Tutorials + Diy Ideas | papernstitch

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05/25/12

3 comments DIY with Color: 19 craft projects for the long weekend by papernstitch

By the time Memorial Day rolls around, I am ready for three things: sunshine, hot dogs, and color.

But the sun hasn’t been out to play much lately, and I don’t cook (even though hot dogs couldn’t be much easier to make), so that just leaves color for this weekend’s DIY roundup. Which is perfect because it’s hard to find craft projects revolving around the other two things.

Let’s get to it…

1. (above) Ribbon Mobile DIY from Project Wedding (by Victoria Hudgins)

2. How to make a statement necklace from Making it Lovely (by Andrea Howe)

3. Painted Glass Table Top DIY from Kara Paslay (recently shared on Design Sponge as well)

4. Polka Dot Pincushion from Country Living (image via Susie Gushner)

5. Felted Bag from Country Living (image via John Rizzo)

6. DIY Tie Dye Shoes from Swellmayde

7. DIY Embroidered Necklace from papernstitch (by me)

8. Decorative Wall Shelves with a Shoe Box from Creme de la Craft

9. How to Dye Paper Towels from Evie S.

10. Neon Toe Shoes DIY from Green Wedding Shoes

11. Painted Necklace DIY from Orange Tree Studio

12. Colorful Mason Jar DIY from Blue Eyed Yonder

13. Paint a Confetti Dish Towel from Make and Takes (by Danyelle Mathews)

14. Neon Painted Shoes using Nail Polish from Love Maegan

15. Spray Painted Florals from papernstitch (by Jeanne and Lenna)

16. Ombre Scarf DIY from A Bit of Sunshine

17. Have a Ball Chandelier from One Charming Party (by Jenny Batt)

18. Place Setting Placemat DIY from A Beautiful Mess

19. DIY Neon Market Tote from Harper’s Bazaar (by A Pair and a Spare)

I hope you have an awesome weekend. I am going to take Monday off for Memorial Day. So I’ll see you back here on Tuesday.

05/23/12

6 comments Color Blocking DIY 2 Ways: tired wallet to dayglow clutch by papernstitch

Alright, I couldn’t resist the color block trend any longer. Time for a new DIY!

Here’s the story: I’ve had this yellow wallet for years, and since I bought a new one recently, old yellow is not really getting any use. So I grabbed some of my trusty textile paint and got to work. Now I am using it as a colorful clutch for lunch dates with friends. Wanna make your own? Here’s the breakdown (two ways)…

Supplies:

old wallet (marks and scuffs are okay)
textile paint (I prefer Jacquard Textile Paint)
paint brush
an old rag or paper towels

How to Make it (part I): Distressed Paint Technique

1. Clean your wallet as best you can with a little soap and water (or leather cleaner). If you used yours as much as I used mine, you need to clean it girl!

2. You can do this two ways. I’m going to show you the color blocking one last because it’s pretty straight forward. So for those that are looking for something more unique and distressed instead of bold (and beautiful).

Grab your paint brush and start with one small(ish) section at a time.

3. As the paint is drying, take your rag or paper towel and start lightly wiping the paint away. You can experiment with this technique and just have fun with. At times, I even added a little water to my rag to remove large areas of paint and then went back into it once it was dry.

4. Continue to layer your paint and then wipe off in certain areas to get that distressed look.

Here’s the finished piece…

How to Make it (part II): Color Blocking

1. Again, clean your wallet as best you can with a little soap and water (or leather cleaner).

2. Now I am going to show the color blocked version. It’s pretty simple. First, choose your color combo. I picked red-orange and fuchsia textile paint and decided at the last minute to keep a pop of the original yellow as well.

3. Next, it’s time to grab your paint brush and paint away. Pay close attention to even strokes and don’t be afraid to layer up! I ended up painting at least three coats of the red since it’s a bright color and I wanted it to really pop. Here’s an in-process shot of the layers as I was building them up…

4. Choose an area for your accent color (optional). I don’t have a picture of this part, but it is pretty self explanatory. My wallet had a natural place to add my accent color, find yours if you want it to look like you bought it that way. If you want to share your artistic side, choose a less expected area for your accent color – maybe a fun shape or stripes.

Here’s the finished piece…

I like the color blocked version better than the distressed look from part I. What do you think? Which is your favorite?

Weigh in below in the comments section.

05/18/12

11 comments 7 DIY Herbin’ Living Ideas by Beth

This contributor post was written by Beth of Parsimonia.

I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t exactly born with a green thumb. In my house, I have almost all succulents since they are the most difficult to kill (or so I’m told). So far it has served me well, but about this time each year I get the itch to grow something a little more useful, a little more…edible. Last weekend I scratched this itch with a trip to the local nursery to pick up some herbs for the kitchen. I got the basics (basil, rosemary and cilantro), and even though they’re pretty on their own, I can’t resist an opportunity to style them up a bit. Luckily, I’ve rounded up some DIYs for just such an occasion.

1. (above) DIY Tea Tin Herbs by Canadian House & Home

Containers

2. Mason Jar Herb Garden by Camille Styles

3. Chalkboard Herb Pots by Ellinée

4. Grow herbs in an old cup by House to Home

Labels + Markers

5. Clay Plant Labels by Fellow Fellow for Say Yes to Hoboken

6. DIY Herb Markers by EAB Designs

7. DIY Garden Markers by Wit & Whistle

Have a great weekend!

Beth is the writer behind Parsimonia: Secondhand With Style, where she blogs about her first love (thrifting) and her second love (cooking), as well as DIY projects, sustainable style and other bits of inspiration. She lives in St. Louis with one husband, one fuzzy dog and lots of dreams, and recently launched an online vintage store.

