Raining Crafts and Blogs

Pimp my ride

Wed, 26 May 2010 15:54:14 -0500

It’s bike season again, and when I pulled out my ol’ ride from the garage, I felt it needed a little more than grease on the chain.

I used spray paint to make my bike two toned: rust red on the left hand side, and baby blue on the right. I painted the wheels yellow. To do this, get someone to help you hold the bike up, and spray in one spot as you spin the wheel.

Note: Be careful not to get paint on the metal frame of the wheel, as this can mess with your brake pads! I learned this lesson the hard way. If you get paint on it, no biggie: just use paint thinner and a cloth or sponge to rub it off; or, as it was cleverly pointed out to me, the paint comes off just as easily if you scrape the wheel with a rock. To avoid painting the chain, use a towel or piece of cardboard as a cover.

The Dog Show My final for Animation I, an academy leader.

Thu, 13 May 2010 11:11:24 -0500

The Dog Show

My final for Animation I, an academy leader.

All the Pretty Collars

Thu, 13 May 2010 09:29:40 -0500

These fabulous collars were worked on the runway at Miu Miu this spring. They cost in the hundreds, but as we all know, there are cheap and fun ways to get around that, and to make something a bit more unique.

White Lightning shows us how she made hers for only $6.99:

I can’t wait to make my own!

Grrrl Crafts

Thu, 13 May 2010 09:24:33 -0500

I found this great site all about feminist crafts. There’s lots of more cool stuff from Radical Cross Stitch, where I found this awesome dress.

Stuffed Animals 'n Stuff

Wed, 12 May 2010 17:49:00 -0500

My sister sent me this photo of the cute stuffed penguin she knitted for a friend’s baby. She said that the baby reached out and smiled when the gift was presented to her, which she considered a success since the baby seemed like she didn’t give a crap about most of her presents. Any way, she dug herself into a hole because now I and some of her other friends are begging her to make them for us! My knitting skills are far less advanced than hers. The pattern is at knitty.com, and my sister Katie just started up her blog again, which has photos of some of her beautiful knitting and sewing projects. Needless to say, we grew up playing with dolls and doing crafts.

iKnit

Fri, 07 May 2010 10:56:00 -0500

iWorry about my iPod getting scratched. Instead of buying an iPod sock from apple for 30 bucks (ummm yea, I can’t even talk about that) or stealing one from a baby, I utilized my amateur knitting skills to create this sleeping bag shaped cozy to keep my mp3s warm and safe.

What you need:

an iPod or something, otherwise this is pointless
yarn
scissors
knitting needles
a needle if you don’t have tiny agile fingers

The Steps:

I simply knit a long panel and stitched it up. I cast on a dozen stitches of wool yarn onto size 6 needles, to a length just slightly smaller than the ipod’s height when folded over. I decreased stitches at the end to make a curved top that would hook over the top of an ipod, like a mummy sleeping bag.

Stitch up the sides, flip that bad boy inside out, and slip your headphones through the yarn to plug them in.

This case does the job, but here are some awesome cases other people have made.

Gameboy case from Make zine:

Cassette from craziest gadgets:

Sneakmove’s case made from my favorite gum:

Even wood, like these shown on unplggd:

CD Coasters

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:39:00 -0500

Love music? Love drinking things? Here’s a way to protect your table from those dreaded water marks that make moms and Larry David so angry. You can also put your old scratched cds to good use.

What you need:

cds
paints (we used both spray and acrylic)
paper/ cardboard for stencils
sciz

The Steps:

Sketch out your ideas for the deco. We stuck with the music theme for our coasters: gramophone, f holes, a cassette and piano keys.
Paint the first layer, let dry.
While you wait, cut out any stencils you need for your design. Sticky tac made for sticking posters onto walls helps to hold the stencils flat against the cds without ruining the first layer of paint.

Spray paint works well for some designs, but for the minor details a brush and acrylic paint do the job best. The gramophone stencil didn’t turn out so well, so we stuck the cut-out to the wet paint and drizzled paint over the top for a more cohesive look.

After the paint dries, apply a lacquer to protect paper and paint from chipping.

Now all that’s left is to kick back, listen to good music and enjoy the beverage of your choice.

Reduce, Reuse, Melt Plastic.

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:57:00 -0500

For some time now I’ve been intending to make a something cool out of recycled plastic bags. I usually shop with my backpack or reusable totes, but alas like every other American I have millions of plastic bags in my pantry. There are lots of cool ideas on the interwebs for putting these things to use! Any although I don’t have any I’ve created myself to share with you today, here’s some awesome stuff some of our fellow-DIYers have created.

