Top DIY Projects
Sep. 1 10
I recently had the pleasure of being asked to participate in the Best of Blogs series for Top DIY Projects by the folks over at iVillage, and I was thrilled to see the results. My double duty dry erase board project, which you may remember seeing here a couple months back made the cut, alongside the likes of Design Sponge, How About Orange, and a handful of others.
I rounded up a few my favorites here. But there are fourteen projects in total to explore. So head on over when you have some time. I’d love to know what you think.
DIY Light Fixture Project
Aug. 30 10
Over the weekend, while catching up on some project ideas, I found this amazing tutorial for a Whirl-It Lampshade from Pickels.
I am pretty sure I’ll be making one of these lights in the near future. And with just a few basic supplies, you can make one for your home too. Read the full tutorial here.
DIY Home Projects with Tali Schiffer
Aug. 19 10
Photographer, Tali Schiffer (who you may remember from this post) and her sweetie have been working on quite a few home projects since they moved in to their apartment a few short months ago.
I really love what they’ve been up to, so with Tali’s permission, I’ll be sharing a handful of their home projects in the coming weeks, starting with the first today: creating a cozy reading area.
This space is comprised of two main decor components: an art wall and storage for all those books. So, let’s start with the art wall, since it is my absolute favorite way to display art.
Cluster art walls like the one Tali created can be a bit tricky, but if you do the prep work you’ll breeze right through it. Here’s what you need to do…
Gather all of the frames you plan on using and fill them with the appropriate artwork first. I love Tali’s eclectic mix of artwork. Don’t be afraid to mix and match frames, and media. There is no right or wrong here. Just use what you’ve got.
And then comes the most important step before hanging: the layout. Use the floor to map out the placement of each piece. It will make things a lot easier when you’re nailing holes in the wall.
Once you have a layout you are happy with, you are ready to begin hanging. I always recommend starting from the center and working your way out. And also leaving a couple of inches of wall space around each frame. But again there’s no right or wrong here- just do what you feel works best and you’ll have a decorative focal point that everyone will admire.
But we’re not done yet. Remember I said, this space had two components. And you can’t have a cozy reading room without books, right? So, Tali and her man used a combination of IKEA floating shelves and a storage system to house their book collection along with a few decorative items. So here’s a little more background on that, straight from Tali…
“We had two Ikea floating shelves and an Ikea Expedit shelving unit that used to stand upright in my someone’s old apartment. We decided to try placing it here laying horizontally instead of standing, right beneath the two shelves. The idea was to create a whole area for reading, which meant placing books on the shelves, as well as on the top of the unit, but leaving space at the end for seating. My someone was in-charge of the drilling and hanging..”
I love the space they were able to create here. Warm and inviting, while still serving up a whole lot of function.
Thanks for sharing your home with us Tali! Join us next week for the next installment of DIY home projects. And until then, please visit Tali at the following links:
Tutorial: Pom Pom Gift Topper
Aug. 17 10
There are a bunch of birthdays coming up in my family in the next month, so I am definitely going to need some gift wrapping ideas. Luckily, Tiffany from Simply Modern Mom has agreed to share a tutorial that should really help me out with my packaging dilemma. Yeah!
I’ve already tried the project myself (the green tissue paper photos are from me) and can tell you its super easy and easily tweaked to create slightly different shapes and looks.
Materials: 1. 4 sheets of tissue paper (mine was 18 x 26 inches) 2. scissors 3. string 4. bone folder or credit card
Step by Step Instructions: {click image above for larger view} 1. Stack the tissue paper together and fold lengthwise in half. Trim off about 5-6 inches from one end of the length. 2. Get rid of the portion that was cut (the 5-6 inch). Use the bigger portion of the tissue paper. With the paper still folded in half lengthwise, crease it into an accordion fold about 1 inch wide. Run over the creases with the bone folder or credit card. 3. With the open side of the tissue paper, cut a rounded end. It will be tough to cut through all the layers of tissue paper at the same time. Use a pair of sharp scissors. 4. On the folded side of the tissue paper, tie it tight with some string. 5. Fan out the tissue papers and break up the layers. Be gentle so you don’t rip the tissue. Fluff as needed.
Thanks so much Tiffany for sharing another great project with us. Be sure to check out more of Tiffany’s projects on her blog, Simply Modern Mom.
And as a side note, if you made something inspired by Simply Modern Mom, please upload pictures of it in this Flickr group to show it off. You may be featured on Simply Modern Mom.
For more ideas for quick and easy projects, click here to visit the tutorials page filled with more than 40 diy’s.
Weekend Links: diy projects edition
Aug. 13 10
I thought I’d wrap this week up with a diy link roundup for your weekend. Haven’t done one of these in a while, so this will be fun…
-Easy DIY Art Gallery (image of this project above): Switch out the artwork once a moth or once a day. So easy you’ll make more than one.
-Tea lovers are going to want to use this Tea Envelope DIY project again and again.
-Buy the first issue of Nuno Magazine (its only $5) and get instant access to 30+ tutorials utilizing recycled and salvaged materials. I have a copy and its definitely worth the $5.