05/16/12

11 comments Lazy Day DIY: how to make custom wrapping paper with stamps by papernstitch

Yesterday I opened a few birthday presents and loved the wrapping paper. I was so impressed with the way Jeff wrapped my presents this year. So I thought today would be the perfect time to share a project I put together for Glo.com as part of their hottest trends in DIY this year. This is a great way to customize gifts for friends, family, and special occasions.

I only shared an image of the finished piece on Glo. So it’s time for the full monty. Here’s how you can create your own custom wrapping paper…

Supplies List:

1. plain wrapping paper (Paper Source has a great selection of colors and each roll is only $5)

2. stamps

3. and a stamp pad

4. spray sealant that is okay for paper (optional)

Directions:

1. Choose your stamps and the color stamp pad you’d like to use. Ink up your stamp and you are ready to go!

2. You can choose a random pattern, an all over pattern – whatever you’d like! Here’s the all over pattern (I just staggered my stamp over the entire piece of wrapping paper, making sure to reload with ink after every stamp).

3. Wait 24 hours for the ink to dry completely before wrapping your pressies. You don’t want smudge marks do you? If you are in a hurry, you can use a spray sealant. Just make sure it is okay for use on paper.

See how I staggered the pattern? No ruler or anything – kind of free form (and easy). Just the way I like it.

Finished presents…

And here’s one with just one stamp – a little thank you gift…

What do you think? Are you ready to tackle this on your own? Let me know in the comments below.

I’ll be sharing some more projects I created for the Glo.com article in the coming weeks as well. Stay tuned for those!

All photos by Brittni Mehlhoff (that’s me)

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05/11/12

18 comments From the inside out: 19 DIY home projects for indoors + outdoors by papernstitch

Now that we are living in an apartment again, we have a new set of challenges when it comes to decorating. Our old house was too small, and our new apartment is almost twice the size of our old space, BUT we don’t own this one. So it feels very temporary and it doesn’t feel like we can lay down roots. Do you know what I mean?

Luckily, I am obsessed with DIY projects and have found a bunch of handmade touches that I can whip up in no time to make our new(ish) space feel like home. Here are 16 DIY projects for the indoors and out…

Small Housewares

1. DIY Succulent Wraps from Camille Styles 2. DIY Clay Pots by Claire for Say Yes to Hoboken

3. DIY Wall Clock from Scandinavian Deko 4. Make a Chevron Pillow from Biscuits and Jam

Wall Art

5. Geometric Wall Art (yep this is a diy) from Kate for Design Sponge

6. DIY Book Frame Wall Art from Lauren Elise for Papernstitch

7. Nail and String Wall Art from Jen Loves Kev

8. Wood Pendant DIY from my buddy Chris at ManMade

Furniture

9. Create a custom Storage Ottoman from Katherine for Papernstitch 10. Make an easy cushion Ottoman from Casasugar

11. DIY Dog Crate Coffee Table from HGTV (by Erin of Design for Mankind – found via Dog Milk)

*I know this one doesn’t exactly look fast or easy, but I love it.

12. DIY Tree Stump Table from Martha Stewart

13. Upholster a Chair with DIY Printed Fabric from How About Orange

Lighting + Accessories

14. DIY Cardboard Chandelier from Kayte for Etsy’s Blog

15. Modern DIY Coatrack from Weekday Carnival

The Great Outdoors

16. Chevron Recycled Wood Planter Box from Zelo Photo 17. Color Block Terra Cotta Pots from A Beautiful Mess

18. Outdoor Kitchen DIY (free pdf instructions) from Studio Mama

19. Outdoor Lighting DIY from Lowe’s

What problems are you currently tackling with your home?

Let me know in the comments below.

P.S. If you’re looking for craft project ideas for Mother’s Day, check out this roundup of 25 projects you can finish up last minute (with the kiddos if you have any) to get you through the holiday. One of my projects made the list at #3.

05/09/12

10 comments Make This! Simplest Fabric Flower Brooch DIY by MichaelAnn

This contributor post was written by Michael Ann of Michael Ann Made.

April showers bring May flowers! Today I have a little Fabric Flower Brooch DIY for you to help bring the springtime cheer to your wardrobe. Added bonus, this little project is very quick to finish and uses materials you probably already have, making it a great last minute Mother’s Day gift!

Here are the materials you’ll need:

1. Fabric with a bold floral print. You could make a mother’s day gift extra special by using a treasured piece of vintage fabric.

2. Wool Felt in a coordinating color.

3. Embroidery thread and Needle.

4. A pin back or safety pin.

Here’s how you make it:

1. Cut out your flower from the fabric. You get to decide how much or how little of the fabric’s floral print you want to feature. I chose to cut out just one large flower, but you could also add leaves or smaller flowers, maybe even layering and stitching them on top of each other.

2. Cut out your felt backing. Leave a little bit of a border to help frame your flower.

3. Stitch the flower to the felt. I used a simple running stitch along the outside, but you could use any decorative stitch. Be Creative!

4. Add your pin back. I had an extra pin back, but a safety pin could also work. Just make sure to stitch it on tight!

5. Just keep stitching! If there are certain areas of the flower you want to highlight, you can do so with more stitches. Outline one or two flowers if you are working with a small bunch, or stitch around a couple petals.

When you’re happy with how your little brooch looks, tie off your thread and you’re done!

I was able to stitch this little guy while sitting watching a movie, and it came along so quickly I think I might need to make a couple more for the dear women in my life. Hope you all have a lovely last bit of spring and a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Happy crafting!

Michael Ann is a sewer, knitter, crafter, thrifter, living a crafty life with her husband in Portland, Oregon. You can find her at her blog Michael Ann Made where she shares projects, tutorials, and bits of inspiration to help you live a crafty life too. You can also follow her adventures on twitter.