Josh Blackwell’s plastic bag work I found on designsponge:

Make Magazine’s video on how to create a messenger bag out of trash bags:

Here’s a whole list of plastic bag crafts from craftzine:

“Hey, buddy, you’re not pretending anymore. You’re plastic. Cold, shiny, hard plastic.”

—-Mean Girls.

Had to do it.

Elegant Silk Eggcelence.

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:21:00 -0500

Whether or not you celebrate Easter, eggs are everywhere this time of year! My mom sent me a photo of these adorable eggs she made with her friends. Every year her friend has an egg dying party. Her secret for these intricate designs? Silk fabric.

What you need:

Eggs: chicken, hen, ostrich, what have you.
Pot to boil eggs
scraps of silk fabric
rubber bands

The Steps:

Acquire an array of silk scraps with different patterns. Silk ties work great because they usually have small patterns that would repeat well on the eggs. They are also cheap and easy to find at thrift stores.
cut the fabric into small squares, larger enough to cover the surface of an egg. Wrap them around the egg. Have a bowl of water handy to dip your finger into to help smooth the fabric over the curved surface. Wrap rubber bands over the fabric to secure it.
Boil eggs as usual: let eggs sit in hot, covered pot about 20 min. after bringing water to a boil.
Remove from hot water, rinse in cold to stop the heat process.
Unwrap the eggs and dry. The dye from the silk should have transferred beautifully to your eggs. Throw them in a bowl (throw metaphorically, of course. These are eggs we’re talking about) for a great centerpiece.

Here are some other cute egg deco tactics I found on the interwebs.

Martha Stewart’s lace eggs.

Family Fun’s eggimals.

Martha’s egg shell vases. She also made these candles by placing tea lights in the shells instead of des fleurs.

Connie Ayer’s Pysanky Easter Eggs.

Une Fille et Une Abeille A Girl and A Bee In my animation class...

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:24:34 -0500

Une Fille et Une Abeille

A Girl and A Bee

In my animation class we worked on a project in which each student morphed a picture they selected into a picture that someone else brought to class. I chose a Kate Spade ad that shows a girl standing in a room with black polka dots on the wall holding a black balloon. I had to make this into a bee. It’s only 3 seconds long, but it’s 36 individual drawings. I don’t know how real animators do it. Lots of patience required!

crafting rooms.

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:44:00 -0500

I want a room just for crafting! Crazy Terri on Glee even has her own arts and crafts room (that she wouldn’t empty out for her own *non-existent* baby). But her room was tacky anyway. One day when I am not si pauvre I would like a little space dedicated to fun projects. I found this adorable space on doe-c-doe’s blog. I’m in love with the yellow and all the thoughtful accents that make this room unique. It’s warm and fresh at the same time. How inspiring!

Here are some other cute craft corners I found on the interwebs:

Wing it.

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:23:00 -0500

It’s springtime! That means it’s time for bugs and crafting with ventilation. I celebrated both these aspects when I made these hand painted butterflies.

What you need:

Fake butterflies. I got mine at CVS for $2 in the seasonal section. They are tacky and sparkly, but this can be fixed!
paintbrush; paints. I used acrylic.
yarn
scissors

The Steps:

First, I wrapped yarn around the bodies of the butterflies so that they would have a different texture than the wings.

Then I painted the wings with acrylic paint. I decided to go with brighter colors on the pink butterfly and darker, harsher colors on the orange one. I pulled off the googly eyes and painted them. I lightly brushed paint over the antennae so that they would match the rest of the butterfly.

I love how they turned out. Because the wings are formed with wire, you can bend the them so that the butterflies look like they’re in flight.

They look pretty if you prop them up in a window and allow the light to shine through. Can’t wait til the real butterflies come out! These will do for now.

Spare Us, Asparagus is a stop-motion on-stand animation I made...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:45:57 -0600

Spare Us, Asparagus is a stop-motion on-stand animation I made for my animation class. I am still very new to this whole animation thing (note hand that appears several times throughout the story because I forgot to move it out of frame). But it’s sure fun to play around!

I used fake fruits and vegetables I bought at Dollar Daze downtown Chicago. It is definitely my favorite dollar store thanks to the creepy bras on display in the windows, the “cell phone/ du rag” sign that’s been on the door for years and the fact that you can always find something weird for inspiration in that place.

