making christmas memories: crocheted ornaments
It will be a long time before my wee ones are out on their own and decorating for the holidays. In the meantime, however, I have a talented mother-in-law who likes to keep busy making things. So when she asked me last Christmas if we needed more crocheted snowflakes and bells for our tree, I could tell she was disappointed when I truthfully answered, “No.” Then I suggested she keep making as many as she likes and I’ll put them in my hope chest for when the kids are grown. Fast forward a year, and I’d forgotten about the conversation until MIL handed me two Ziploc bags full of a dozen bells and a dozen snowflakes each. Although they won’t see any use for over a decade and aren’t mine to keep, they’re easily my favorite gift of the season so far. Want to try your hand at crocheted snowflakes? Free instructions here. — Sarah L.
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steal this idea: spent lightbulb chandelier
If you follow Shelterrific on our Facebook page, you may have seen my post about getting a behind-the-scenes tour of Rejuvenation in Portland, OR on Monday. I’ll have more on that soon – totally loved it, incidentally – but here’s a quick look at an in-store display that caught my eye. It’s a vintage elevator door hung with a selection of lightbulbs from Rejuvenation’s stock. They’re not even plugged in, but as you can see, it’s funky and industrial and kind of fun. I can imagine hanging on to a lot of lightbulbs as they burn out, and then stringing them up around one that’s still lit – kind of like this DIY chandelier at Remodelista, only with lightbulbs. And adding a colored lightbulb or two would make this even more fun. Watch for more fun photos and ideas from my Rejuvenation tour, coming soon! – Mary T.
gift guides 2010: the diy’er
Are you buying a gift for your favorite DIY’er this holiday? Here are some ideas to keep them inspired and well-stocked for the next year! –Rebecca F.
Rotary cutter – Rotary cutters are excellent to cut through several layers of fabric and paper. Also makes quick work of strip cutting.
Self-healing cutting mat – Great for using with a rotary cutter or Xacto knives. No more shredding magazines!
Sharp craft scissors or a gift of scissor sharpening – You don’t know what sharp scissors are until you have new ones! Or, for more experienced DIY’ers, a gift of scissor sharpening from a local fabric/craft store is also a great and unexpected treat.
Steel ruler – Wooden rulers get nicked and can cause rough edges when used with a cutting blade. A steel or metal ruler guarantees a nice crisp edge.
Sharpie fine point pen sets – Great for customized projects like labels, cards and coding systems, these come in handy often, and this pack includes almost any color one could ask for.
Durable plastic or vinyl tablecloth – For those of us that don’t have a dedicated project space, a plastic table cover is indispensible for protecting that kitchen table from crafting mishaps!
A label maker – Help your favorite DIYer stay organized!
Task lamp – Great for shedding light on projects that involve detailed beading, sewing, etc.
Personalized labels – A beautiful touch to add that special final sentiment to handmade gifts!
Have ideas for specialized craft categories? Share in comments!
wonderful, do-able paper crafts
As I’ve said, I’m not crafty. My coworkers, though? They’re so gifted they turn out what you see above in the space of a lunch hour. I was so dazzled by these goings-on that I asked them to share their sources.
Beautiful paper snowflake: This one comes from Cut Out and Keep, where a gallery of reader images proves that this project is not just beautiful, but very do-able. Coworker 1 came over to my desk with a big, beautiful snowflake (in yellow it’s more like a giant star) that she had just made. Her time-saving tip is to use invisible tape instead of glue — you don’t really see it and that’s doubly true if you’ll be hanging these from the ceiling.
Kusudama: Coworker 2 found her inspiration at Folding Trees, where a two-part tutorial on Kusudama shares an easy way to make paper flowers that you then glue together into ball-shaped ornaments. She was putting these together at her desk, and I have to say that the flowers look amazing on their own as well, particularly in white. This would be a really cute spin on wedding flowers too, I think.
Readers, if you have more impressive paper crafts, please share in comments! — Mary T.
holiday diy: book pages christmas tree
This year newsprint accents seem to be taking the design world by storm. We see it in David Stark’s collaboration with West Elm, in which flowers, birds, topiaries and ornaments feature repurposed text, and it’s also alive and well in this Christmas tree comprised almost completely of book pages by Mary Grace over at White Waxflower. Wire hangers, a cheap book, brown paper, wire pipe cleaners, tape, staples and a glue gun are the main ingredients in this adorable holiday project, which the author explains in a very festive short video on the site. More of a wreath type? Look no further than Living With Lindsay for instructions for a book pages wreath! –Sarah C.
