Posts Tagged ‘easy’

Do you ever use egg cups?

I’ve literally never used them before, even though I think they’re pretty cool. So I went and bought a handful at World Market (at .99 each it was hard to resist) so I would have somewhere to put my eggs for Easter. Decorated or not. Now, I realize this technique has been done a hundred times at this point, BUT I’ve never seen it used on egg cups. So boo-yah.

Here’s one (very) simple way to make basic 99 cent egg cups look a little bit cooler…

Using a porcelain paint pen (I like these), write messages, draw geometric shapes, draw funny faces – basically go to town. Let the cups air dry (72 hours according to the instructions on the pens – mine were dry to the touch within an hour or two though) and your eggs are ready to look a whole lot cooler sitting in those cups.

Also, if you want to make ‘em a little more Easter-y, you can add bunny doodles or ‘Happy Easter’ notes. I just went with more everyday designs so I can use them year round. Honestly though, they’re so inexpensive, you could make different sets of these for every holiday.

Concept, photography, and styling by Brittni Mehlhoff for Paper & Stitch

I picked up a new washi tape set a while back and have been trying to come up with ways to use it ever since. This stuff is addictive. So I grabbed a few blank notebooks that I was planning on using for another project and went to town. I realize this is rocket science here, but hey – they only took one minute to make, so I thought I would share the process in case you want to make your own…

Supplies:

1. Washi tape – slim set (lots of colors here)
2. Scissors
3. Moleskine cashier notebooks (set of 3)

Instructions:

1. Choose an interesting color combo and start rolling out strips of tape into any pattern you’d like. I went with stripes – it’s quick and easy.
2. After attaching each strip of tape, cut off excess, but leave room to wrap the tape around the back so it won’t come undone easily.
3. Fold the excess tape over to the back and attach. All done!

Here’s the photo version of this step by step…

Take it further!

Take this simple project one step further, and stamp your own custom message into the front cover, with a wooden mallet and a set of leather stamps (like this one)…

That’s it! So simple.

What do you think? Will you be making a few of these for yourself or buddies?

P.S.  I’m becoming obsessed with the leather stamp kit I used for this project, so prepare yourself for more DIYs that involve indented messages soon.

Whether you call it bunting or garland, I’m certain that this is the easiest DIY you will ever complete. Do I have your attention?! Good. If you have about a 1 minute and a half, you have the time to make one of these. And if you have 5 minutes, you can make a garland that is a few yards long.

What do you need to make this?

1. string
2. circle sticker labels

How do you make the easiest bunting ever?

1. Grab your favorite string and cut to desired length.
2. Take out your circular sticky labels. Remove sticky back. Center the sticker on your string. Hold over the string to touch the sticky parts together, forming a half moon shape.
3. Move your string over a half inch and repeat step #2. That’s it! Told you it was easy! 

Here’a another image of the finished project…

What do you think? If you’re a fan of this project…First, I’m glad you like it. And second, I have a wee little challenge for you. Are you up for it?

The 1 minute bunting challenge:

Okay, here’s the challenge… I want to know how many circle stickers you can attach to your garland string in 1 minute! Let me know in the comments what your number is and we’ll compare. Deal?

P.S. The new exhibition is up today. One of our newest exhibitors, Twiggs Photography, is offering 20% off all orders with the coupon code PNS20 at checkout. Enjoy! And please visit the rest of this month’s exhibitors here.

We are getting ready to move (again) and Jeff and I have been going through piles of clothes + shoes to decide whether they are keep, toss, or donate. But as we started to go through everything, I realized I needed to create a forth pile: things to DIY with before we leave. This pair of shoes is the first of those DIYs. I found them in the back of our closet and I don’t think I’ve worn them more than once or twice because they are a little too plain. I like fun flats!

So I found a couple of neon paint pens in my craft cabinet and did a little makeover. Here’s how you can recreate this look with your own pair of shoes.

Materials:

1. old pair of shoes (mine are Ecote – got ‘em on sale for $19.99 from Urban Outfitters)
2. neon paint pens (I used these exact ones from Amazon) that can used on textiles

Here’s How to Make Them:

1. Find a pair of shoes that you want to makeover and make sure they are clean from debris. If they’re in the back of your closet, they may have accumulated a little dust. Just be sure to wipe them down first.
2. Grab one of your paint pens and get to work!
3. I had a semi-complicated leather detail on my shoes that I wanted to paint and the leather pieces overlapped one another. So I painted the “under” areas first and let them dry before painting the “over” areas.
4. Move onto the other shoe. And then circle back and give the first shoes another coat of paint if necessary. I did two coats for my pair.
5. Finish up with coat number two on the second shoes. Let them dry. And you are ready to hit the streets!

I am so glad I did this mini-makeover. Now I’ll wear these flats all the time.

Here are a couple of photos of the finished shoes…

What do you think?

Will you be trying a neon project like this on an old pair of kicks?

Let me know in the comments section below.

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.

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