I shot the animation on something called a “lunchbox,” which has buttons that allow you to capture video frames from an aerial view over a field view that is either top lit or back lit. There are endless things you could create on this thing. Everyone in my class came up with cool ideas, using materials ranging from cut-outs to clay to Cookie Crisp and 3-D glasses.

Amy Stitch-house

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:00:00 -0600

This is so freaking cool. I wish I were this good at embroidery! Made by Sarah of Totally Severe.

Headboards

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:46:18 -0600

I didn’t have a headboard for my bed. I considered painting one on the wall for a while, but decided against it since I rent. So when my kitchen was redone last summer, I came up with a great solution. There was a thick coated cardboard board that used to serve as the back of the cabinet beneath our sink. It was just in our apartment ready to be thrown out.

Steal! I took to it with some acrylic paints and made myself a whimsical headboard that really brightens up my bedroom. I only had primary colors, but i mixed ‘em up to create a color for outside the outline that matches my wall pretty well. From far away you can’t even tell it’s not a part of the wall. I had fun with the design, let it dry, then made sure I had it straight before nailing it into the wall.

There are no direct instructions for creating a headboard. It’s a great way to express your personal style. Here are some cool other headboard ideas I found from Craft Magazine’s blog:

Wallpaper:

Fabric:

Cardboard:

Sweet Dreams.

Badass Buttons

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:24:34 -0600

Brooches and buttons are a great for adding a lil flair to an outfit. I covered some boring buttons that I never wore with pretty fabrics and materials. What was fugly is now fabulous!

What you need:

Buttons/pins—whatever you call them.
Assorted materials. Obviously, there are a million ways to go about this, so be creative! For my buttons, I used:
Tulle (available at any craft store)
scissors
crazy glue
fabric
nail polish
pointed Q-tips

The Steps:

Floral Button

Cut out a piece of material slightly larger than the face of the button (Note: my sister mocks me for hoarding things such as scraps of fabric, but see! It came in handy: good things come to those that hoard).
Apply glue to face of button, smooth fabric on evenly. Go around with glue on the back of the button where the fabric will end.

Trim fabric as necessary. So that it fits smoothly around the circle, fold the cloth and glue it to itself.

Ballerina Button

To make this frilly tulle pin, first paint the face of the button with nail polish or paint to cover any unwanted writing or design. It will show through the light material. Let dry.
Cut tulle down (I made it about 3X the button).
Apply glue to face of button and scrunch the tulle onto the surface. Hold.
Apply more tulle as needed. To create a fan shape, I tied a small piece of string around one end of a cut-out, then glued it on top of the layers I already glued down.

Polished Pin

Paint the the button. Small things like pointed Q-tips and tooth picks are good for itty bitty designs.
Allow polish or paint to dry between layers.

BUST, knitting, and Tracey Ullman

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:11:00 -0600

BUST TV posted a great video yesterday that combines Bust mag staples: grrrl power, crafting and, well, having fun with it all. Tracey Ullman, the Brit comedian who plays scores of characters on Showtime’s Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, shows host Liz Armstrong how to cast on. They chat (or, really, Ullman tries on different voices and makes Armstrong laugh) in a knitting shop. Ullman makes fun of Americans in her situational comedy, but she really does admire many things about this crazy place. She says that the US was ahead of England in terms of producing really great, strong comedic actresses, including Lucille Ball, Lily Tomlin and Gilda Radner. While women were getting starring roles in America, the roles for women in England were still limited to glamour girls. “This is a big badass, scary country, but you kind of want to be a part of it,” she says.

Makeshift Quilling

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:25:00 -0600

There is lots of fun to be had with paper. I tried my hand at quilling, the art of rolling thin strips of paper and creating cool shapes with them, for the first time today. I learned how to create hearts in this blog post from craftzine.com.

What you need:

paper. duh. There is such a thing as actually quilling paper, but I decided to use magazine paper.
ruler
pen
scissors
hair pin, or something of the sort
glue
pen (not pictured, but y’all know what those are)

The Steps:

Use a ruler to draw a thin line, a 1/2 cm thick line lengthwise down your paper. Cut along the line.
Pinch the paper with the hair pin. Wet your finger wind the paper around the pin, keeping the edges in line.
Allow the coil to loosen, and remove it from the pin. Use the hair pin to even out the spacing of the paper if it looks all crazy.
Glue the end of the paper to the rest of the coil. Pinch one side to create a tear drop shape. To create a heart, glue two tear drops together.

