I saw a copy of Ideas Magazine while in South Africa recently and I'm sold! The styling is wonderful and the tutorials detailed and generous. Learn how to turn magazine/catalog pages into a paper handbag/purse here.
Showing posts with label
Paper
I saw a copy of Ideas Magazine while in South Africa recently and I'm sold! The styling is wonderful and the tutorials detailed and generous. Learn how to turn magazine/catalog pages into a paper handbag/purse here.
Ok - it's another filing-cabinet refab. But she did it with book pages!! And you know me and book pages. And it looks amazing ... right? Complete how-to at The Space Between
Great example of some thrifty refabbing ... and creative reinterpreting! Two places to go for a complete tutorial (I've used images from both): Design Sponge and Courtney Ann
Magazine pop-up flowers! Yay! You need nine (9) magazine pages. And... not much else. Step-by-step instructions at Pink Paper Peppermints
I've seen this simple paper-rolling technique used everywhere. But I'm blown away by this clock! Perhaps it's the way Brandy's combined colors? Head to Repurpose Relove for a great, step-by-step tutorial.
From the waste land
rises suddenly
a flight of birds
- R. Hudson
See Karen Abel's complete "Outside the Planter Boxes" project here.
If you are not yet a regular visitor at It's Always Autumn, change that now! Beautiful blog, great ideas. Like this simple book photo frame (please click through for the complete how-to)
I happened upon these three projects at different times (all using what I call corrugated cardboard) and it felt right to group them together. Clean-cut, very modern aesthetic ... great design etc. Let's bear in mind that the material is cardboard.
1. This amazing shelf is an Instructables masterpiece
2. Spotted the cardboard laptop stand at Green Upgrader
3. The mod organizer with the very clean lines is from Curbly
Neither paper nor plastic cups are actually "disposable" but we dispose of a lot of them! So much so, that they've become icons of our throwaway culture. The last time I got on a soapbox about the nastiness of some of the things we throw away (balloons), an anonymous industry person threw the book at me in a comment. Well, go ahead manufacturers of disposable cups! I'm not saying we shouldn't use them. But perhaps we could creatively repurpose them rather than dispose of them? And, in response to a comment thread on reddit: No, I don't really think anyone is actually going to craft with a used, lipstick-stained paper cup. But I do see completely unused "party supplies" being thrown out - those cups are fair game. And anything plastic can indeed be washed, reused and then repurposed. Or perhaps it's time to just look at these items in a new way: as cheap craft supplies, not disposable cups!? Here are 20+ ideas for you:
Early last year, a beautiful ball lamp shade created using doilies and a balloon burst (!) onto the blogosphere and I've seen nothing that compares ... until now. This creation, care of Inspirera Mera requires very little material and the spun-web effect is fresh and really modern. The tutorial is in both Swedish and English with lots of great pics. The one issue for US readers seems to be the "paper cord" used. It looks a lot like paper raffia to me but we do get twisted paper cord in the US. Please leave a comment if you have a better idea ... or know a good US source!
Great tutorial ... because who doesn't want to make a flutter / swarm / rabble / kaleidoscope of wind-up Monarchs??
Simple, pretty and easy to make. You know ... for mom. I think they look like carnations. Head over to Simply Sublime for the how to.
So you splurged. And now you need a cover for the thing. You could buy a smart cover. Or sew yourself something, should you know your way around a sewing machine. Or ... you can be *really* cheap about it.
One bubble mailer, scrap fabric and buttons. From Creme de la Craft.
'Tis (almost) the season! Head over to Oh Happy Day for the free printable template ... and turn your paper grocery bags into sweet individual picnic baskets.
I made a little spring mobile for myself. This would be a fun craft to do with kids - very easy! The complete instructions (including printable template) are via Joann Fabrics. Their craft is all about promoting an embossing machine. Without that, it becomes cheap and easy: you need paper/ cardstock, mini brats, a hole punch and string or ribbon. Now that I've actually made them, I will add a couple of tips.
Signs of spring are popping up everywhere around here! Sorry for the super-seasonal focus, southern hemispholks ... but you have to understand that the American Midwest is a place where people are so generally deprived of super sunny weather, we get a little high when it finally arrives. Even more so, this South African transplant right here. So I cannot resist the fun, whimsical, colorful spring projects and upcycles I'm seeing everywhere. The globe re-do above makes me a little home sick (hello Cape Town, Durban, Grahamstown) ... get the how-to at My Sister's Suitcase.
Foxglove Accessories is the brainchild of photographer and artist Betsy Treacy Siber. If you're a regular at Renegade (Chicago), you've seen her beautiful work ... that's where I first encountered her a couple of years ago. Talk about giving things a second life! Vintage postage stamps become true works of art in Betsy's hands. I am constantly struck by her attention to detail and the GREAT color combinations in her work. All her items are lovingly handmade in her Chicago studio using found materials. Her fabulous postage collection features jewelry made with vintage postage stamps from around the world (keep reading to find out how to save 15% on her jewelry!)
Today I get to publish a mini interview with Betsy and a tutorial for her layered teardrop earrings. Yup - she's sharing some of her secrets so you can make them yourself! First, a little Q 'n A:
Q: What do you want to be when you grow up? Did you always know you'd have a creative career?
A: I have known since 2nd grade that I would have a creative career. I don't think anything in particular really sparked it, but it was definitely encouraged and nurtured by my family (many kids are not so lucky). I went to school for photography, which I find incredibly useful for documenting my work and our life, but I now enjoy other mediums as a creative outlet. At the moment, I see the most potential in metals and sculpture.
Q: Why postage
stamps?
A: My dad collects
coins and at some point a fellow collector handed off a box of stamps to him. He didn't
have much use for them, and I thought they would be a nice addition to collages
(I was in high school at the time). Fast forward 8 or 9 years to 2006. I was
moving and organizing my crafting supplies, including my old stamp
box. I often employ the "use it or lose it" method with cleaning (I
collect, not hoard), and I decided that if these stamps were going to be useful
they needed a project, like right now. That afternoon I made my first pair of
teardrop earrings, using the quick and dirty packing tape method mentioned in
the tutorial. I loved the way they turned out and ended up basing the entire
business on it. Using stamps makes every piece unique, so I find it easy to create the same type of earrings 100 times in a row. I really do take a moment to admire each stamp I'm using!
Betsy has a great offer for my readers!
Get 15% off everything at Foxglove Accessories and Foxglove @ Etsy
through March 31, 2012. Scroll down for the coupon code!
(excludes custom items)
Cardboard inner tubes - they're everywhere: cling wrap, aluminum foil, kitchen paper towel, toilet paper rolls, wrapping paper, yarn tubes, fabric roll tube ... etc. Head over to Craft Passion for this super-sweet upcycle.