Halloween quick fix :: goggling eyeballs

To be honest - Halloween hasn't really been on top of my priority list. It used to be our favorite event of the year. We'd put days (weeks) of preparation in it. But not anymore. A lack of exposure, I guess, ...

Anyway, there must be something left, though, as I came up with this - true: totally miminimalist - craft yesterday. I can't remember what triggered it. Was it one of the girls rolling their eyes when being told to clean up their rooms?  Or was it my recent encounter with eye doctors, laser beams and dilated pupils. Not sure...




This craft is easy, fast, totally silly and totally last minute. All you need is two (wooden) beads (varnished/ glossy works best to get the real eyeball look), a piece of fat string, and permanent markers.



Slip the beads onto the string, tie a (double) knot on both ends and slip the beads over the knot to hide it (use a dab of glue if you're worried about losing an eye), cut off excess string and finally draw the eyes, with scary pupils, lots of bloody veins, ... Slip the eyeballs between your fingers and scare the crap out of everyone! For a better effect, you might actually want to use some face paint on your hand to make it look like a really scary face. Use your imagination!
Note: Due to choking hazard this item is not intended for young children.

Wishing you a happy and safe Halloween, everyone!

Cheers,

Pascale

Colorful four strand round braid bracelets :: DIY

It's Fall. That's what the calendar says.

And even though it's probably about time to shed those summer bracelets, today, I'm going to show you some bracelets we've enjoyed making and wearing this Summer: four strand round braided bracelets.
You're probably familiar with the leather version of these bracelets - and that's actually how I got started. But one night I ran out of leather lace and I decided to give it a try with Scoobie Doo strands - to much approval from my girls the next morning.

Colorful, simple to make once you've got the hang of it, and very low cost.
So, if you want to hold on to that summer feeling for just a tiny bit longer, I recommend making a couple of these...





You will need: Scoobie Doo strands, 2 per bracelet.

Summarized and labeling each strand from left to right with a letter (A, B, C and D) the process boils down to the  repetition of the following 4 steps:

Repeat these four steps until the braid is long enough to fit around your wrist (or ankle). To lock the braid, tie a knot with one strand around the other three. 

To tie around your wrist pull two strands through the loop and tie in a knot with the other two!If the pictures aren't clear enough, I found this video tutorial to be very instructive and easy to follow. I use two strands folded in half instead of four, making sure to leave a loop at the top.

Note: in the pictures I taped the braid down. However, there is no need to do that - I did so because I needed to make a 'snapshot' of every step. It's much easier if you hold the braid between your fingers just like you do when braiding hair, for instance.

T-shirt yarn macramé puppets

Sitting on a mountain of old T-shirts?
Bought some T-shirt yarn but never got around crocheting or knitting that rug?
Or did you make that rug but you still have yarn left?
Here's a fun craft making use of T-shirt yarn.

These T-shirt yarn puppets were part of our school's Spring fair activities last June and I can immediately add that they were a big hit among all ages.
It's a nice introduction to macramé as well.
If you don't have T-shirt yarn you can cut your own from old T-shirts (you can find how to do this online). Or you could use fabric strips, bias tape, cord, ribbon, ...

Slip the puppets on a key chain, use them to personalize school bags or make a bunch to make a cute mobile or garland for the nursery.

Recommended age: 5+
Required skills: ability to tie a knot
Click here to download written instructions.



Note: inspiration for this craft was found here. Just now, I also found this tutorial online.

As with all of my tutorials, please note, this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form. Thanks for understanding!

If you made something using a tutorial found on this blog or if you got inspired by something you found here, make sure to post your pictures here.

Summer vacation...

... starts right now!

This school year was over in the blink of an eye, it feels like. I guess it means it was a good one!
It also means we'll have to find activities to keep everyone busy and happy.

How about making some more of these little fellows, a craft I did for our school's Spring fair. They're little magnets and very easy to make.
All you need is wooden disks, or any other disks/ shapes you may have at hand - recycled cardboard might do the trick - magnetic tape for the back, a black pen and a tiny bit of wool roving or yarn for the hairdo. Though I'm really not good at drawing I had a lot of fun drawing the funny faces. I practiced on a piece of paper first, which could be an activity on its own. You really need to try this - after a while you'll you get the hang of it! Have fun!!

