vintage book travel-tech organizer As you may have figured out from my My Life Scoop posts, I’m a bit of a nut for tech accessories, especially pocket-sized ones. I can’t get over how awesomely small our entertainment devices are becoming; it makes traveling with them so much easier. But one issue I keep running into is how to neatly organize everything, especially the power cords and connector cables that accompany my favorite devices. Rather than spend another plane trip rummaging through my catch-all carry-on bag searching for my headphones, bumping my head on the seat in front of me every time, I decided to make a small tech-accessory organizer using elastic ribbon and an old vintage book cover. This project can be sized up or down and customized in many different ways — the best approach is to gather all the tiny tech things you travel with and see how much there is. Have a DIY project you’d like to share? Read the full how-to after the jump! Materials Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
THE WEEKENDER Featured: Lex Trip Bag So this weekend will have you jetting off to the coast for sun & surf? For a weekend excursion you need a quick trip bag. Forget the luggage (too bulky); you need a versatile tote made specifically to carry all your belongings from wallet to swimtrunks for a quick weekend getaway. Here is a fun choice in a cotton waxcloth outer with leatherette base and trim, perfect for the do-it-yourselfer, similar to the Lex Trip Bag from PROPERTY OF. Dimensions: approximately 18″ x 8 x 17″ [45cm x 20.5cm x 43cm]. You will need: 6 pop rivets1 metal slider, 2″ dia [50mm]2 latch hooks, 1″dia [25mm]2 d-rings, 1″dia [25mm]1 square ring, 2″ dia [50mm]2 dome snap set, 5/8″ dia [15mm]1 heavy metal zipper, 25″ [64cm] long *1-2/3 yds. [1.5m] of nylon webbing, 2″ [50mm] wideheavy-duty thread1 yd. [0.9 m] of upholstery weight fabric, 54″ [137 cm] wide1/3 yd [0.25 m] of polyurethane leatherette, 39″ [100 cm] wide 1 square = 1 inch [2.5 cm] Bag – cut 1X on fold Pocket- cut 2X Struts – cut 4X
How to make a fabric rose It's the last stiffened fabric project and then I'm moving on! I wanted to try an oversized, realistic fabric rose just for fun. Make a template with six petals. I traced around a dinner plate and a small bowl on the back of some ugly wrapping paper. (Tip: if the paper is too curly, iron it flat and your life will be better.) I've included my feet so you can admire my cute socks. Prepare some stiffened fabric. Using the template, cut three flower shapes from the prepared fabric. In the first flower, cut a slit along one of the fold lines to the center. On each flower, overlap the two petals adjacent to the slit and secure with a little glue. While they're drying, curl the double-petal and single-petal cutouts. Heat the remaining flower petals one at a time with your iron and curl the edges back. At this point I stacked the pieces to see if they looked nice. So I cut off the point. I hot glued the petals together at the base, then added a felt circle to hide the trimmed ends.
Decoupaging with Lace - Urban Comfort Once in awhile I'll come up with a project that I get a little obsessed with and can't stop making. This decoupaged lace container that I made for Better Homes and Gardens was one of those projects. It all started with my love of textured pottery, but as I've been embracing my more feminine side lately, I was drawn to using lace as well. Admittedly, I wasn't even sure it would work. But not only did it work, it was one of the fastest and easiest projects I've ever undertaken. I started with white containers, cut a strip of eyelet lace wide enough to cover it, applied a layer of Mod Podge in matte finish, and wrapped the eyelet band around the container. Since then, I've moved on to different shapes and tried my hand at tapered containers (Cutting small slits around the bottom edge of the fabric helps when you're dealing with a tapered shape. I think there are a lot of possibilities here. I decoupaged this deep bowl with a piece of embroidered cotton. Title photo by Rob Brinson for BHG
Wallet-to-Tote On the Go ~ Tutorial Lorraine from ikat bag is a favorite around here… She has tons of fun tutorials on her blog and she’s joined us before with this wonderful Back to School Pencil Case tutorial. Today Lorraine shares a tutorial for a new summer essential, the On the Go Wallet-to-Tote! Construction includes three main parts: Assembling the Wallet, Assembling the Outer Bag and Making the Lining. From Lorraine: Hello, Everyone. These little bags have been around for as long as I can remember, and I thought they’d be a useful addition to the arsenal of summer gear I stash in my car and/or purse. I have three little girls, aged 3,4 and 6, and we’ve found that summer always takes us on adventures we hadn’t planned for– detours to farmer’s markets, dancing in the rain or treasure hunting en route to the park. We always appreciate an extra bag or two for our loot (and wet clothes)! Part One: Assemble the Wallet:You will need: Note: Please see Part Two & Part Three for a full list of supplies. The bag is completed!
Urban Comfort If I were brainstorming gifts for my son it's unlikely that a pencil holder would come to mind, but that's exactly what he's getting from me this Valentine's Day and I think he's going to love it. It all started with pottery classes, which I've been taking since September. My son has enjoyed watching my progress, taking particular delight in my mishaps since I am always reminding him that we get better at just about everything through practice. He mentioned recently that if I ever got past being able to make something other than bowls, I should make something for him. I think he suggested something totally ridiculous that I could never make in a million years, but I appreciate his confidence. At any rate, I had purchased a wood grain texture mat and made a vase to use for the holidays, which I liked a lot and was continuing to experiment with, working to create a more organic, slumping profile that felt treelike. Here's how: Step 1: Create a base. Step 2: Make slip. Step 6: Scoring.
