Category: crafty

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To Make an Omelet…

craftfailblog

I read somewhere that creativity is quantity not quality. When I read the headline I was like, “No way! Why would they say that?” Then I read the article. It is totally true. In order to be really successful at something you need to practice and learn from mistakes. The only way to make mistakes is to go ahead and do it. That can be a little daunting in this era of DIY and the internet. It seems as if everywhere you click you see lovely, wonderful, creative end products that make you wish you were that creative and talented and perfect. No one posts about the time when they made handmade soap that accidentally ended up looking like SPAM once it was sliced. Until now that is. Craft Fail is a site devoted to all those projects that ended up less than perfect. I personally love it. It can been really tough for me to get started on a project when I know there is a 50/50 chance of it being not so great (or a down right disaster) when it is done. Now I can learn from other people mistakes and realize that mistakes of my own are learning experiences in themselves. I think that the SPAM soap might be considered a happy accident rather than a fail. Especially with the little SPAM wrapper. Too cute! So let’s all get out there and make some mistakes! via

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Rose Bowl

daes_felt_bowl_proppedSo much about this picture makes me happy. This thick industrial felt bowl besides being my favorite of materials is very cleverly designed. With the help of some strategically placed magnates that add little pops of color, it can either be flat or bowl shaped as shown here holding this happy color yarn and the inviting wood (maybe bamboo) knitting needles. I wish I had such a nice place to store my current knitting project.

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Not In This Economy

The economy has been on my mind a lot lately. It is a tough time to justify spending money. Personally, I have always been thrifty. I am pretty sure I get it from my Grandpa (thanks, Grandpa!) I tend to save my money everyday and over indulge once in a while, sometimes on one big thing, sometimes just a few days of “reckless” spending. I buy store brand when I can, I don’t buy expensive clothes (although I do tend to pay for comfortable shoes figuring I only get one set of feet) and I will make instead of buy if I can get away with it. Can I just tell you that I love what I am seeing in my RSS feeder lately. Articles on how to make your own cleaning supplies, how to make your own bread, how to paint your own wall mural. I am a fairly crafty person but I never thought about making my own butter. In this age of convenience we tend to buy things instead of looking to how we can make, grow or re-purpose what we have. Recently, I read an article on how to grow my own loofah! I love it! I know we all only have so much time in the day and can we really can fruits and vegetables or compost under your sink in our tiny NY kitchen? Maybe not. But I bet there are things you can do to help put a few more pennies in your wallet. Do you really need to use paper towels? I know, I know they are so convenient but if I can get by without them, so can you. As an extra added bonus (as if saving money wasn’t enough) this new way of thinking about saving money can help save the environment. How you ask? For example, making your own cleaning supplies means you are not throwing away extra packaging and you are reusing bottles over and over. Talk about win win!

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DIY Lampshade

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I love love love this DIY lampshade by Carrie of Carrie Can for her sister. She takes an ordinary paper lampshade, and transforms it with tissue paper. The materials are dirt cheap but the result is wonderful! I am inspired to get started on a few lampshades of my own. You can find a full tutorial on craftster.org. And in case you are wondering the mural in the background was done by Carrie as well. Her sister is awfully lucky! Thanks for the inspiration and tutorials, Carrie!

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Wow…

somethingshelvesI heart these DIY shelves. As a matter of fact I heart just about everything about Stephen and Shauna’s home. Clean and simple with quirky accents (is that a porch swing in the bedroom?!) Wonderful use of colors, textures and patterns. I am definitely having home envy. M&I are in the process of deciding if we stay in our current apartment or look for something else when our lease is up in a few months. If we do stay then our place needs some freshening up. I am definitely going to be stealing a few color and decorating ques from this amazing apartment. You can see more of what they are up to on their blog Somethings Hiding in Here. Check out the house tour to see more amazing images. via

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The Last Calendar You Will Ever Need

extra-1Photojojo posted a tutorial for this amazing DIY perpetual photo calendar. I love that you can use your own photos or photos that you find on the Internet (check the photographer’s copyright just to be sure it is ok). This is just project I need to get me out there taking pictures. I love to take pictures while I am on vacation but I never think to drag out my camera to photograph my own city. I love that this is something that could change over time. If you get tired of a number, or find one that is better, change it up. I just happen to have the fotoclips, I got them on sale at Urban Outfitters a while ago, and this is the perfect use for them.

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Crafty Christmas Tree

121508atlitw02This year I didn’t have enough floor space to have a tree. I did have a Christmas wreath and some garland so that I would have a place to hang some ornaments and get the Christmas light effect and the pine smell. Unfortunately this meant that many of my ornaments didn’t see the light of day. I love this wall tree by Jane of All the Luck in the World. What a wonderful creative way to display all your ornaments without sacrificing floor space. Next year I am definitely going to give this a try. via

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Funky Cardboard Shoes

il_430xn29580573These shoes are fabulous! I love that they are made from such common materials but are so sturdy and chunky and funky! And they look really comfortable to boot! (Ha ha, I said boot.) I wish my foot was a size 9! I am not sure how well the cardboard will stand up, but they are just way too cool. via

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Gift Ideas at Rare Bird Finds

il_fullxfull48353878I am always seeing great stuff from the folks over at Rare Bird Finds, but I have to say that the gift ideas coming into my RSS reader lately are both affordable and adorable. Something for everyone in your life. I already posted about the cute doggie scarf and hat and here is a lovely felt flower which has a pinback, but I am sure you crafty folk out there can figure out how to wear it in your hair. If you are looking for some inspiration for someone on your list at just about any budget definitely check them out.

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Drool Worthy

picture-3If you love felt as much as I do, or even half as much as I do then you will be interested to know that you can now get 100% wool felt (as if there is any other kind that is worth drooling over) from Germany by the yard from FilzFelt. The colors are fabulous! I think I am going to get a sample set just to have a little bit of each. Mmmmmmm. Felt.

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