Wednesday, June 30, 2010

magnolias


Bern, Switzerland

Magnolias are one of my favourite flowers. Even the branches of the magnolia are graceful and elegant. 

make your own paper flowers


(image source)
Links to tutorials for these kusudama flowers on Elizabeth Anne's cute website

(image source)
Pretty paper rose tutorial by dozi

robot garland


(image from Made by Rae)

Me, I’m a huge fan of robots. When I saw  this tutorial on Made by Rae, I was delighted. It’s so cheerful and fun!

There’s probably lots that you can do with these... if you have a dark-coloured wall, I imagine that robots made of aluminum foil would look really cool! Or, you could chain them vertically, or stack them in geometric patterns on the wall.

Love them!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

chococake


Midnight chocolate cake
Moist and delicious :)

Saturday, June 26, 2010

t-shirt yarn


T-shirt yarn dishcloths (seen on Craftster)


T-shirt yarn accessories (seen on Craftycrafty)

A pretty guitar strap from a tie-dyed t-shirt (seen on A Spinner Weaver)

Lately, something called "t-shirt yarn" has been going around the crafty parts of the internet. Basically, it's a cotton yarn that you make out of old t-shirts and then knit or weave into all sorts of cool things.

It's easy to make, and there's a great tutorial here. I can't wait to give it a try myself. It's a really practical way of upcycling old t-shirts and it produces a great-looking result!

dugong


(image source)


(image source)

I had never heard of dugongs before until someone made a reference to them the other day. I was pleasantly surprised when i looked them up-- they are adorable!

Dugongs (Tagalog for "lady of the sea") are gentle marine mammals that are closely related to the manatee. They are currently close to extinction due to being over-hunted by humans. Dugongs are herbivorous, and unlike manatees, they live strictly in marine environments.

They are so cute... I want to give one a hug.

plastic bags --> cute shoes



I love these shoes!
They were made by a talented young woman from plastic bags that have been heated and compressed. I've made compressed plastic bag crafts before, and the result is surprisingly sturdy. These shoes look like they'd also be water-resistant and great for rainy days.

Link to source (in Spanish)

lovely moccasins



Exquisite, handmade moccasins from Darlingtonia.

somewhere, a dog barked


Illustration from this amusing article on Slate.com.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Sunday, June 20, 2010

tutorial #1: light bulb ornaments



What do you do with old incandescent bulbs after they've burnt out? There are quite a few tutorials out there to make cool things from them, and in some places, used light bulbs can be recycled.

Tutorial:
I like the curvy, almost fruit-like shape of light bulbs, but I wanted to soften the texture so that they're suitable as decorations for our living room.

Materials needed for this project:
-old light bulbs
-scissors
-double-sided tape (the thinnest kind you can find)
-twine (one roll should be enough for about four light bulbs)

Time needed: Approximately 30 minutes for each bulb.


Step 1: Clean off light bulb with a cloth to remove dust. Take strips of tape and begin wrapping the light bulb with tape from the base (where the metal part is). Be sure to press out any air bubbles in the tape. Apply tape until about halfway up the bulb.

Step 2: Take one end of the twine, and press it to the tape as close to the metal base as possible. Begin wrapping twine around the light bulb, gently pressing twine down on the tape. Be sure not to press too hard or the glass may shatter. Each coil of twine should stay as close as possible to the previous coil.

Step 3: When you are nearly at the halfway point, apply more tape onto the light bulb until there is a two or so centimetres of tape above where the twine coils end. The new tape should slightly overlap the existing tape to ensure that the twine will hold. Continue winding twine around the light bulb until you are past the widest point of the bulb. Remember to keep pressing the twine continuously onto the tape.

Step 4: Apply tape to cover the entire area on top of the bulb. Because of the curve of the bulb, it will be harder to keep the coils aligned, so make sure the there is enough slack in the twine before continuing onto the next coil. When there is nearly no space left for more coils, estimate the twine needed (probably about 1 cm) and cut the twine after that point. Then, carefully wind the remaining end of twine onto the top of the bulb and tuck the "tail" into the centre, pressing gently but firmly. Finished!


They can be placed in a bowl or strung up together in a garland, once you add a wire loop to the end.
They're super easy to make, and you can experiment with different sizes and shapes of light bulbs and different colours of string/yarn/hemp. Enjoy!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

bear wallet



I found this cute little wallet at an open-air market in Taichung City, Taiwan. It's designed to look like a Japanese airmail envelope... So adorable!

strawberry tart


It's strawberry season again!
Having one of these treats at the bus stop makes the wait worthwhile :)

Thursday, June 17, 2010

bird cake


This lovely cake was made to match this apparently popular dinnerware set it's served on. Beautiful!

street art

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Friday, June 11, 2010

venn diagram



--via Neatorama

nagi noda


I love artist Nagi Noda's work. See more of it here.

vanity fair

"When one man has been under very remarkable obligation to another, with whom he subsequently quarrels, a common sense of decency, as it were, makes of the former a much severer enemy than a mere stranger would be. To account for your own hardheartedness and ingratitude in such a case, you are bound to prove the other party's crime. It is not that you are a selfish, brutal, and angry at the failure of a speculation--no, no-- it is that your partner has led you into it by the basest treachery and with the most sinister motives. From a mere sense of consistency, a persecutor is bound to shew that the fallen man is a villain-- otherwise he the persecutor is a wretch himself."

--W. M. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, chapter XVIII

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

meanwhile


(from here)
Some great photos found on Steuso's photostream. His screenprints are awesome!