Book strap tutorial Ladies and gentlemen, I'm delighted to share a guest tutorial today from Lorraine (LiEr) Teigland of Ikat Bag. She's a former physics teacher, which speaks volumes about the smart projects her creative brain concocts. (Her pig and chicken patterns kill me.) Today's project is a book strap. I must admit I sheepishly had to ask Lorraine how to use this fancy item: does one grab the long end of the strap and use it like a handle, so the book stack dangles from it like a dog on a leash? Hello all! This is a simple and quick project but if you are unfamiliar with working with vinyl, I've included some tips at the end of the tutorial. First, make the strap, using your favorite strap-making method and whatever width works with the print of your fabric and the hardware you have. sewing along one long edge and around both ends, leaving most of the second long edge open to turn them right side out. Then top-stitch all around to complete the strap. Next, make the buckle. Ta-da! or left-handed?
"Indestructible" Dog Toy My mom's dog, Molly, loves to play - an activity that for her usually involves rounding up all her toys and ripping them to shreds. In an effort to make some kind of indestructible toy or at least something that she could play with that might last longer than a half hour, I rounded up a few things and gave it a shot. While she was able to dismantle this awesome rope and dried sweet potato contraption, it at least took her a little longer, and she seemed to really love it. Molly was probably able to obliterate this because she is so tough (doesn't she just look so tough?) Note: Homemade treats or an awesome princess bed are other great options for your fabulous furry friends Bow tie paper clips from fabric scraps I had a couple little scraps left over from stiffened fabric projects, and after fiddling with them, I noticed they'd easily make tiny bows. Which I attached to paper clips because... I don't know why. These could work as bookmarks, on wedding invitations, Valentines, etc. Or attach the bows to hair clips for little girls or pencils for bridal shower games. I used fabric scraps, stiffener, large paper clips, a scissors, an iron, twist ties (or wire), and a hot glue gun. Apply stiffener to your scraps (learn more here) and iron them flat. Form the longest strip into a loop, overlapping the ends generously. Pinch the "tail" strip in the center the same way. Then attach the bow to the tails using a piece of wire. Use the tiny remaining strip of fabric to attach the bow to the paper clip. Trim the tails to the length you like.
Make a simple 'natural' wooden T-lite holder I have made around 20 of these in various forms, I have used branches with smaller branch stubs on and trimmed to about 20mm and smoothed them to leave a more rustic look, or cut the top at a slight angle, I have Also used a larger thickness branch and set 3 or 4 T-lites in. Once, at the point where I was going to start sanding I thought No!, leave it like that! - Just a slice of Oak with a hole in one end with some twigs and leaves still attached, - now that's rustic... So you may not want the sandpapers Oil or wax, or you could take it even further and do some carving/sculpting There are so many variations to experiment with... I would like to see what other people come up with. WARNING!
Make a self-zipping coin purse from a ribbon Look what came in the mail today from my mom. That's some 7/8" ribbon I designed. Attached to a zipper. You start zipping, around and around. And you get a coin purse! These are made following Craft Passion's ingenious tutorial right here. Grandma G's notes: "I followed the directions pretty much to the letter on the sewing-themed pouch, except that I did a traditional backstitch because I wasn't clear on exactly how she did hers. Thank you, Mum!
How to create your own 3D Printed iPhone Case Please check out my Shapeways shop where you can buy iPhone cases such as this one and others such as the TriStand - iPhone case with 3 in 1 built in flip out Kickstands for 3d printing by Shapeways (3d printing service). An iPhone case says a lot about a person, that is why there are so many on sale, one to match every type of personality, but what if there isn't one that matches you, either that or you just want a challenge, or just want to show off your amazingly cool iPhone case that you designed and is 3D printed to your mates, well READ ON... The versatility of 3d printing is incredible and this instructable is going to show you how you can design your own customised 3D printed iPhone 4/4s case step by step simply and easily in less than 20 minutes. This was something I struggled to do when I first decided to design an iPhone case, so I am sharing this knowledge with you to spare you the trouble and without the need of vast knowledge of designing programs. Now... to make your own:
Rollie Pollie! Looking for hours of entertainment? Meet, The Rollie Pollie bean bag chair. It’s a chair, it’s a toy, it’s your favorite pillow. Made of durable cotton twill or soft vinyl, each bag is actually a slip cover (with another Rollie Pollie inside) then filled with mounds and mounds of soft cluster stuffing. Now, pick your favorite…. Drag it around, Dive right in! Or take a little nap. Build a Rollie-Pollie-man: kick off your shoes: Or do what I love best….find a yummy treat, and just relax, watching your favorite show. Who said you were a couch potato? Intro to Arduino An Arduino is an open-source microcontroller development board. In plain English, you can use the Arduino to read sensors and control things like motors and lights. This allows you to upload programs to this board which can then interact with things in the real world. With this, you can make devices which respond and react to the world at large. For instance, you can read a humidity sensor connected to a potted plant and turn on an automatic watering system if it gets too dry. Basically, if there is something that is in any way controlled by electricity, the Arduino can interface with it in some manner. The possibilities of the Arduino are almost limitless.