Note: when using a black pen on wood, I recommend checking for bleeding in the back to avoid a disappointment...

Friendship bracelets with a twist :: a DIY

I can't believe how fast time is going. It feels like I've been on a speed train lately.
The school year is almost over and this comes with a lot of activities and busy schedules.
One of the things I have been busy with is helping organize the crafts activities for our school's Spring fair. The bracelets I'm showing today, were one of the activities I was responsible for and they were a huge success!  I originally found the technique here. They're simple to make and turn out to be really pretty when made with embroidery floss. Contrary to the usual friendship bracelets these are made in the round, which makes them look a bit like shoe laces. The nice thing about this method is that when you get tired of it you can just tuck it away to resume whenever you feel like it.

The girls and I have made a bunch of bracelets already (one is traveling right now in little H's suitcase as a little surprise... ). It's a perfect activity for those boring and long train/ plane rides, to do while relaxing on the beach, or why not, while waiting at the doctor's office.  No special skills are required besides being able to count to three, which makes this an activity suited for even the little ones - as a matter of fact, this might be a fun way to help develop fine motor skills.

This is what you'll need:

• a piece of card board
• something round to trace a circle (I was lucky to have a 1 3/4" punch, but a compass or glass work just as well)
• scissors
• embroidery floss

Instructions: 

Click here for the full instructions in English and here for the full instructions in French.

Knitted summer bracelets :: a DIY

I'm not sure these bracelets will become as popular as my 2010 summer bracelets, but they sure are equally fun to make!

When I was looking for friendship bracelet ideas for our school's upcoming summer fest, I came across a 'knitting fork'.
Since I don't have a knitting fork but liked the technique, I wanted to try and make a fork with what I had.
Coincidentally, I made a Popsicle-stick-catapult just a couple of days ago, also for our school's craft fair and I figured that was the way to go.
A Popsicle-stick-catapult turned into a knitting fork! Why not?!
Talking about a multipurpose tool!
The only change I made here is that I used two sticks for each leg to make it a little sturdier and I re-positioned the sticks slightly to get a fork-like tool. I limited myself to bracelets but the possibilities are of course endless. I'm thinking of necklaces, belts, bag handles... Use your imagination!

Both, making the fork and the knitting, are very simple which makes this a perfect craft for keeping your kids, even the youngest ones - and yourself - busy on those long summer vacation car rides!
The instructions, including a video I made, are below!

Here is what you'll need:

for the fork: (or catapult, if you like)

- 8 popsicle sticks (for a catapult you will need 2 less)
- 4 rubber bands

for the bracelet:

- yarn, T-shirt yarn, strips of fabric, leather lace, ... whatever you have on hands which could be turned into something bracelet like



Instructions:

1. Fork assembly



2. Bracelet knitting

To see the video in HD quality, click the settings wheel in the right hand corner of the black bar displayed at the bottom of the movie - select quality 1080p for the highest resolution.





And here once more summarized in step-by-step pictures:




As to the lengths of the strands of yarn to use: it all depends on the thickness and flexibility of the material you'll be using, so knitting a sample may be in order.

Keeping my fingers crossed now for a long hot summer!

Have fun fork knitting!

Cheers,


P.



As with all of my tutorials, please note, this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form. Thanks for understanding!

If you made something using a tutorial found on this blog or if you got inspired by something you found here, make sure to post your pictures here.

Ombre bunting flags

I haven't been here for a while, which doesn't mean I haven't been busy. Quite the contrary, actually.
I'm working on what I believe will be a very cool, fully leather bag. Venturing hand sewing leather, using sharp and scary needles... Yikes! But if everything continues to go as planned, it will be a nice bag. One to be proud of. And I hope to be able to show you the result soon...



In the meantime: a fun, fast, cheap and easy craft - just the way we like it.
I had some fluorescent paint left from my previous project and decided to dilute it to see if it would work to get the lately much wanted ombre effect.





