Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: valentine lightbulb i know a lot of people find valentine’s day to be a commercialized, over-hyped, pressure-cooker of a holiday (um, take it easy with the chocolate aisles, drug stores). in my mind though, valentine’s day is great because such little things can make huge statements on this romantic day. pretty much any act of kindness carries with it a bigger message of love: a note on the counter, an extra long hug, a favorite food in the fridge, etc. so with the “little gifts” concept in mind, i bring you this valentine’s day light bulb. a subtle love note tucked inside a pretty glass bulb, this can hopefully be displayed year round, and have longer lasting power than a dozen roses (not that i’m knocking roses). the other awesome part of this project is that once you’ve hollowed out a light bulb, the possibilities are endless for future projects: mini terrarium? check. handmade snow globe? check.. go crazy! CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! materials: cost: time: 1 hour instructions:
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: alison’s snowflake corkboard this fun holiday decoration project comes from alison fonseca of five months in paris. after moving into her new dorm room, alison found herself with a ton of blank wall space and a limited cash flow. so to add some budget-friendly holiday decor she decided to add slowflakes to an existing piece of cork board. it’s such a simple idea, but one that would be fun to do while watching holiday movies or on a snowy afternoon. when the holiday is over, just unpin them from your board and your normal day-to-day look is back. thanks to alison for sharing! CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! Materials: - cork board (any size or shape you like) - plain white paper - photos, magazine clippings, etc. - white thumbtacks - scissors Instructions: 1. 2. 3.
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: hidden jewelry box grace mentioned to me that jewelry storage is a hot topic for a lot of readers, so i set to work brainstorming some possibilities! i realized that there are basically two camps: people who like their jewelry on display (neatly of course), and people who like to hide it away (also neatly). so i am going to do two diys for jewelry storage that can satisfy both camps. the first is an attempt at hidden storage, which in this case is a mega top-secret, ninja-spy, behind-the-painting deal. i’ve always loved the idea of secret hiding places in fat old books, under rugs, and behind old paintings. this is pretty easy to rig up, especially if you have an old painting with a nice wood frame, but really any picture with a relatively wide wood frame will do fine. if you feel like you have too much jewelry to fit, this can also be a great way to store keys and mail by the entryway. or you could pair it with a nice leather bound book with a secret cutout container. have fun! – kate materials: 15. saw
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: halligan’s handmade air freshener I am a daily commuter and spend a lot of time in a car. Here is the perfect alternative to the everyday air freshener that uses all natural dried lavender. If you are lucky enough to not have to travel by car on the daily, this project would also put a woodland spin on a drawer sachet. Happy sniffing. CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! Supplies: -wool fabric -scissors -needle and thread -fabric marker or pencil -2.5 inches of thin ribbon of choice -15 inches of ribbon of choice -dried lavender -printed template (CLICK HERE to download the template!) Instructions: Supplies: -wool felt -scissors -needle and thread -fabric marker or pencil -15 inches of ribbon of choice -dried lavender -printed template -fabric glue -hot glue gun -hole punch Instructions: 2 Cut out the acorn top and bottom paper templates. 3 Line up shapes and sew edges using a blanket stitch leaving the top of the acorn base, the bottom of the acorn hat, and the tip of the acorn hat unstitched and open. BONUS steps:
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » we like it wild: shamrock badges Aside from the obligatory pint, we’ve never been quite sure what to do on St. Patrick’s Day. Since most of us just aren’t a green plastic bowler hat bunch, we decided to do some serious brainstorming in order to come up with a bit of wearable green that suits our particular tastes. While visiting North Beach’s Washington Square Bar & Grill last week legendary barman Michael McCourt poured us a couple of “lady’s” pints (a half pint) of Guinness to help us get our creative juices flowing, chatted us up about the comings and goings of the neighborhood, and even offered to wear a little of our green himself. Until recent decades, St. Patrick’s Day was little more than a saint’s day observed only in Ireland. We decided to bring a little bit of finery back to the St. CLICK HERE for the rest of Studio Choo’s shamrock badge project (including step by step how-to photos) after the jump! [ed. note: if you're having trouble finding tiny bottles, amazon sellers have tons of them for low prices]
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » Let there be light The one thing I love the most about the holidays are all the outside lights. It makes a very dark time of the year very bright and jolly. And I always think its such a drag when all the lights are taken down and everything gets dark again. Well, then its time to put out some lights of my own. Even if its just a small IKEA lantern that I used on one of the images. But if I’m having guests over I love to make a ice lantern. Its super easy. You need two buckets, one smaller then the other. Some greens, I love to use olive branches. Fill the biggest bucket half full with water. Place the smaller bucket inside it and place some rocks or something heavy to keep in in place. Add more water, the water level should be to the top. Add your branches to the sides of the bucket. Use some tape to keep the small bucket in the middle of the big one. Now set the whole thing outside to freeze. Once its frozen, remove the small bucket first and then the large one. You now have a beautiful ice lantern.