-Taking a very literal approach to the standard bookshelf.
-If you have a sewing machine and six dollars, you make an adorable (and super comfy) DIY Dress that looks like it came straight from Urban Outfitters.
-Throwing an end of summer party? You’re going to want to bookmark these pretty, pink Drink Parasols.
-Framed Fabric Silhouettes: Great kids project!
Have a great weekend! We have a new giveaway going up Monday, so check back for that next week.
Tutorial: Framed Fabric Silhouettes
Aug. 10 10
Yesterday, I mentioned a few wall art alternatives for your home, and today we have Tiffany of Simply Modern Mom sharing her tutorial for another wall art option: framed fabric silhouettes. What a cute project!
Take it away Tiffany…
Rather than remodeling or rearranging the furniture in our house, I am redoing the wall decorations on our walls. Change things up a bit. I would really like to paint and repaint our walls, but I promised myself I won’t do it until Nathan is through with school. He is in his last semester. So come fall, we will be dripping paint everywhere.
I started my wall decorations with this easy project of making silhouettes of all of us and framing it using fabric as the background. Cheap and easy fix to a plain wall. You will have to excuse the glare in the pictures. The frames are located at a super glare wall of our house. And I’m too cheap to go non-glare on the glass and just used the glass that came with the frames.
I used 11 x 14 inch frames because I wanted these to be big. Hence the thick frames too. I love chunky frames. Of course, when you make yours, you can adjust according to size.
Materials: 1. 11 x 14 inch frames 2. profile photos of each person 3. black marker 4. scissors 5. white color pencil 6. black cardstock 7. quarter fabric or scraps that are at least 14 x 17 inches 8. 11 x 14 inch canvas panels 9. Mod Podge 10. sponge brush 11. glue gun
Step by Step How To: {click images for larger view} 1. Take profile pictures of each person. Then print them out to the size you want them to be in the frames. I used my printer at home to print the profiles onto 8 1/2 x 11 inch printer paper and enlarged the photos to fit the paper. 2. Using the black marker, trace the profile of the images. You can blacken the face to get a better idea of the outline of the head. 3. Cut out the profiles. 4. Using the white color pencil, trace the cut out profiles onto black cardstock. Make sure you trace in the opposite direct you want your profiles to go in the frame. 5. Cut out the cardstock. The side you traced with white color pencil as the back and the profiles should be pointing in the right direction.
6. If you are doing 11 x 14 inch frames like me, then you cut your fabric to 14 x 17 inches. If not, then adjust according to size. 7. With the fabric wrong side up, place the canvas panel in the middle of the fabric. You should have a 1 1/2-inch excess all the way around. 8. Use the glue gun to glue the excess fabric in place to the back of the panel. I did two opposite sides first. Then fold the corners and glue in place. And finally glue the other two sides. 9. Now use Mod Podge to attach the silhouettes to the fabric canvas. Use a brayer to flatten the paper from center out to prevent bubbles. Or I just used my hands then set books and magazines on top to help it flatten as it dries. Then I Mod Podged the paper silhouettes so finish off. Careful not to get it on the fabric. Allow to completely dry before placing in frames. And done!
Thanks so much Tiffany for sharing this project with us. Be sure to check out more of Tiffany’s projects on her blog, Simply Modern Mom.
And as a side note, if you made something inspired by Simply Modern Mom, please upload pictures of it in this Flickr group to show it off. You may be featured on Simply Modern Mom.
And for more ideas for quick and easy projects from papernstitch, click here to visit the tutorials page filled with more than 40 diy’s.
Golden Horses: Photo Prop mini tutorial
Aug. 3 10
I am so excited to show these off to you all… A golden (and a little spotting of silver) band of horses! Some of you may remember the Dino Pendant tutorial from the week before last, where I mentioned that horses were a great option for the project as well. But at the time, I didn’t have any done to show, so I just made a quick mention of it and moved on.
But now they are done, and I finally found the time to take photos, so I thought I’d share. The more I play around with these, the more I think how perfect they would be for photography props. They photograph really well. A child’s birthday party would be a great place to use these little guys as well. Click on the any of the images for a larger view.
And if you are interested in making these yourself, here’s how…
Materials: 1. Small plastic horses (the harder the plastic the better) 2. Paint (I used a special liquid gold leaf for mine) 3. Paint brush (small sizes work better here) 4. Clear gloss protective coating
How To Step by Step: 1. Choose your paint and begin applying it with a small brush. Applying the paint in thin layers works best, so you can get in to all those crack and crevices. 2. Wait for paint to dry and apply a second, thin coat. 3. Wait for paint to dry and apply a clear, gloss protective coating (such as gloss medium or something similar). And that’s it! You’re ready to use these little guys for product photography or display them on your desk with other notions.
And as a final note, these little guys, along with the dino pendants, are now available for purchase if you are interested.
You can check for available pieces, by visiting laur.
For more ideas for quick and easy projects, click here to visit the tutorials page filled with more than 40 diy’s.