I ripped a band of flimsy cotton, folded it accordion-wise and hung it in a jar which I filled with about an inch of the water-paint mixture. I let it sit for a while (I actually enjoyed watching the fabric soaking up the paint), next hung it to dry. Once dry, I cut it in small rectangular pieces (at the folds), sewed a tunnel with fluorescent thread and threaded the rectangles onto some cotton rope.
I didn't bother to cut of loose ends as I like a slightly ragged look.
And that's it!

And now, back to work!

Wishing you a great rest of the week and a happy Thanksgiving for those of you celebrating!

Cheers,

P.

Fluo linen bag DIY

Looking for a simple but rewarding project or a DIY gift idea?
Then keep on reading as I may have something for you!

On my last trip to the craft store I finally found the fluorescent orange fabric paint I had been looking for! I desperately needed some after seeing some really nice printed home textiles in a boutique here in Paris.



With a simple pencil eraser I printed a random pattern of dots on some almost sheer natural cotton muslin. It took me about half an hour to finish the job. Once dry, and ironed to set the dye, I took the piece of fabric to my sewing machine and made a simple drawstring bag. From beginning to end, another 15 minutes, I guess. The result is a cute linen bag, or anything bag if you like.
Make them smaller and you have the cutest gift bags. The same printing technique would work well to decorate pillow cases, kitchen towels, napkins. Anything really. If you're running out of time you can have your kids do the printing part. Or, why not, the entire project!




What you'll need:

- a piece of fabric, pre-washed
- fabric paint, like Pébéo Setacolor, transparent fluorescent orange, #32
- pencil with eraser at the top
- plastic sheeting to protect your working surface
- painters tape to tape fabric to plastic
- rope for drawstring
- optional: fluorescent sewing thread
- sewing machine



Instructions:

1. Tape your fabric to the plastic sheet protecting your working surface, to prevent the fabric from shifting around creating unwanted smudges.
2. Dip eraser in paint, next onto fabric (do a few test prints on a piece of scrap) and do so in a random pattern.
3. Let dry. After, iron to set the paint (or follow your paint's instructions).
4. Make a drawstring bag as explained here. I used some contrasting fluorescent thread for sewing the drawstring tunnel. And that's all there is to it!


The things you can do with a simple pencil eraser... Have fun!

Folded leather basket :: a minimalistic DIY

I love minimalism, as I truly believe less is more.
I have always loved geometry.
I love figuring out how things are built.

Lately I have been drawn into building shapes, going from something flat to something three dimensional and functional with the least steps involved. The teddy bear key chain is one example.

So, when I came across this fabulous basket and DIY on Pinterest, I couldn't get to my craft's table fast enough. In no time, I made a bunch of leather mini baskets based on the same principle, but instead of using a hexagon I made use of squares. And leather - what else!?



This is an easy and fast craft, which requires minimal supplies:
a (small) piece of leather, a hole punch, rivets and rivet setter, a cutting tool, and a ruler and pencil.

Now if you don't have access to leather, try using heavy weight felt as in the original tutorial, or use foam sheets. Or with the holidays just ahead of us why not try making some baskets out of nice and heavy card stock, replacing the rivets with eyelets or brads. These baskets would make perfect packaging for those homemade cookies.

Before you get started and especially when using precious materials like leather, I recommend making a paper version first, just to make sure you got the dimensions right.

I made two sizes of baskets:
- a 15 cm square results in a 7 x 7 x 4 cm basket
- a 10 cm  square results in a 5 x 5 x 2,5 cm basket

To give you a rough idea: one of the larger baskets is holding (part of my) washi tape collection and the other one a bunch of large paper clips. The small one holds quite an amount of small paperclips. 



Instructions:

1. Make a paper template or download the template here.
2. Cut the leather and make the diagonal incisions as shown (for a 15 cm square, cut 6cm diagonals; for a 10cm square this would be 4cm diagonals)
3. Punch 4 holes as shown in the picture and template.
4. Set rivets (I found the table corner to be very useful for this, but make sure to protect your table appropriately). Shape your basket by inserting the two remaining flaps.

Animal Key Chain :: DIY

Last week, while I was working on the leather key holder, I had an aha-moment. On top of one of H's birthday presents, last summer, sat a cute 3D card stock bear head/tag. Because I thought it was so cute I rescued the little bear from the recycling bin and it'd been sitting on my desk ever since. Until last week, that is.