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: kate’s log buttons here’s a last minute idea for your gifts- wrapping them or making them! these log slices take mere minutes to complete if you have a saw and drill handy. you could also ask your local lumberyard to cut them for you if you don’t have a saw, because it’s just a few quick slices. you can add these to gifts or cards as extra decoration, or add them to sweaters, scarves or hats for a nice organic touch. i hope you have safe, relaxing, and happy holidays everyone! see you in january!! – kate note: the screen printed faux bois wrapping paper is available from blankspace gallery in oakand. CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! materials: 1. logs 2. drill with small bit 3. chop saw (or saw with mitre box) 4. safety goggles and dust mask 5. scrap piece of wood. cost: 1. $5 for logs (or free if you have them on hand) time: 30 minutes instructions:
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: ukrainian eggs made simple every easter while we were growing up, we made ukrainian eggs with the help of our mom. we love how beautiful the traditional eggs are, whose patterns are intricate and geometric, but they are truly time consuming! we wanted to use the same great method—drawing over the egg using a kistka, or stylus, filled with hot beeswax—to make a simpler version. here we used the traditional technique to create graphic designs and monogram initials to use as decoration for a spring party or as place settings and favors. twenty years ago, our mom got the supplies from surma’s ukrainian shop in new york, and today we are using the same resource, though many of these supplies can be found at craft stores. -the bbb craft sisters CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! materials: beeswax chunk1 kistka (stylus)candleeggsegg bloweregg dyespaper towelsegg dipperassortment of glass jars for mixing dyesetting powder or vinegarrubber gloves (optional—for keeping hands from staining) how to:
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: paper bag lanterns the bbbcraft sisters love parties! and what’s more important at a party than lighting? with a couple of photographers in our family, we have always had to focus on both indoor and outdoor lighting at parties, making it soft and cozy and above all, inviting. nothing captures this more than a little bit of diffused candle light. we wanted to create an inexpensive way of creating our own indoor and outdoor lighting and came up with these paper bag lanterns. -bbb craft sisters CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! what you need: 1. white paper bags (3.5” x 6.5” we found these , paper bags online on amazon) 2. bone folder 3. pencil 3. stencils and/or stamps and white stamp pad 4. x-acto knife 5. small piece of cardboard 6. 22 gauge wire, cut in to 17” segments 7. grommets and grommet pliers 8. tea lights 9. long matches or long lighter what you do: 2. slide the small piece of cardboard in the flat bag, so you have a surface to cut on without cutting through the other side of the bag.
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: brittni’s cork containers one of my favorite things about running d*s is hearing from readers who’ve made the projects we post, or who have been inspired to create something based on a past project. so i was happy to hear from brittni at papernstitch last week about a great project she did inspired by kate’s cork lamp tutorial from 2008. brittni decided to run with the theme and create some really beautiful cork vases and containers using inexpensive materials like cans and spray paint. i thought the finished result was so great i had to share them here. thanks so much to brittni for sharing her project with us! click here to check out the full post on brittni’s site. CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! Cork Vase/Container How-To from PapernStitch Materials: Soup/ Vegetable Cans, Spray paint (any color), roll of cork (you can find it at many local craft stores or order online here), heavy duty craft glue, scissors, ruler, extra pins or clothespins to clamp cork while drying Steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » made with love: quick gift wrapping ideas Christmas is in 3 days and I hardly have time to properly feed and bathe myself, let alone write a thoughtful and complicated DIY project. So instead, I’m taking you home with me to wrap some presents. True fact- I have never purchased wrapping paper in my life, it seems so unnecessary when my scrap paper pile is always sky high. CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! What you’ll need: - assorted papers, I used wax paper, an inside out trader joes bag and an old map - a ribbon substitute, I used bakers twine, raffia and bias tape - a small extra add-on, I used Christmas ornaments, an old postcard and a spare snip of greens My first present is wrapped with an inside trader joe’s bag, tied with simple raffia and has a bit o tree trimming tucked inside.