all? PLEASE vote: elf or gnome? Creepy or charming?
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Lacy snowflake tutorial
This is a speedy, fun project. I've hung one of these in each of our living room windows, and it looks festive and wintery. How to make it: 1. Download the large snowflake template or small snowflake template. Print enough pages so you'll have 6 squares (1 or 2 sheets, depending on which template you chose). Cut along the inner lines with an X-acto knife and then cut out the squares.
2. For each snowflake, bend the tips of the inner-most flaps toward each other and curl with your fingers to give them shape. (No tape needed for this pair of flaps.)
3. Moving outward from the center, bend the next pair of flaps around in the opposite direction until they meet. Overlap ends and secure with double-stick tape.
4. Repeat with the next pair of flaps, bending them in the opposite direction. Do the same for each concentric pair of flaps, alternating directions each time and taping ends together. Continue on to the remaining 5 squares, making the snowflake parts the same way you did the first one.
5. Tape all 6 points together to form a snowflake.
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Stockings
Made some stockings for us out of felt and fleece. Click here to download the free stocking pattern I used from McCall's. (I ignored their directions and did my own thing.)
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Candy ornaments
I saw this great idea on flickr and had to make some for myself because they're awfully cute.
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Some more stars
Made some more with better paper... here are the instructions again.You have read this article christmas /
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Handmade Christmas gifts?
Here are some tutorials for sewing projects that could make lovely Christmas gifts. (Assuming you have extra time on your hands. Ha!)
Fabric headbands in two styles
Amy Butler hourglass pillows
Fabric belts
Decorative pin cushions
Hats
Zippered pouches
Oven mitts
A big thank you to everyone who posted these...
Fabric headbands in two styles
Amy Butler hourglass pillows
Fabric belts
Decorative pin cushions
Hats
Zippered pouches
Oven mitts
A big thank you to everyone who posted these...
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Better desktop wallpaper
For some lovely free wallpapers from talented artists, check out Bunshine and Push Me Pull You Design.
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Desktop wallpaper
Here's a cutesy desktop wallpaper image I made. Help yourself! (Image is for personal use only, not commercial.)Download widescreen bird
Download standard bird
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When you can't afford the real thing
Design Within Reach, although a lovely store, does not carry many products that are within my reach, at least. So I had to giggle when I found this website: Design Without Reach, where you can find a few ideas for making knock-offs of your favorite high-end pieces. Like this Nelson clock made from Tootsie Pops.
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Paper ornaments
I saw these easy instructions for making paper decorations and had to give it a try. It would be fun to make a bunch out of multi-colored Christmas wrap and hang them on your tree. (The backs are white, unless you use two-sided paper.)
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Famous walls
Well, it's not up there with the Great Wall of China yet, but our wall has definitely hit the big time. See it on Blik's website.
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Fun with wall decals
Voila! Our weekend project is done. Alex gave me this set of wall decals from Blik for our anniversary a couple weeks back. Good thing his installation help was included :) We love it.
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What to do with a big blank wall
This topic came up in a conversation with friends this weekend. It's a problem, all right, especially if you don't have big bucks. And that's pretty much everyone I know. So here are some ideas. If anyone has more, let's hear them!
1. Stretch fabric over a wooden stretcher frame and hang as art. A good way to cover up that canvas you goofed up. If you don't have something already goofed up, get something from a thrift store or purchase supplies from an art store. Choose fabric with a large-scale print; Ikea is a cheap place to find interesting ones, and some of them are really huge. (I went once thinking the polka dots I saw online were the size of quarters, and when I got to the store, I found they were as big as my head.) Wrap the fabric around the frame and staple gun it to the back. Here's how to do it using inexpensive stretcher bars from an art store.
2. Decorate with hanging wall panels. Put up a few sets of these funky room dividers from CB2 to add some color and texture. Or try a couple of curtain panels from Ikea and use one of their rail systems.
3. Make an interesting configuration of wall boxes and put something decorative in them, like this. You could also paint the boxes or add a giant rectangle of color on the wall behind the whole grouping.
4. Paint your own huge canvas. Yes, you can do it! Pencil some simple geometric shapes or dots on it and fill them in with acrylic paint. You can make something clean and modern and very cool. Browse here for some inspiration. Or make a lace painting using this tuturial. The nice thing about stretched canvas is that it's really light and easy to hang.