All of a sudden, I new what I wanted to do with it - make a replica in leather and use it to hang on a key chain. And that's exactly what I did. I tweaked the design here and there and even came up with a little fellow critter. So easy to make and according to my girls very cute (do I need to tell the little critters have been claimed already ?).



Use sturdy leather for this project (I used low grade but rather stiff leather for mine). Besides leather, you will also need a (leather) needle and thread, an eyelet and eyelet setter, and a key ring. Skip the sewing and have your little ones decorate their bear or dog head with markers, if you like. Punch a couple of holes for the eyes. To keep everything together and give the head its 3D shape, slam an eyelet through the top as shown in the template, attach a king ring and you're done.

 

Wouldn't these make cute party favors? Or how about making a whole bunch of them to decorate your Christmas tree. And if you're good at drawing (which I'm not), try making different animal heads. If you do so, feel free to post them in my Flickr group - I'd love to see which animals you come up with!

Note: if you can't find leather, try using other materials like vinyl, or foam sheets, heavy weight felt, ... as long the material used has a certain stiffness this should work!

Denim Flowers :: a DIY

 

It's been a while again since my last post, but I'm still here. As a matter of fact we just got back this morning from a short break at the seaside. Summer vacation started exactly two weeks ago and we've been extremely busy.   I even missed my beach bag tutorial going live on Design*Sponge! Yes, you read that correctly - Design*Sponge! It surely made my day! And if you're still planning on making one too, make sure to check out the article as there are more step-by-step pictures on D*S than in the original post.



And here's yet another tutorial - after more than two weeks spent without having touched any fabric, needle and thread, or doing anything creative, I could no longer resist! Inspiration, was the lovely leather flower brooch I got myself during the sales here in Paris.  It got me thinking and I came up with a denim flower, made from old jeans (which had been cut to pieces anyway for other projects).
 

 It's a very simple but rewarding craft. A kid could do it -  it could make a nice craft for a rainy afternoon, actually. Find the step-by-step instructions in the photo-collage below. Sew a pin at the back and use the flowers to spruce up a plain shirt or jacket. Or how about making a bunch and sewing them on a tote or pillow. The possibilities are endless and really, all it takes is 15 minutes. 


To have slight color variances between petal layers, I used pieces of fabric from two different pair of jeans. The flower petals are cut  'free-style' which adds to the charm of the flower. For an even more frayed look, I suggest to throw the finished flower in the washing machine and dryer. Give it a try, you can't go wrong on this one! Have fun!!

Origami paper cube :: a DIY

It's been a while since my last post. I hope you all had nice holidays and a smooth transition into the new year. Our holidays were fun, seeing relatives and friends again. There was a lot of traveling involved but it all went much smoother than last year as the weather gods were a bit friendlier this time. No snow and icy roads only rain and wind.





But this is not the weather channel, so time to move-on! With a new tutorial! And as a matter of fact, this is a special one. It's a video-tutorial - an absolute first on // BTL //- made by... my girls.



A little while ago we got an Ipad. It never occurred to me that besides pictures one could also make videos with it. That was until my girls presented me this movie one afternoon during our holiday break. For a couple of days M. had been making these really awesome origami paper cubes. And then, they decided to shoot a 'making-of' movie. I had no idea what they were doing in their room - 'Don't come in, mommy! It's a surprise!'. There was a lot of laughing going on in there but too busy baking some of these, I kept nicely to the kitchen. The result you can see below. The movie is entirely their work: little H. held 'the camera' and M. shows and talks us through the making of an origami paper cube. There was no editing, or anything. And I think it is just perfect - there is a bit of camera shake, and the sound isn't perfect as little H. covered the microphone with her hand a couple of times, but other than that I think this movie is just perfect. The best part in my opinion: little H. trying to keep her little toes off screen - that really cracked me up! Actually it still does... I hope you'll enjoy this how-to as much as I did!

A big thanks to my girls for their generosity for letting me share this here! You are the cutest!

Wishing you all a happy and creative year!
Cheers,
xo, P.