I have pens and pencils lying all around my apartment, so I decided to use my little quill heart to decorate a pencil holder. I used a cute glass that we don’t drink out of because it has a chip in it and cut a strip of paper from an image I liked:

I glued the band of paper around the glass, glued the quilled heart to the band and threw some pens in.

Et, Voilà!

Night (light) owl

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:26:00 -0600

My mom used to get mad at me when I was younger for painting everything in my room with nail polish: dresser drawer handles, chairs, the bed frame, the dog’s nails… What can I say, sometimes these room accents just need a little pick-me-up. The light switch in my bedroom at my current apartment is white and boring. I thought about painting it but I know already that I won’t want to repaint it when I move out of this place. I also wanted to find a different solution to my problem. Here’s what I did and how to do it yourself.

What you need:

Cool image, sized appropriately to fit over light switch
printer
tracing paper
scissors
measuring device (straight-edge ruler is best for drawing lines)
pencil
x-ato knife
crazy glue
tape

The Steps:

Measure light switch plate dimensions
Choose an image for your light switch. I wanted an owl because, well, I like them. I used this drawing by Chris Pottinger.
Print image on tracing paper (available at craft and art supply stores.) Note: tracing paper is really thin, and your printer may want to eat it. My tracing paper was also too large for my printer, so I just chopped it down to a smaller size and printed the image. The paper got a little crinkled in the machine, resulting in a few ink smears. To print a neater image, I taped my tracing paper smoothly to a sheet of 8”X11” printer paper and got better results.
Cut image down to the size of light switch plate. I found it helpful to trace the plate with a scratch piece of paper so that I had an idea of how much extra paper I should leave on to account for the angle of the plate to meet the wall. I needed an extra 1/2” both length and width-wise.

Measure the size hole necessary for the switch to poke through; cut with x-acto knife; erase pencil marks

paint crazy glue around the hole of the switch, press paper in correct place. Then thinly line all edges of the plate, one side at a time, and press paper down.

It’s a hoot.

Hoop, there it is!

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:01:00 -0600

I’m in love with costume jewelry. My current crush in this area would be oversize chain link necklaces, like this one by Michael Kors. I did my own little twist on this trend by creating my own yarn-wrapped hoops. I made them out of shower curtain rings, which are super cheap and great for the project because they open and lock closed, allowing you to wear them in a million different ways.

What you need:

yarn
scissors
a pack of shower curtain rings. Smooth rings (no ridges or texture) work best.
ribbon or silk scarf (optional)

You can use any kind of yarn you want for this. I chose to use a soft cotton variegated yarn (I think it was intended for knitting a baby blanket) because A) I like the cool stripes it created; B) It was lying around my apartment and I was never going to use it for anything else.

The Steps:

To wrap the hoops, all you need to do is cast the yarn on as if the hoop were a knitting needle. It’s important to do this instead of just winding the yarn around the hoop because it is more secure. If you don’t know how to cast on, no fear! Here’s a quick demo I made that shows you how to cast yarn onto a needle.
To cast on the hoop, make sure to use the “female” side of the ring as the point of the needle, because it’s smoother, therefore easier to slip the yarn over.

Do this all the way around the hoop. Keep sliding your work down the ring as you go, until the whole thing is covered. I left a really long tail (a few feet) since I had to cast on a zillion stitches with this thin yarn. If you run out, simply tie more string onto the short tail and keep casting on. No one will be able to see it, and my lips are sealed.
Tie off the string when you finish and snip with a scissors.
There will be a knotty seam on the hoop. You can keep this on the outside for a more textured look or spin it to the inside.
Repeat this on as many rings as you desire/can handle. I made mine over a few days as to prevent my hand from cramping up permanently.

Results.

There are so many ways to wear these! Here are some of my ideas:

Chain link necklace

Hoop Earrings

If you have plugs you can slip them on. For the rest of us, they have just the right size gap when the rings are open to wear as clip-ons! I was surprised at how light they were and how well they stayed on.

Ribbon necklace with hoop charms

I tied the long ribbon in a bow in the back for an extra somethin’ somethin’.

Ribbon chain link

Silk scarf chain link

Bangle

I have tiny hands, and this was still really hard for me to slip on and off. If you can find larger rings, they would work better for this. I also found these easy yarn-wrapped bangles from craftstlyish.