5. Hang a series of posters. Use hangers like this for a more grown-up look. Goodbye, college dorm room. Check out design*sponge's affordable art guide to find something to display.
6. Make an arrangement with these Wallter "paintable wall applications." Could get pricey, but it would look really striking.
7. Stick on some wall decals. They're easy to put up, and removable when you're sick of them. We just did this, and it was SO much fun. Blik is a good place to start. You can also get some from Domestic right here.
Good luck, friends!
1. Stretch fabric over a wooden stretcher frame and hang as art. A good way to cover up that canvas you goofed up. If you don't have something already goofed up, get something from a thrift store or purchase supplies from an art store. Choose fabric with a large-scale print; Ikea is a cheap place to find interesting ones, and some of them are really huge. (I went once thinking the polka dots I saw online were the size of quarters, and when I got to the store, I found they were as big as my head.) Wrap the fabric around the frame and staple gun it to the back. Here's how to do it using inexpensive stretcher bars from an art store.
2. Decorate with hanging wall panels. Put up a few sets of these funky room dividers from CB2 to add some color and texture. Or try a couple of curtain panels from Ikea and use one of their rail systems.
3. Make an interesting configuration of wall boxes and put something decorative in them, like this. You could also paint the boxes or add a giant rectangle of color on the wall behind the whole grouping.
4. Paint your own huge canvas. Yes, you can do it! Pencil some simple geometric shapes or dots on it and fill them in with acrylic paint. You can make something clean and modern and very cool. Browse here for some inspiration. Or make a lace painting using this tuturial. The nice thing about stretched canvas is that it's really light and easy to hang.
5. Hang a series of posters. Use hangers like this for a more grown-up look. Goodbye, college dorm room. Check out design*sponge's affordable art guide to find something to display.
6. Make an arrangement with these Wallter "paintable wall applications." Could get pricey, but it would look really striking.
7. Stick on some wall decals. They're easy to put up, and removable when you're sick of them. We just did this, and it was SO much fun. Blik is a good place to start. You can also get some from Domestic right here.
Good luck, friends!
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Alien life in the living room
I made a bigger (30" x 40") frog-legs-cauliflower-lotus painting to hang in the living room. Might be a little too polka dotty for me, but I'll wait and see if it grows on me.
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A history of Crayola colors
Learn about the history of Crayola's color names, starting with the original box of 8 in 1903. You know--back when calling a color "blue" was good enough. Did you know that in 1962, "partly in response to the civil rights movement, Crayola decided to change the name of the 'flesh' crayon to 'peach.' Renaming this crayon was a way of recognizing that skin comes in a variety of shades." Good move.
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A break from sewing
I was going to make some bird coasters, but I got sick of stitching around curved shapes on fabric during my last sewing bout. So I cheated and made a design with fake stitching in Illustrator. Man, that's a lot faster. This is one of those cheap plastic photo albums with a sleeve on the front where you can insert a picture. Now, wouldn't it be nice if I got around to printing some photos to put in it...
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Stuff you can make
These are links to instructions for making things:
Lined tote bags (this works! It's how I learned to sew bags.)
A skirt made out of old pants (haven't tried it, but I want to some day)
Decorative picture frames with clips (ditto)
Glass marble magnets (tons of fun, and you'll be so proud of yourself because they'll look great)
Anybody want to recommend other projects?
Lined tote bags (this works! It's how I learned to sew bags.)
A skirt made out of old pants (haven't tried it, but I want to some day)
Decorative picture frames with clips (ditto)
Glass marble magnets (tons of fun, and you'll be so proud of yourself because they'll look great)
Anybody want to recommend other projects?
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Imported hippos
I made these out of fabric that my friend Megumi sent from Japan. They're destined to be tacks on my bulletin board. So adorable!
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Victorian ornaments
These Photoshop "paintings" with Victorian embellishments are computer mockups for a decorative project I've got in mind: canvases painted with acrylics and the image outlined with a pen. They look rather nice together, so maybe they'd be a pretty set of notecards, too?
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Paintings with white vines
More curvy things.
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Alien life forms
This is a 12" x 16" acrylic painting I made of.... sea life? Cauliflower? Alien plant species? Hard to say, but it was fun. I like curves and organic shapes. No straight edges for me.
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